…And she’s only three weeks old.
But it’s not one of ’em earthly destructive vices we adults are guilty of. In fact, many experts and doctors specializing on infant and child care agree that encouraging this “vice” promotes a child’s emotional, physical and brain development.
I’m talkin’ about being arm-carried, mommies.
The little rascal loves to be snuggled close to mum
Lia’s one of those babies who can’t stand ten minutes of being alone to herself (even when asleep) without crying maniacally, even if she’s not gassy, hungry, wet, sleepy or uncomfortable. I know this to be true because the minute I pick her up she just completely hushes (Drives the husband insane because he can’t make her shut up even when he’s carrying her AND singing “Bahay Kubo”).
It flatters me that my baby does seem to like me a lot, but I can’t deny that it’s becoming quite an inconvenience to be carrying her all-day too, especially that I’m planning to resume my homebased work soon. I barely even have time to take a bath or respond to spontaneous physiologic needs (No, we don’t have a helper or yaya, if you wanna know)!
…Which is why I’m in dire need of a baby sling!
Karga: Me likey!
Now, I know a lot of parents out there go by the belief that a mother should not tolerate an infant’s wails by picking her up and carrying her each time she cries, as this tends to “spoil” the child (the MIL is a firm believer of this practice, and would remind me every time not to go to Lia unless she’s hungry or her nappies are wet).
There is profound evidence though, that babies whose needs are often neglected tend to grow up as individuals with low self-esteem. In fact, psychoanalyst Erik Erikson explains in his highly-regarded Psychosocial Theory of Development that in order for a person to mature to a healthy individual, he should pass through 8 necessary developmental stages where two conflicting attributes arise: one, positive, and the other, negative. If the needs in each stage are not met, the person advances on to the next stage carrying with him the negative virtue of that stage, resulting to personal conflicts later on in life.
Aprub! ang buhat ni mommy
In the Trust versus Mistrust stage, an infant’s central needs – food, warmth, and affection – must be provided by the mother to thrive with a general trust of the world. Otherwise, he may grow up as an adolescent or adult who have issues with trust and security, and sometimes have inexplicable feelings of abandonment.
As for me, I always go with what feels right. Will answering promptly to an infant who’s not even capable of explicit memory make her dependent? Most likely not. But I know this to be true: doing so will not make my litte girl feel unloved. Discipline can come later, when she’s already physically, emotionally and mentally fit for it and is able to understand why there’s a need for it.
How about you, mommies? How do you keep up with your little one’s wails?
Ibang klase talaga ang hiwaga ng mga old school na paniniwala haha. I dont think at this very early eh bratinella na mga biik natin hehe. When a baby cries, dalawa lang yan. Its either may need sya or naglalambing lang sya, especially baby girl. By the way, snuggling a baby provides her warmth which makes her feel safe and loved, di ba? As for me naman, on the average siguro 60-70 years life span natin. Eh ilang taon lang ba natin ma-"ssnugle" mga anak natin? Baka nga 7 or 8 years old pa lang sila eh ayaw na magpakiss and hug nyan. So why deprive yourselves of this affection? Samantalahin mo na habang snuggle-all-you-can ka pa haha. Congrats ulet Butchie!
Bers, I couldn't agree with you more! Kaya when nahihirapan na rin ako sa pagbubuhat 24/7 eh ang iniisip ko na lang,pag mga 11 years old na to, ni ayaw na nitong sasama sa 'kin.
Happy hot momma's day! ^_^