10 Secrets Your Baby Wishes You Knew But Can’t Tell You

It’s hard to imagine what a womb must feel to a baby. But I imagine it feels something like this. Quiet. For the most part. Tranquil. And a connection.

From the moment of conception, you are intimately connected to your mother’s body as you begin your odyssey in the womb. The womb provides a safe, cosy environment for you to develop and grow, protected from the external world. There are no interruptions here. No upheavals. It is a peaceful passage. With each passing day, you develop unique sensory experiences that help shape your physical, mental and emotional development. Birth happens, and you suddenly find yourself in the world. Your heart skips a beat in excitement and agitated anticipation. What will I find in this new world I wonder? Will I like it here? What will I be? How shall I be treated?

These imagined early musings often turn into a shocking acceptance that the new world is not the safe haven that the before place was. You feel lost as you try and manipulate the trappings of your body. As you experience needs and emotions, you find desperate and loud ways to be heard.

“I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle.”
Vincent Van Gogh

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Introduction: Unlocking the Secrets. What Babies Need to Thrive and How Parents Can Foster Development

When my little one was a born, she cried all the time. And it drove me mad. In desperation, I turned to a relative that I was close to and ranted one day. “No matter what I do she cries all the time. I want to give her what she wants or needs. But she can’t communicate so what do I do?!” She turned a wise smile towards me and said gently, “But she does, my love. she cries! That is her language. You just need to learn it.”

This was quite a revelation. As parents, it can be difficult to understand what your baby is trying to communicate. While they may not be able to say it in words, there are many things that your baby can communicate. Just not in a language you understand.

Research has revealed that babies communicate through a variety of cues, such as facial expressions, body language, and sounds. Although babies can’t communicate their needs and desires effectively, common things that they may want their parents to know include:

Hunger: A baby may cry when they are hungry, but this is the only way they have to communicate that they need food.
Discomfort: A dirty diaper, tight clothing, or a wet bed can cause discomfort and distress to a baby.
Overstimulation: Too much noise, light, or activity can be overwhelming to a baby and they may cry or become fussy as a result.
Tiredness: A baby may become fussy or cry when they are tired and need to sleep.
Pain: Crying is often a sign that a baby is experiencing physical pain or discomfort.

Through careful observation and understanding, parents can understand the secret language of babies and learn to respond to their baby’s cues in ways that will help them develop emotionally, mentally, and physically. They can start strong and build secure relationships with their babies that will last a lifetime.

In this article, we’ll explore some of the secrets behind what babies wish their parents knew. From their need for physical touch, to feel affection, to their desire for a consistent routine, here are 10 things your baby wishes you knew but can’t tell you.

Secret #1 – Babies Need Their Feelings and Emotions To Be Acknowledged

In a recent experiment, researchers compared 2 sets of parents to see how they reacted when asked about their parenting practices. One group was asked what behaviors they regularly practised with their children, and the other was questioned on whether or not they would prefer such behaviours to be done to them. Group one saw a majority of their parents answer ‘yes’ to the question, whereas for group two the majority said ‘no’. An epiphany followed. Researchers found that adults usually didn’t want to be subjected to certain behaviors, yet they would still perpetrate them on children.

Is it social conditioning which has trained us to expect needs and boundaries to be respected by adults yet not feel the need to extend the same courtesy to children? Most parents believe that children come from them as opposed to the more spiritually aligned view that children come through them. Have we become conditioned with apathy? Is it because we believe that children are lesser beings? That they are not whole when they come into this world? What allows us to treat them as we do?

We allow children to “cry it out” when they need to be held or feel proximity of a caregiver and feel safe. We make restlessness, inherent to a child’s nature, a medical condition. We allow a child to experience tragic emotional breakdowns that we discount in the name of tantrums, instead of helping them find the road that leads to emotional self-management.

Babies are born with the need to have their feelings and emotions acknowledged. It is essential for their emotional development that parents and caregivers respond to their needs in an appropriate way. This secret is one of the most important things that parents need to be aware of when raising a child.

Understanding your baby’s cries and facial expressions is one of the most important skills a parent can have. It can help them understand why their baby is crying, what they are trying to communicate, and how they can best respond to their needs. Babies are constantly learning how to express their feelings and emotions, but they need guidance from their parents in order to do so. By responding to your baby’s emotional cues, you can help them learn how to identify and manage their own feelings too.

When you notice your baby’s needs and respond to them in a loving way, this helps them feel at ease. Feel safe, seen, soothed and supported. Neuroscience says this increases neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to change and adapt. When a child’s world is full of love, they are better prepared to deal with the challenges of the larger world.

