Your baby should calm after twenty to thirty seconds of this
method. Then roll him on his back and let him sleep.
Infant Swings: Get Your Fussy Baby into the Swing of
Things
Many of you probably live far from your families, and the burden of
baby care falls on your shoulders twenty-four hours a day. No wonder
you need some help! That’s why it was inevitable
that the inventors of
labor-saving devices like washing machines and garbage disposals would
create some baby-calming devices like swings, bouncy seats, and … cars.
(Of course, cars weren’t invented for this reason, but that’s how many
parents use them.)
Many weary parents find products that
vibrate or swing are even
better than car rides. When used properly, these devices are more
effective, don’t cause accidents or pollution, and they let you stay in
your PJ’s!
Unfortunately, some parents hesitate
to use swings because they
believe myths like: “It moves too fast.” “It can hurt a baby’s back.” “It
makes them vomit.” “Babies get dependent on them.” “It’s meant for
older infants.”
Betsy found the swing helpful, but she was so afraid it
would hurt Hannah that she put two pounds of bananas in
it with her just to slow the thing down!
Lisanne felt torn. The swing helped Sasha, but she
worried, “I don’t want him to become hooked on it.”
Of course, the last thing any parent would ever want to do is hurt her
child or impair his development. But, don’t forget, babies are jiggled and
rocked for months in the womb. That’s why, far from spoiling Sasha, his
hours in the swing were a small compensation for his having been
evicted from the uterus. Once
Sasha reached three months, he was old
enough to soothe himself without any help from a swing. Like Sasha,
most babies by three to four months of life find the swing isolating and
boring. I’ve never seen a baby who couldn’t be easily weaned from the
swing by five months of age. (See
Chapter 15
on
weaning babies from
the swing.)
Occasionally, your friends and families may also have worries about
infant swings. Some comment disapprovingly: “Babies should be in their
mother’s arms, not in a machine.” Or, “It shouldn’t be called a swing, it’s
really a ‘neglectomatic’!”
For most of the day you’ll carry your baby in your arms or a sling, but
some babies protest whenever they are put down.
In the past we always
had kith and kin to lend hands of support. In today’s mini-families, a
swing can help replace that missing extra pair of hands you need to
comfort your baby while you shower, prepare dinner, or take a nap.
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