Deciphering Baby’s Cries

Sounds great on paper, but does the “language” really work?

Kristen Perfetuo,  Marshfield, Massachusetts mom to baby Ella, says it seems accurate. When Ella had her 2-month-old shots recently and was uncomfortable, Perfetuo says, “I really heard that ‘heh’ sound!”

The “eairh” sound (meaning the baby has lower gas) was also right on, Perfetuo says. But some of the sounds were hard to separate, such as “heh” and “eh,” and Perfetuo says that Ella makes many sounds that don’t correlate to the sounds in the Dunstan Baby Language.

Mary Zentis, a staff nurse in the maternity ward at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, MA, tested the Dunstan Baby Language out on the babies in the nursery.

Her reaction? “Babies make a lot more sounds than that!”

The concept is interesting, Zentis says, but some of the sounds are hard to identify, even for someone who is experienced with babies. “You can have a sense of knowing what a baby is doing without studying its sounds,” she says.

Zentis also expresses concern that parents might use the Dunstan Baby Language to scientifically analyze their babies rather than trying to properly bond with and comfort their newborns.

Perfetuo agrees. She already knows Ella’s routine and her needs based on how the baby is acting, not necessarily on the sounds she’s making.

Whether through studying language or through spending time bonding with baby, everyone agrees that the more quickly a parent figures out what baby is trying to say, the happier everyone will be.

“Crying is a less organized form of communication,” says Zentis. “When a baby is crying, you’ve already missed what it’s trying to say.”

Resources:

• Comforting Your Crying Baby: Why Your Baby Is Crying and What You Can Do About It, by Sandy Jones, Innova, 2005. Gentle reassurance about baby’s sleep and fussy periods, including debunking myths about sleep patterns and habits.
   
• Dunstan Baby Language – This set of DVDs claims to give parents the key to a crying baby’s needs.
   
• The Happiest Baby on the Block, by Harvey Karp, M.D., Bantam, 2003. In either book or DVD form, Karp’s technique focuses calming fussy infants with specific sounds and movement.
   
• The Secret Language of Babies: The Body Language of Little Bodies, by Sally Keister and Edwin Keister, Barron’s Educational Series, 2005. Interpret subtle clues from babies and toddlers with this book that claims to enhance parents’ confidence.

Originally published in B.A.B.Y., a publication of The Boston Parents’ paper.