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I CONTINUE TO BE THANKFUL THAT I USED BABYPLUS DURING MY PREGNANCIES.

LANGUAGE ACQUISITION FOR BOTH OF MY DAUGHTERS WAS EXTREMELY ADVANCED.

ONE PUSH OF A BUTTON WAS ALL THE EFFORT REQUIRED TO PLAY EACH LESSON.

VOLUNTEERING IN THEIR CLASSROOMS ALLOWED ME TO SEE THEIR SCHOOL READINESS IN ACTION.

EACH GIRL IS UNIQUE, YET AMAZING.

BONDING TIME I HAD WITH EACH BABY WAS INCREASED BECAUSE I WAS USING BABYPLUS.

ALERT FROM BIRTH AND SO FOCUSED FROM THE START.

BREASTFEEDING HAPPENED WITHOUT ANY HELP FROM ME IN THE DELIVERY ROOM.

YOU CAN PLAY THE LESSONS SITTING, STANDING DRIVING OR DOING YOUR DAILY ACTIVITIES.

PRENATAL STIMULATION AIDS THEIR COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT FOR A LIFETIME.

LOVE HOW INTERESTED THEY BOTH ARE IN LEARNING AND THE WORLD AROUND THEM.

UNTIL YOU SEE THE END RESULT YOU MAY BE SKEPTICAL, BUT IT IS WORTH THE INVESTMENT.

SUCH A SIMPLE ACT WAS THE BEST GIFT I COULD GIVE TO MY GIRLS.

 

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The post I LOVE BABYPLUS- An acrostic Valentine’s poem appeared first on blog.babyplus.com.

Parents can often read and react to their child’s emotional states.  Parents often understand a baby’s cry or laugh as illness, fear, hunger, or more. A study reported on ABC news in 2005[1], shared that Allan Schore, a leading neuroscientist at the University of California, Los Angeles’ Center for Culture, Brain, and Development pointed out that the connection between parent and child during the first year of life affects a child’s psychological state and plays a role in physically shaping the brain. His own research concluded that the parent-child interaction plays a key role in shaping the right side of the infant’s brain.

 

The right side of the brain is stimulated when interacting with others, especially care-givers. When a care-giver interacts with an infant, the child’s brain is being affected, shaping emotional responses.  This interaction appears to help the child’s ability to handle stress and feel emotionally secure.

 

Shore also shares that the child’s brain is not only shaped by ‘genetics but also the experience of the last trimester of pregnancy through the child’s first year and a half of life’. At 7 months in utero, the ear’s neurological system is developed, supporting the stimulation both to the left hemisphere of the brain, important for speech and language development, and the right hemisphere of the brain, important for this emotional connection.  The child’s brain will be shaped by these early stimulations and personal attachments.

 

As the parent, you do not need to wait until your child is born to talk, sing or interact with them.  Start interacting while you are pregnant.  Singing lays the underlying tonal and rhythm patterns of the world, but talking provides the smaller, subtler sound changes that can also support your child’s emotional well-being. Have fun with your baby.  Chat, talk, sing and interact with them.  Enjoy the experience!

 

 

 

 

 

©Davis 2014

 

[1] http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/print?id=1362076

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The post Talk to Your Baby When You Are Pregnant appeared first on blog.babyplus.com.

Now, I’ve known about BabyPlus for quite a few years. And, I’ve heard all the fantastic stories of what it can do. But, each and every single day, I am amazed and in awe of my little one. During Christmas break, we went to my parents house in Florida. She did GREAT in the car, but that’s a whole other story. What she did while we were there was something I was so excited my parents could experience with us. Our little peanut rolled over (on purpose) for the very first time at just 3 /12 months old! She had rolled over once or twice before, but never on purpose. This time she was all over the place. She first rolled from her belly to her back. Then, two weeks later, my in-laws were in town and she rolled from her back to her stomach! Now, I think she just likes to show off, but she’s pretty cute when she does it!

