Whenever I see anybody kissing another persons baby, I freeze. It’s almost like an out of body experience, where I’m back being 2 again and every human thought I was cute and so they put their faces in mine. There was also the constant baby talk- babble, which apparently even babies do not understand. So the next time you “goo-goo gaa-gaa” at someone’s baby, it probably thinks you look crazy. But on the plus side, it make you really happy and that’s good for your own brain — according to science and how endorphins work.
The next time you meet or make a baby, here’s what you want and definitely do not want to do:
- Do not kiss the baby.
This should become a sacred rule for you around babies. I once read an article about a baby contacting harmful bacteria at his naming ceremony and dying a few days later, because his immune system wasn’t strong enough to handle all the smothering.
2. Please do not make unnecessary comments.
In the name of Jesus and for the sanity of the child’s parents do not say things like, “oh, is David not walking yet? Why I he/she skinny? Isn’t she walking too early? No No NO! As long as you’re not a pediatrician, you should definitely not point out traits in a baby unless you have the licence for it. You might just push the parents into a frenzy , which is an UN-healthy place for anybody.
3. Baby play is the best play.
I’ve had my fair share of play time, and I must say that I absolutely love it. No matter how ridiculous you think you sound, which you probably do, the presence of a baby is a very uncritical and forgiving place. Why? Because that child will most likely grow up and forget all that embarrassment. And let’s be honest, running around with a 2 year old is the exercise regime you wish you had .
4. Associated words are a best seller.
According to developmental psychologist, Dr Aliza Pressman, lettered blocks and colored print toys are great but don’t get to do their job right unless you let your baby in on the secret: tell them what is what. Instead of leaving the baby to roll a giant A around the room, you can continuously repeat the letter A while gesturing and playing with the block. This helps the baby not only to have a great time playing with her toy, she can also learn that the fate of the first letter of the alphabet is in her hands.
Babies are humans. And these little humans are curious, silly, messy and attention seeking. But most of all, they need to be protected at all cost, from germs, adults that are ironically children and most of all, themselves.
In the next post, we’ll crush some baby myths that absolutely need to go!
