Communicating With Your Baby
Some babies may have some minor symptoms of withdrawal from their mothers’ use of substances in pregnancy. Hospital staff will give you information on how to respond to and settle your baby. Learning how and when to respond to your baby and what best suits your baby will help you feel confident in caring for your baby at home. These techniques reflect current SIDS recommendations. The following ideas may be helpful for settling or comforting your baby. If your baby has:
- prolonged crying—hold your baby close to your body: perhaps wrapped in a baby blanket or sheet. Reduce loud noises, bright lights or excessive handling
- sleeplessness—reduce loud noises, bright lights, patting or touching your baby too much. Soft, gentle music or rocking may help. Make sure that your baby has a clean nappy and a dry bottom. Feed your baby on demand and to appetite
- excessive sucking of fists—cover your baby's hands with gloves or mittens if their skin becomes damaged. Keep areas of damaged skin clean with baby soap and water (avoid lotions and creams as the baby may suck them). Use a dummy when necessary
- difficult or poor feeding—feed your baby in quiet, calm surroundings with minimal noise and disturbance. Giving smaller feeds more often may help. Keep your baby in a semi-sitting position and well supported. If bottle feeding, use a slow teat. Feed your baby slowly, allowing time for resting between sucking intervals. Avoid sleeping your baby on their tummy—always sleep your baby on their back (SIDS recommendation)
- sneezing, stuffy nose or breathing troubles—keep your baby’s nose and mouth clean. Avoid overdressing or wrapping your baby too tightly. If breathing difficulties continue or worsen, please contact your family doctor or hospital emergency department
- regurgitation and/or vomiting—burp your baby each time they stop sucking and after the feed. Support your baby’s cheeks and lower jaw to enhance sucking and swallowing efforts. SIDS recommend "back to sleep", that is, only sleep your baby on their back. Babies will turn their heads to the side when vomiting if their heads are free of covers. Keep your baby clean and bedding free of vomit
- hyperactivity—use soft flannel blankets or a shorthaired sheepskin covered by a cotton sheet for baby’s comfort. Speak softly to your baby, play soft, soothing music
- trembling—keep your baby in a warm quiet room and avoid excessive handling of baby
- fever (temperature over 37.2ºC)—keep clothing to a minimum, avoid excessive bedclothes Place your baby in a cool room with a fan (avoid fan blowing directly on to your baby.) Seek medical help if temperature stays elevated for more than four hours or if other symptoms develop
- nappy area excoriation—prompt changing of soiled nappies. Cleanse with warm water and apply a barrier cream e.g. zinc, castor oil.
Source: (adapted with permission from) the King Edward Memorial Hospital’s NAS Information booklet (Perth, WA). Undated.
Building a strong relationship
All parents hope to build a strong loving relationship with their baby and all babies need a strong loving relationship with their parents.
Parents and babies use touch, movement, sound and feelings to make this special relationship strong. This is called bonding. It’s like glue and holds the relationship together. Building a strong bond between you and your baby is important to your baby’s future. A strong bond is a healthy start for your baby to grow, develop and build relationships with other people.
How your baby communicates with you. Did you know?
You can start communicating with your baby before birth. In the last three months of pregnancy your baby is developing their senses (hearing and vision). They are also beginning to develop their language and thinking abilities, so talk and sing and read to your baby while they are in the womb.
Babies can communicate with you as soon as they are born. At first your baby’s communication signs are quick and hard to spot. Sometimes, it will be a look, a sudden stillness or some other little movement. As your baby grows, you may see and hear them:
- looking at you for a few seconds
- smiling, cooing, holding out their arms and crying
- learning by looking around but then checking back with you
- giving signals that tell you they need you to make them feel safe (making sounds, quick movements).
Looking and listening for these signs will help you tune in to your baby’s communication.
You can make your special bond strong by:
- holding, cuddling and gentle handling. Hold your baby’s head and neck—it’s easy for babies to be frightened of falling
- understanding when your baby needs feeding, changing and comforting
- building your baby’s skills by helping them see, hear, touch, taste and smell new or interesting things.
But how do I talk to a baby?
- Go to your baby calmly and gently.
- Tell your baby what’s going to happen. It helps babies feel safe.
- Share eye contact with your baby.
- Let your baby look at your face. Babies learn to read faces early.
- Say soft sounds or words to your baby.
- Give baby time to make sounds back to you. This will happen from around three months.
- Repeat the sounds your baby makes and wait.
- Look where baby is looking and say what it is or what is happening.
Remember, sometimes your baby will be tired and won’t feel like talking—they will wriggle, look away or cry. Look for these signals.
What does your baby’s cry mean?
Babies use crying to tell us lots of different things like: I’m tired, I need a nappy change, I’m hungry, I’m lonely and need a cuddle.
Remember you are the most important person in your baby’s life and babies and parents need to learn about each other to build a strong relationship.
Source: With permission from West Moreton Child and Family Health Services. Queensland Health. Queensland Government. Undated.