Secret #2 – Babies Can Smell Emotions. They Take Emotional Cues From You

Babies are born with the ability to sense emotions. Babies may be small, but they are capable of understanding social cues from the people around them. From as young as a few months old, babies can recognize facial expressions and respond appropriately to different emotions. A recent study revealed that babies can even pick up on the subtle cues that parents and caregivers use to communicate with each other without speaking such as body language, facial expressions, and even smell. This means that they are able to understand when someone is happy or sad, or when someone is feeling frustrated or embarrassed. By learning these social cues, babies can learn how to interact with others in a socially appropriate way and build strong relationships with those around them.

This also means that the emotional cues that babies gather from you, can help shape their future development. These emotional cues help babies build mental models of the world often resulting in undeserving biases during adulthood.

By understanding how babies perceive emotions, parents and caregivers can create an emotionally supportive environment for them to grow and thrive in.

Secret #3 – Babies Need Time to Process and Regulate Emotions

Babies need time to process and regulate their emotions. It’s important for parents to understand that babies are still learning how to manage their own emotions and reactions. While it may be tempting for parents to try and rush the process, it’s important to give babies the time they need in order for them to develop healthy emotional regulation skills. With patience and understanding, parents can help their baby learn how to cope with difficult emotions in a healthy way.

Every baby is unique and deserves to have the time and space needed to develop healthy emotional regulation skills. With understanding and patience, parents can create an environment that encourages their baby’s development. By providing a safe and nurturing place for them to explore their emotions, babies will be able to learn how to cope with different situations in life.

Secret #4 – Babies Need Safe Spaces to Explore and Feel Secure

Babies are born with an innate curiosity. They love to explore and discover their environment. This inquisitive nature helps them learn about the world around them, fostering development that will set them up for success in life.

As parents, we all want our babies to grow up safe and secure. But what many of us don’t realize is that in order for them to do this, they need a safe space to explore and feel secure. Creating a safe space for your baby is essential for their physical and emotional development. It allows them to explore their environment without feeling threatened or overwhelmed.

What is a safe space? A safe space is a physical or virtual space that helps your baby feel secure and comfortable. Ensuring a safe and secure environment for babies is one of the most important responsibilities for parents. It requires careful planning and consideration of all the potential hazards that exist in a baby’s environment. From ensuring that furniture is properly secured to reducing exposure to harmful chemicals, there are many steps parents can take to provide their baby with a safe and secure environment.

By taking these measures, parents can help ensure that their little one will have a healthy start in life and be able to explore the world around them without fear. This might mean setting up the crib in your bedroom to feel more familiar and less scary, using provided blankets to make the changing area into a safe haven, or even buying a baby gate so that your child can’t accidentally wander off. It might contain items like blankets, stuffed animals, soft pillows, cradles for rocking or feeding, and mobiles. The most important part of creating a safe space for your baby is introducing them slowly to their new environment by letting them explore on their own. This should start as soon as your baby is born.

Don’t worry if you don’t get this right the first time, it will come with time and practice.

Secret #5- Babies Need a Calm & Stress-Free Environment

Having a calm and stress-free environment for your baby is essential for their development. It can help them feel safe, secure and happy, allowing them to explore the world around them without feeling overwhelmed. Calming techniques such as swaddling, white noise, and massage can be used to help soothe your baby. Restful sleep and playtime activities that can help reduce stress levels in babies also need to be factored in to create a positive atmosphere in your home that encourages learning and growth.

Ensuring babies get the restful sleep and playtime activities that are conducive to their overall health and wellbeing can be a challenge for parents. Fortunately, there are strategies that can help create an environment that is geared towards both relaxation and fun. By combining elements of sleep hygiene, encouraging physical activity, and engaging in meaningful playtime activities, parents can provide the best care for their babies while promoting healthy stress levels.

Secret #6 – Babies Need Positive Interactions with Adults to Grow & Thrive

Babies need positive interactions with adults to grow and thrive. Positive interactions between adults and babies create an environment of trust and security, which is essential for the healthy development of a baby’s brain. When babies receive consistent, loving care from adults, they learn to trust their caregivers and develop healthy relationships with others.

The benefits of positive interactions with adults include these among many others. A decrease in aggression, anxiety, and depression levels. An increase in self-esteem and self-confidence. Improved learning capacity and academic performance. Increased school attendance and engagement. A decrease in bullying and other forms of physical, verbal, and emotional abuse among others.