I know that 3 1/2 months is pretty early to be rolling. It’s just one of the many ways she is “advanced” at her little age. I’m so excited to see how she keeps changing this month!

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The post Rolling Both Ways appeared first on blog.babyplus.com.

There have been numerous reported cases of children and even adults being very familiar with a song or lullaby that they say they never heard before, such as the musician whose mother practiced a song on an instrument during her pregnancy which she performed while still pregnant. It wasn’t something that she played much after that but her son many years later, when learning a ‘new song,’ kept saying “I know this song.” After mentioning it at a family get together, his mother said, ‘Yes, that is what I practiced and played while I was pregnant with you.”

A recent study at the University of Helsinki reiterated what previous studies have shown, that an infant can recognize a lullaby heard in the womb for many months after their birth. The rhythm patterns in these lullabies are very important to the baby’s auditory, speech, and language development. The sing-song patterns help the child hear, process and recognize the tonal sound pattern differences in our speech patterns. Tonal pattern changes such as ending a question with the voice going upward can be processed better when a child’s brain has had the opportunity to hear, process, integrate and use many different rhythm pattern and tonal pattern changes as early as possible.

The best time to start shaping the brain for auditory input, especially tonal and rhythm pattern changes, is in utero. The ear is functioning by 4 ½ months in utero. Singing simple songs with easy rhythm patterns, singing a lullaby with emotion and feeling, or simply repeating the many nursery rhymes in a sing-song pattern will help shape your baby’s brain for underlying language cues. The University of Helsinki study showed that fetuses can recognize and remember sounds from the ‘outside world’. The researchers anticipate that these formative patterns help shape long term sound input for language development.

Keep singing moms! Lullabies are one way to help your child’s future development.

*Dorinne Davis is an Audiologist and President/Founder of the The Davis Center, the world’s premier sound therapy center.  She has authored 5 books and has contributed to numerous other publications in her field.  We are privileged to have Dorinne hold a seat on our BabyPlus Scientific Advisory Board. 

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The post Sing a Lullaby to Your Baby While Still in the Womb appeared first on blog.babyplus.com.

So, I have to post a few pictures because I am quite proud. I’ve never been a very good decorator, but I finally designed a room that is cute and show ready. Since I’m not super girly, I decided to go with neutral colors including gray, white and yellow. You’ll also see a few pops of pink in there. Take a look at my BabyPlus baby’s, Miss Avalyn’s, nursery!

The prints above were a really cool gift from one of our friend’s who designs all sorts of neat things. Take a look at Quiet Boy Studio!

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The post The Nursery appeared first on blog.babyplus.com.

A recent Gallup Poll estimates 53% of Americans are dissatisfied with the quality of education their children receive. For the first time in history America’s younger generation is less well educated than their parents. Most parents are frustrated and often at a loss about how to truly help their children thrive and learn. Our lives are busier than ever before and there is little time for parents to focus on learning. The sad truth is only 69% of high school students graduate.

What researchers know now that they might not have understood decades ago is that the earliest stimulation of a child is what matters most in the long term. That means simple measures parents can take like playing classical music in the nursery and interacting with baby as often and as much as possible truly matter. Reading to a toddler is free and it’s stimulating. It just takes a few minutes a day! An even better way to provide an enriched environment for your baby is to start when she’s still in the womb. Products like The BabyPlus Prenatal Education System® do a wonderful job of making the most of those ever important developmental months inside the womb. Any environmentally stimulating activity we can offer as parents in the first five years can potentially change the entire course of a child’s life.

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The post What Can Help Education Today? appeared first on blog.babyplus.com.

It has been years now since my last baby was born and although I know that the “stuff” is not the important part of having a baby, I have to admit that each baby shower brings about a tinge of jealousy.  It seems that the cycle of new products on the market is just about 9 months.  So with 8 years behind me I decided to search out the 5 new gadgets that I would want if I were having a baby now. But I am not- Happy Shopping to the rest of you!

