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Offline Mom2katiebug

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Am I The Only One?
« on: January 01, 2006, 16:23:01 pm »
Confession time:  I really can't tell my 10WO DD's cries apart.  :oops:  If it weren't for EASY, I would have absolutely NO idea what she wants.  At least I can rule out hunger some of the time.  But, is she tired?  Bored? Not feeling good?  Wet/Poopy?   :shock:   I just can't seem to understand her "language"!  Am I the only one?  When do I learn this valuable skill?   :shock:
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Offline Lana

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« Reply #1 on: January 01, 2006, 16:26:29 pm »
Do you have Tracy's first book?  Its called Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, in it she has a chart of what the different cries sound like and the body language your dd would use during each one.

Wanted to add that no you are not the only one, it takes practice to learn the difference.  {{{{HUGS}}}}

HTH
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Offline maggieruth

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« Reply #2 on: January 01, 2006, 16:27:50 pm »
i don't know if the cries themselves are ever THAT different!  the one i can think of that is different to all the others is the "woken myself mostly up and am sad and sleepy" cry which is my cue to LEAVE ETHAN ALONE cuz he can get himself back to sleep in this nearly awake stage.
other than that, a lot of it has to do with how he is looking, moving etc.  a godsend was when he got big enought to rub his eyes when he was tired which made things clearer.  the shaking for tired works for little ones.
i bet other moms will give you even better tips as Ethan is my first (and hence my practise baby!!)
good luck!!
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Offline mickymuscles

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« Reply #3 on: January 01, 2006, 16:58:03 pm »
it takes a long time to figure out their cries.  it probably took me a good 3 months to be able to figure out most of Jackson's cries if not longer!  :roll: .  I still sometimes get it wrong.  At least with EASY it is pretty easy to guess what it is that is bugging him.
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Offline Deb_in_oz

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« Reply #4 on: January 01, 2006, 21:18:38 pm »
with dd1 i used the charts int he first book ALL THE TIME and i think it was a good 3-4 mo before i felt confident all the time with the cues.  i do think he 1st book is invaluable if it is your first baby and/or first attempt at BW/EASY. it was definitely my "bible".
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Offline Mom2katiebug

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« Reply #5 on: January 01, 2006, 23:55:48 pm »
Yeah, I have Tracy's first book and have read it several times.  The problem is my DD hasn't!   :D   She doesn't know that a coughing cry is hunger (although she's just eaten a full bottle and spitting it out).  Plus, the chart says one thing, but Tracy has two examples that completely contradict it.  So, I thought I'd just have to learn my DDs "language". 

I guess I'll have to be patient and my ear will soon get trained!

As always, thanks for the feedback!
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Offline GabrielleD

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« Reply #6 on: January 02, 2006, 00:18:47 am »
You are definitely not the only one. If it weren't for DS being on EASY I wouldn't have a clue what was bothering him. As it is I am pretty good at guessing - not because I recognize his cries - but can eliminate certain possibilities based on his routine. Good luck to you.
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Offline Maryellen

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« Reply #7 on: January 02, 2006, 00:39:35 am »
Oh! I'm SO with you! I can't figure out what my 8 week old's sons cries mean either. And I was equally frustrated by the lack of congruity between the cries listed in the chart and those in the examples -- I'm glad you noticed it as well, because I felt like it was just a case of the Emperor's new clothes for me (no one else seemed to notice that there was a contradiction). I find the pat/shh thing really frustrating as well. She says pick him up and pat him until he's calm, (but my son doesn't ever calm down when I pick him up when he's freaking out) and that she's never met a baby who doesn't respond to that method of helping them go to sleep on their own (which makes me think I must have the only "broken" baby on the planet).
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Offline Mom2katiebug

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« Reply #8 on: January 02, 2006, 03:51:05 am »
Maryellen - Just wanted to say that the pat (of pat/shh) started to help DD at around 8 weeks.  Before that I could have been patting the wall for the effect that it had.  And, just yesterday we started the full-on awake in crib and the shh actually helped for the first time.  A few days ago DD REALLY started responding to sounds so that's probably why the shh finally helped.  So, keep trying from time to time.  At some point one or both may start working.
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Offline julieb

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« Reply #9 on: January 02, 2006, 04:33:35 am »
DS is 11 months old and I still don't know the cries.  Yeah, I can tell between the short "I'm awake now, so you can come get me when it's convienent" cry and the "Come get me NOW" high-pitched scream, but other than that, he never fit the mold anyway!   :lol:   Thank goodness for the routine! 

Oh, and pat/shush in the book made me laugh!  Apparently only MOST babies cannot concentrate on more than two things at once.  But lucky me seemed to get the one baby who could very easily feel the patting, listen to the shushing, and wail his little heart out all at the same time!  :lol:   In all seriousness though, eventually the pat/shush worked, if not for just setting the stage for a bedtime routine.  And when I changed it to rub back/shush, it was that much better because DS had reflux.  Be persistent, it will click eventually.
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Offline TayTay'smummy

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« Reply #10 on: January 02, 2006, 06:12:16 am »
You know what . . it takes a while, for a while I was mystified too, and couldn't remember Tracy's description for each cry, so I just tuned it everyday.  One day it was like, AHA . . I'm finally getting it! It just happens.  Remember to pay attention to not only the cries but the baby's body language. Droopy and red eyes and flailing arms. . tired for my lo. Fussy but very alert, not flailing arms and spits out paci immediately after introducing it . . still would like to a nurse a little more . . ect. Hang in there, everday you grow a little more confident . . then you think . . I'm finally getting the hang of this. Of course, you lo will throw you curve balls often, but it will get easier everday
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Offline Luisasmum

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« Reply #11 on: January 02, 2006, 09:31:51 am »
I could only tell when dd was hungry, the other cries all sounded the same to me.
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Offline klt

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« Reply #12 on: January 02, 2006, 19:01:22 pm »
DD used to do the coughing 'hunger' cry also when she was clearly full to busting but I finally realised at 3mo it was really a 'I want to suck myself to sleep' cry.  They can certainly keep us guessing!
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