Baby's Emotional Development

Parents.com has an article that provide a Month-by-Month Guide to Baby's Emotional Development. (There is also a guide to developmental milestones, if you are interested) Of course these things are only guidelines, but I thought I was pretty interesting. Here is there month-by-month breakdown:

Month 1
Makes eye contact
Cries for help
Responds to parents' smiles and voices

Month 2
Begins to develop a social smile
Enjoys playing with other people and may cry when play stops
Prefers looking at people rather than objects
Studies faces
Gurgles and coos in response to sounds around her
First begins to express anger

Month 3
Starts a "conversation" by smiling at you and gurgling to get your attention
Smiles back when you smile at him. The big smile involves his whole body -- hands open wide, arms lift up, legs move
Can imitate some movements and facial expressions

Month 4
Is intrigued by children. Will turn toward children's voices in person or on TV
Laughs when tickled and when interacting with others
Cries if play is disrupted

Month 5
Becomes increasingly assertive
Can differentiate between family members (parents and siblings) and strangers
Likes to play during meals

Month 6
May quickly tire of a toy but will never tire of your attention
Temperament becomes increasingly apparent. You'll see whether she tends to be easygoing or easily upset; gentle or active
Recognizes his own name
Coos for pleasure and cries with displeasure
Can make noises like grunts and squeals; clicks his tongue

Month 7
Starts to understand the meaning of "no"
Enjoys social interaction
Expresses anger more strongly
Tries to mimic adult sounds

Month 8
Can differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar
May become shy or anxious with strangers
Cries in frustration when he can't reach a toy or do something he wants to do

Month 9
Imitates gestures that other people make
Looks at correct picture when an image is named
Smiles and kisses own image in the mirror
Likes to play near parent (i.e., in kitchen while Mom is cooking)
May be more sensitive to the presence of other children

Month 10
Separation anxiety may begin
Self-esteem begins to develop
Responds to positive recognition such as clapping
Becomes cautious of heights
Shows moods such as sad, happy, and angry

Month 11
Tries to gain approval and avoid disapproval
Can be uncooperative

Month 12
May have temper tantrums
Can fluctuate between being cooperative and uncooperative
Shows a developing sense of humor
May cling to parents or one parent in particular

Bad Baby Names

Jeff and I are still pondering names, and not knowing the gender makes it 2X as hard ... we need to find both a boy's and girl's name that we both like and agree upon. We actually are finding boy's names more difficult than girls, and either way havent settled on anything. It's a lot easier to find names we both don't like or that we would never use because they are "too old fashioned" or our child would "get made fun of" or simply because we find them "cruel" :) Unfortunately, there are others out there in the world that don't seem to think like we do, and name their children the oddest things. I have seen lots of these lately and thought I would share some.

• Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii

A 9-year-old New Zealand girl recently won a court battle to legally change her name from "Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii) after a family court judge found this name to a form of child abuse.

• Dow & Indiana Jones

Indiana and Dow Jones are siblings, 12 and 7 years old, respectively. Indiana got her name because her dad's family was from the state. But Dow was a different story. Apparently, Dow's dad named him on a dare while his mom was asleep in the hospital bed after giving birth.

In a recent book, actualy titled "Bad Baby Names", the authors discuss REAL names that were found on record by the US Census. Some examples?

• Fanny Pack
• Fanny Whiffer
• Post Office
• Al Caholic
• Garage Empty
• Hysteria Johnson
• Please Cope
• Lots of "Ima's": Ima Hogg,Ima Pigg,Ima Muskrat,Ima Nut,Ima Hooker
• Mary Christmas
• Happy Day


And lets not forget some of the crazy things celebrities name their kids!

• Kal-El Coppola: Nicholas Cage (Kal-El is Superman’s original birth name)
• Moxie CrimeFighter: Penn Jillette (also father to Zolten)
• Pilot Inspektor: Jason Lee and Beth Riesgraf
• Jermajesty: Jermaine Jackson and Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza
• Fifi Trixibell: Bob Geldof and Paula Yates (also parents to Peaches and Pixie)

So whats the big deal? What's in a "bad name"? Well, studies show that children with odd names: get lower grades and are less popular than in elementary school, are more likely to flunk out or become “psychoneurotic” in college, have their resumes spurned by prospective employers and are overrepresented among emotionally disturbed children and psychiatric patients.

Does that mean I just eliminate Justin Timberlake Schneider from my top 10 boy's names? Nah...what kid wouldn't want to be named Justin Timberlake?

Hmmm... A Baby Planner?

With the combination of busy lifestyles and the plethora of products out there on the market, there appears to be an increasing demand for Baby Planners. These individuals help new parents decide what products they need, help select pediatricians and nannys and even will design the nursery. According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, one planner even admitted to helping choose a baby's name!

There is some controversy over the subject, the fact that parents are relying on this outside help and no longer seem to trust intuition, judgment, or their own parents input/advice and instead seek out books, the internet and now the "Baby Planner". I can see both sides of the equation. Though Jeff and I are older and "wiser", we still find this whole world of parenthood quite intimidating. Things our parents did are often no longer recommended, products we grew up on are no longer safe, and every day there is a new study that says we should (or shouldn't) use this or that product or method. It can be overwhelming and I have found myself spending a great deal of time doing research, buying books, checking the internet and talking to friends.

While I admit the fact that there are about 1,000 strollers/cribs/car-seats (you name it) to choose from can be a bit daunting, we do trust our judgment in the long-run. But, the help and information seems to be crucial when choosing products. We can find information on safety, usability, and practicality that is offered by a combination of parents and experts. Without that information we might end up with dangerous products, or things that may have negative developmental impacts on our child. But I am not counting on all of the external advice and information to tell me how to actually raise Baby Schneider ... thats where we have to count on the fact that our intuition and judgement is going to lead us in the right direction :) I dont need an expert or a book to tell me what to do. Everyone makes mistakes, and I am sure we will make plenty. Its the making of mistakes that eventually makes good parents ... and those "oops" events are often more important than the things we do right the first time.

But Maybe I Could Use...
A personal assistant? Though we don't seem to need someone to help us with our product selections, I could use someone to actually go do the shopping :) We have a list of stuff we need, and have picked out the type/brand/color of most things ... yet we fail to go get them. It's not the thinking, its the doing. If I could just have someone go do all this stuff for me (and perhaps also take care of the labor part of this pregnancy process) then life would be pretty sweet.

6 Things to Never Say to Your Pregnant Friend

Cute article on MSN listing the 6 Things to Never Say to Your Pregnant Friend. For some reason there are 10 items on the "6 Things" list, but oh well! What's on the list?

1)"So...was it planned?"
2)"Twins! IVF or natural?"
3)"30 weeks? You're still so small!"
4)"Speaking of pregnancy, did I ever tell you about my sister's 36-hour labor?
5)"Well, maybe next time it'll be a boy."
6)"Felt any kicks yet [said while placing hand on her belly]?"
7)"[Insert name]? Really? Hmm, that's an...interesting choice."
8)"That's a decaf latte, right?"
9)"Let me know when you're at week 15. I'm praying this one works out."
10)"Yeah, babies are cute and all, but just wait until puberty..."