1. 4moms® mamRoo® Plush Infant Bouncer- Moves 5 different ways, with speed and sound settings and a mobile.

http://www.4moms.com/mamaroo

Sometimes it is hard to know what will soothe a baby.  With all these options hopefully one will work. 

2. Chicco NextFit® Zip Convertible Car Seat- It has a Zip & Wash™ seat pad making it easy to clean.

http://www.chiccousa.com/gear/car-seats/nextfit-zip-palisade.aspx

A car seat with a cover that is easy to remove and clean? Genius!

3. Formula Pro® by babybrezza- Looks like a coffee maker, but mixes and dispenses formula.

http://www.babybrezza.com/store.php/formula-pro/

This just looks cool.  I didn’t use a lot of formula, but this might have made bottles more fun. 

4. Kindee™ Breastmilk Collection, Storage and Feeding System

https://www.kiinde.com/

I love these!  I think this would take away a few extra steps that I had to do back in the day.

5. Nest Baby Bassinet by Phil&Teds®

http://philandteds.com/us/Buy/sleep/nest-baby-bassinet?buybutton#.VF0WCE0tA5t

Easy to travel with.  Now baby can sleep almost anywhere and not just in their infant carrier. 

You don’t need all of the products out there to parent and love and patience are the most important ingredients, but these items might make things a little easier.

Happy Parenting!

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The post Every Pregnancy Brings Cool New Gear! appeared first on blog.babyplus.com.

Deciding to have a baby is the first step into a lifetime of decision making for your child.  Hopefully using BabyPlus was one of the first decisions you made to give your baby every advantage.  Moving forward parents then have numerous decision to make before the arrival of their child.  One of those decisions is who you want to be a part of your delivery experience.  One such choice is- Do you want to enlist in the services of a doula?

Who is a doula?

The word doula is a Greek word that translates into women’s servant. A doula is a certified person that attends to the family before during and just after the birth.  This person does not provide medical care, but rather emotional, informational and physical support.  A labor doula is the focus of this blog, but you can also enlist antepartum and postpartum doulas.

When do you use a doula?

A doula’s services usually begin a few months before a baby is due.  She will help you make decisions about what kind of delivery experience you want to have.  A doula can be used for any type of delivery, planned or emergency, natural or not, vaginal or Cesarean.  There is rarely a pregnancy situation where you cannot use a doula although many insurance companies do not yet cover their services.

Why would you choose to use a doula?

Including a doula during your pregnancy gives you an advocate during the delivery of your baby.  She can provide support and ease transitions between home, the hospital and back home again.  While hospital staff will change regularly during your stay, a doula will provide you consistency.  She can help makes your wishes clear and can provide labor coaching, techniques for pain relief, relaxation, massage, breathing and labor positions.  Post delivery, she can even provide breastfeeding assistance and facilitate bonding with family members.

What questions should you ask when selecting a doula? 

I reached out to a contact of mine at Birth Coach Method/Mama Center in San Jose, CA to get her top 4 questions parents should ask when interviewing a doula.  She was gracious to send me the following response:

1. What kid of training do you have, and what did you learn that has prepared you to support me in childbirth?

2. How experienced are you in terms of number of births and different types of experiences?

3. In what ways do you make sure to get to know me and my partner and adjust your doula support to meet our unique concerns, needs and wishes for the birth?

4. What makes you unique as a doula?  What are your strengths, characteristics and skills that we should hire you for?

Whatever you choose- We wish you a happy, healthy pregnancy!

INFORMATION FOR THIS ARTICLE COLLECTED FROM: NERI CHOMA, FOUNDER AND MENTOR, BIRTH COACH AT BIRTH COACH METHOD, BIRTHSOURCE.COM, LIFELOVEDOULA.COM  AND AMERICANPREGNANCY.ORG.

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The post Doula W’s- Who, When, Why and What to Ask appeared first on blog.babyplus.com.