Spending quality time with your baby helps build strong bonds between you and your baby, as well as create memories that will last a lifetime. Quality time together can include activities like reading books, playing games, or simply talking and cuddling. It doesn’t have to be expensive or take a lot of time; it’s the quality of the time spent that matters most. Taking the time to spend quality moments with your baby will help them grow into healthy and happy individuals who are secure in their relationships with others.

Secret #7 – Babies Need Touch Therapy

Bonding with your baby is an essential part of parenting, and it is important to start as early as possible. One of the best ways to bond with a baby is through touch, something that babies instinctively crave. Touch has been proven to help babies develop physically, emotionally, and mentally.

The feeling of utter bliss when you hug or carress a child is known to every mother. Kids know they feel problems melt away and a safe feeling envelops them when, no matter what age, they take a problem to a parent and a hug preempts an advice. There is a strong science backing this behavior. Research recommends skin-to-skin contact for mothers and babies right from the time babies are born through childhood and beyond.

During pregnancy, babies stay intimately physically connected with their mother. Not only does physical touch help babies right after birth. In fact, skin-to-skin time right after birth helps regulate babies’ temperature, heart rate, and breathing, and helps them cry less. It helps new mothers too as it helps increase a new mother’s relaxation hormones.

As babies grow, infant massage in a quiet, relaxing setting provides a natural next step to continue this bond and its benefits. Infant massage has been proven to provide several benefits in babies including, increase cognizance of being loved, accepted and safe; reduce fussiness and increase comfort levels, improve sleep patterns, improve digestion and elimination among many others.

Creating a strong bond between parents and babies starts with learning their “first language” – touch. From the very first cuddle, not only does this activity have a lifetime of nurturing benefits but it also significantly contributes to their health.

Secret #8 – Babies Need Opportunities to Learn & Develop New Skills

Babies are born with a deep desire to learn about the world around them, and the potential to become anything they strive for. It is up to us as parents, guardians, and caregivers to provide them with the tools and opportunities to develop their skills and help them reach their full potential. Secret #8 is about providing babies with the necessary opportunities for learning and development and about providing a safe space for children to explore, discover and create.

We must give them chances to explore, discover, create, experiment, solve problems and practice new skills. By doing so we can help our babies grow into confident adults who are equipped with the necessary skills for success in life.

This makes early childhood education vital not only important for the child but also for their parents. Early childhood education is essential for a child’s successful development. It lays the foundation for academic and social skills, as well as providing a safe and nurturing environment in which to grow. Early childhood education offers children the opportunity to learn vital language, literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving skills that will benefit them throughout their lives. Investing in a robust early childhood education is an investment in the future. It helps parents to develop a deeper understanding of their child’s mind and body, which allows them to take on a more active role in their children’s learning process.

Secret #9 – Babies Need Independence In Order to Become Confident

Babies need to explore their environment and experience independence in order to become confident. This is especially true for babies who are growing up in an environment where they are not allowed to make decisions or take risks. By providing them with the opportunity to explore, experiment, and take risks, parents can help their babies develop a sense of self-confidence that will stay with them into adulthood. Encouraging independent behavior in babies and toddlers is a great way to help them grow into confident and secure individuals. It gives them the opportunity to explore their environment, build self-confidence, and develop problem-solving skills. Independent behavior also provides many benefits for parents as it helps reduce stress levels and increases the amount of quality time they can spend with their children. Furthermore, when babies are allowed to make decisions on their own, they learn how to trust themselves and become more resilient in the face of life’s challenges.

Secret #10 – Babies Thrive On Routine

Establishing a routine for your baby is one of the most important things you can do to help them grow and develop. It is essential to their development. It helps them to learn, understand, and adjust to their environment. It provides parents with guidance on how to manage their infant’s needs and can help reduce stress levels for all involved. As such, establishing a routine for babies is an important part of parenting that should be taken seriously in order to ensure that your baby reaches its full potential.

Having an early routine not only sets expectations for the day but also encourages healthy habits and sleep patterns. It also helps parents keep track of their baby’s development milestones and ensure that they are meeting all of the necessary requirements for healthy growth and development. Additionally, having a routine in place can help reduce stress levels for both parents and babies, as it provides structure and predictability. By establishing a routine, you will be able to create a safe environment where your baby can thrive.

Conclusion

Raising a baby is one of the most rewarding experiences in life. It can also be one of the most challenging, as parents try to understand their baby’s needs and wants. These were 10 secrets your baby wished you knew that could help you better understand them. From being aware of the importance of bonding to understanding when it’s time for a break, these tips can help you become a more informed parent and build a strong relationship with your little one.

What are some secrets you think your baby wants you to know? Comment below and let us know!

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