E: eating, 25-40 mins
A: activity, 45 mins (includes diapering, dressing, once a day bath)
S: 15 mins to fall asleep; naps 0.5-1.5 hour
Y: you time
SLOW down
A: Stop, crying is Caleb's language - against the natural inclination - to rescue
L: Listen, what does this particular cry mean?
- things to consider: time of day, the context, yourself (to calm your baby, you must be calm yourself)
O: Observe, what is the baby doing? what's going on?
W: What's up? Based on what you hear and see, evaluate and respond
- baby body language
- Head
- Moves from side to side: tired
- Turns away from object: needs a change of scenery
- Turns to side and cranes neck back: hungry
- If in an upright position, nods, like a person falling asleep on a subway: tired
- Eyes
- red, bloodshot: tired
- slowly close and spring open (repeat): tired
- seven-mile stare: overtired, overstimulated
- Mouth/lips/tongue
- Yawn: tired
- Lips pursed: hungry
- The appearance of a scream, but no sound, a gasp precedes an audible wail: has gas or other pain
- Bottom lip quivers: cold
- Sucks tongue: self-soothing, sometime mistaken for hunger
- Curls tongue at the sides: hungry (this is the class rooting)
- Curls tongue upward, like a little lizard, not accompanied by sucking: has gas or other pain
- Face
- Grimacing, often scrunched up, like chewed toffee, pant, roll eyes: has gas or other pain; or is pooping
- Red; veins at temples may stand out: left to cry too long, caused by holding breath, blood vessels expand
- Hands/arms
- Hands brought up to mouth, trying to suck them: hungry or needs to suckle (depending on when he was fed)
- Playing with fingers: needs a change of scenery
- Flailing and very uncoordinated, may claw at skin: overtired or has gas
- Arms shaking, slight tremor: has gas or other pain
- Torso
- Arches back, looking for breast or bottle: hunger
- Squirms, moving bottom from side to side: wet diaper or cold, could also be gas
- Goes rigid: has gas or other pain
- Shivers: cold
- Skin
- Clammy, sweaty: overheated; or has been left to cry too long
- Bluish extremities: cold
- Tiny goose pimples: cold
- Legs
- Strong, uncoordinated kicking: tired
- Pulled up to chest: has gas or other abdominal pain
