2.3.9 Supporting Evidence: Babies

    •    Eat as much whole fat as you can.
    •    Prepare freezer full of casseroles, bone broths, soups for ease.
    •    Don’t work 8th or 9th month ideally — just as important as time off post birth.
    •    Don’t rush it.  42 weeks is great.  Child is lucky if “late”.  
    •    As few ultrasounds as possible.
    •    PreNatal Vitamins — liver, eggs, cod liver oil, cheese, red meat, fish eggs, lacto/fermented

15+ hours a day
More fat in belly means longer sleep sessions.
Structure - Babies can get overtired and then have trouble falling asleep.  
It is not abuse to let a baby gently cry to sleep for 15/30 minutes; it is structure.  Yes, if the little guy is really wailing, then get em back up and practice the 5 S's.
5 S’s  — Happiest Baby on the Block
swaddle, side/stomach, shhhhh (ushing), swinging, sucking

Each chapter of Nurture Shock displays an essential aspect of child development.  
1Use language that promotes growth mindset vs. fixed mindset.  This primarily means praising effort as opposed to aptitude.  Kids praised for aptitude begin to be afraid to try and fail, while kids praised for effort realize that hard work pays off.
2 Eight hours + sleep is essential all the way through high school.  More important for kids than adults
3 Conflict is not bad.  Unresolved conflict is damaging.   Teenagers in fact thrive on conflict as part of individuation.
4 Punishment ideally is consistent.  
5 Kids speech development parallels parental response (parents should respond with talking, touching, kissing) during baby cooing.
6 George Washington fable of being proud when you tell the truth is more effective than subtly encouraging kids to lie by saying "Did you really just do that? draw on the table?"

Introduce one at a time and watch for allergies and colic
At 4- 6 months:
egg yolk (whites avoided until 1 year), organic frozen raw chicken liver, avocado, cod liver oil(.5 tsp)
6-8 months pureed meats (2 days in fridge or freeze), butter, bone broths, mashed fruits, cooked veggies, cod liver oil(1 tsp), yoghurt, sweet potato, broccoli
8-12 months — braised meats (not pureed)

• I do believe mother’s milk is incredible still
• I think protein and fats are what developing bodies need. (for a 20 year old working out or 1 year old endocrine system.  
• I am not a huge fan of carbs as babies under a year rarely need “Energy for movement” as opposed to “Energy for building”
• Cut your sweet potatoes and bananas with nut butters and butter.  Feed plenty of high protein, high fat food so the developing little one has as much building materials as they want.
• I believe in salt — in moderation
• I would wait until 12 months for — grains, citrus, egg whites, leafy greens, raw salad veggies, whole egg, tomato, honey

"If the baby sees a videotape of his mother's face instead of the real-time display, he quickly becomes distraught.  It isn't solely his mother's beaming countenance but her synchrony that he requires-- their mutually responsive interaction.  Restore his mother's face in real time to his TV monitor and his contentment returns.  Introduce a delay into the video circuit, and the baby will again become distressed."  General Theory of Love

Emotionality is the social sense organ of limbic creatures — Highly developed in humans
Limbic system development is the single greatest offering we can give an infant/baby
I am fully opposed to the tough love model of treating kids as conditioned lab rats when they are under 6 months of age.  Offer love and support whenever possible recognizing the parents well being as well.  I am more open to different theories of parenting after 6 months or so; however, tough love early on seems completely inappropriate.    I don’t think self-soothing kicks in until 6-9 months and tough love prior to 6 months creates trauma rather than discipline.  I do believe that “spoiling” kids post 6 months is a very difficult line.

I believe there is a time and a place for vaccines and I do immunize myself when I travel overseas.  I am not a fan of rushing it with very delicate immune systems.    And I am not a fan of doing any that are not necessary based on the risk involved.  We can not lump all rational pro choice (as opposed to "anti-vaxxers”) together as if all vaccines and all reasons not to be vaccinated and all diseases are the same.
CONSIDERATIONS
Chronic vs. Acute illness.  New Zealand studies seem to suggest that vaccinated kids have higher rates of chronic disease such as asthma.   Is the trade off of not having rarely lethal short term pertussis or whooping cough responsible for lifelong asthma?

RECOMMENDATIONS

• WAIT & SPREAD -- Wait until 2 years of age then spread them out  — 1 per 6 months and supplement with additional cod liver oil, Vitamin C, B12 and liver and egg yolk before and after each shot to support immunity and general health.
• Don’t do Hep B unless you have Hep B
• Don’t do whooping cough — causal with asthma
• Don’t do Vitamin K shot at the hospital  — only a money game
• Don’t do eye wash at birth unless mom has chlamydia or gonorrhea
• Read Dr. Sears measured book on vaccines
• Follow the money of who’s profiting from vaccines (especially the unnecessary ones).  I don’t think doctors are evil or being greedy.  I think most doctors are trying to help humanity.
• "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it." Upton Sinclair
• Read the GAPS book if you suspect autistic symptoms developing.

• Balinese babies are held by someone for the first 108 days of their lives.  Don’t worry about spoiling an infant.  I do agree that you can spoil a baby or a toddler.  
• Massage the little guy.
• Ferber vs. Attachment Spectrum between Discipline and Love.  Both are a bit extreme for my taste.  My default in this and many aspects of child reariing is to default to what is right for the parents needs and energy levels.  I do believe that giving kids both unconditional love simultaneously to autonomy and personal space will be supportive for both parents and child.  
• (NOTE: Babies are adaptable.  The myriad of "right ways" out there to raise your child suggest to me that taking care of mom & dad so they can give love to the child is the single most important thing.    Don’t over-stress mom and dad to do the “right” thing for baby.  Any idea suggested here is hopefully taken in the light of doing what brings joy and peace to mom and dad.  This trumps any recommendations that I make.)