As we work tirelessly week after week to spread the word about why parents should choose to use BabyPlus we are reminded over and over that our best, most-effective marketing efforts are derived from parents who have used BabyPlus during their pregnancy and experienced the results first hand.  We can place online and print ads, launch SEO campaigns and attend Baby Expos worldwide, but those efforts can’t compare to hearing from a parents who has witnessed the birth of their child and observed the alertness and open palms of their new arrival only minutes into life outside the womb.  Only after spending time with a BabyPlus baby that is so engaged and calm do others begin to compare a BabyPlus baby to others they have been around and begin noticing the attributes that BabyPlus parents rave about in testimonials.  Neislen tabulates that 84% of consumers trust recommendations from their friends and that they trust recommendations from friends 7X more than traditional advertising.  Clearly traditional advertising cannot compare to the value of real experiences of parents around the world.

As we grow and expand the BabyPlus brand we are working toward meeting the needs of the BabyPlus consumer base.  Our goal is to provide tools to help parents with decision making throughout a child’s life, not just during the months that our product can be utilized.  We strive to be connected to families around the world and to connect families to one another and to provide insight and information on the issues that challenge us as parents everyday.  The first step in this process is staying connected.  With the ability to communicate with BabyPlus parents everywhere we can provide answers and ask questions that will serve all of us going forward.

Staying connected with BabyPlus families and developing our Word of Mouth Marketing strategy are two of our most important goals.  You can help us with both.

1. Like us on Facebook and interact with postings.

2. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

3.  Opt-In to participate in surveys from the BabyPlus Company

4. Post a review on the site where you purchased BabyPlus

5. Write a testimonial about your BabyPlus experience with outcomes on our site, FB or email it to me at robinm@babyplus.com.

6. Tell moms-to-be about the benefits you saw in using BabyPlus and encourage them to look into it.  (Mommy groups are a great place to do this. )

In exchange, we will continue to blog on interesting child/pregnancy related issues, bring you articles from the web that might interest you, post recipes, decorating ideas share photos of your BabyPlus children and much more on our various social media outlets.  We will also keep you up to date on new products we are planning to launch.

Thank you for being our brand ambassadors around the globe!

 

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The post Why BabyPlus Needs You! appeared first on blog.babyplus.com.

When we think of characteristics of creative people we often think of the idealized version of an artist or musician.  Although these can be examples of obvious creativity, it’s the characteristics of the highly creative that matter to the shaping of our lives over time.

In 2012 Adobe conducted State of Create survey among a group of 5,000 adults.  Interestingly enough, Japan and the U.S. are the first- and second-most creative countries, respectively, among a global audience.  Around the globe, more than half of Adobe’s respondents said creativity is being stamped out rather than nourished by the education system.  “One of the myths of creativity is that very few people are really creative.” Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D.  Many experts feel that one of the problems is that too often educational systems don’t enable students to develop their natural creative powers.  Most schools instead promote uniformity and standardization.

It is by asking questions, wondering and being curious that creative people come up with spontaneous ideas.  Rather than simply collecting information, creative brains play with it.  This can’t happen in an environment of extreme structure and rigidity.  In fact most studies show that creativity is about using both sides of the brain to solve problems.  The highly creative child does not focus on left or right brain but instead relies on both to begin divergent thinking.

So how do you raise creative children?  First, suspend the idea that creativity is inherited.  While creativity is inherent in every human being, parents can nurture and strengthen a child’s creative abilities:

1. Provide children an enriched environment early on. Products like The BabyPlus Prenatal Education System® can provide baby with a developmentally appropriate environment.
2. Provide unconstructed playtime. Resist the temptation to overschedule your child with activities.
3. Get outside! Children often find the outdoors as a source of inspiration even from the stroller.
4. Look for preschools which encourage creativity and allow for contemplation of abstract ideas.

Your child has the capacity to be creative.  It’s empowering when you understand just how important your role as a parent can truly be!

“The brain can be developed just as a set of muscles.” ~ Thomas Edison

 

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