TV: Infant Development

Hi Sarah, thank you for your question! Your question was answered by Dr Frans Plooij, who said, that if you have your baby on the body most of the time, it is quite natural for demand feeding to occur. Scheduled feeding (usually every 3-4 hours), as compared to demand feeding, of which is every 1.5 hours, you go against the nature of your baby. In the difficult periods, don’t stick to schedules, when your baby has a difficult time, comfort your baby! Thank you for tuning in! The recorded live stream of the Ask The Expert session with Dr Frans can be viewed here: https://www.facebook.com/parenttown/videos/1258235770909093/

There are a few different types of cries that signify different needs. They are (taken from: http://sg.theasianparent.com/what-your-babys-cries-mean/): - A hungry baby’s cries will be rhythmic and repetitive. The cry will often be accompanied by sucking sounds, rooting or sucking on fingers or hands. Timing also plays a big part in a hungry cry. If your baby hasn’t eaten in 3 hours or so, chances are pretty good that he/she wants to eat. Dunstan baby language tells us to listen for ‘n’ sounds in a baby’s hungry cry. - A tired baby’s cry will start slowly and build in intensity. A tired baby will also rub their eyes, yawn and move around as if trying to keep themselves awake. The ‘ow’ sound is heard in a baby’s tired cry according to Dunstan. - A stressed baby will toss and turn while crying in a whiny sort of way. The cry is often described as fussy. They will turn away from the sounds or sights that are stressing them out. - The cry of a baby who is suffering from colic is persistent, loud and sharp. They will often draw their legs up in pain. The ‘eh’ sound, according to Dunstan’s language of babies, indicates a need to be burped or to be relieved of gas. - Sudden, intense, sharp cries that come suddenly indicate pain. This type of cry can also indicate extreme fear. - Whimpers and soft cries or whining are signs of not feeling well. They are sending the message of “I need some TLC”. A ‘heh’ sound indicates discomfort in Dunstan’s baby language. Regardless, always respond to your baby’s crying. Comforting your baby when he/she needs you will help settle and make your baby feel more secure. Every baby will have their own styles of whining and all, once you are able to decipher the different types of cries, you can better attend to his/her needs.