Baby Care Expert Interview
Innovative baby products, created by baby experts and designed to aid babies and their parents in a myriad of ways, continue to emerge on the market. Baby care expert and author Meg Faure is one of those authorities who has dedicated herself to improving the health of babies. Meg recently talked to LoveToKnow about her best-selling line of baby books as well as her Baby Sense products.
About the Author
LovetoKnow (LTK): Please tell us about yourself.
Meg Faure (MF): I am an occupational therapist who studied in Cape Town, South Africa. I have practiced in both South Africa and the USA. My area of interest is fussy babies and those with sleep problems. I am also a mom of three, and nurturing my three very different babies consolidated practically so much of what I have learned as a clinician and scientist. I have written four books on parenting from a sensory perspective, three of which are best sellers. My fourth book was released in the USA in January this year. I am married and live in Cape Town, South Africa.
About Baby Sense
LTK: What is Baby Sense?
MF: Baby Sense began as a book, written in 2002. As the name implies, it is a parenting book that addresses the common issues of parenting (from sleep to calming) from a sensory perspective. It is a sensible, middle-of-the-road approach to mothering that takes into account that every baby and parent is different. I really try in all the books to empower moms to make wise choices for themselves and their babies, instead of laying down rules and methods.
Baby Sense Products
LTK: What inspired you to create Baby Sense products?
MF: After the success of the first book, we developed a range of stylish but practical solutions for calming, feeding and sleeping. I had found moms who asked me for swaddling blankets or carriers that were clever and worked, so I began to design and create solutions. We are currently working on two very innovative products that I think will help newborns with colic. We like to think of the approach we use as sensible sensory parenting.
LTK: What role can these products play in a baby’s overall health?
MF: When babies sleep well, they are calmer and cry less. If I can help parents to settle their babies quickly and help them sleep well, we will see healthier relationships within the family and generally better physical health too. We know that sleep has been integrally linked to health. A baby who is sleep deprived is generally fussy and creates stress for the parent. A sleep deprived and stressed parent is more susceptible to illness and to harming her baby physically and emotionally. These are a few ways sleep can enhance health:
- Decreased post partum depression
- Increased immunity
- Improved emotional responses to the baby
By assisting a parent to set up sleep strategies and a day sleep routine, Baby Sense does enhance the health of the parent–infant unit.
Helpful Tips and Advice
LTK: What are some helpful tips you can provide to parents on the topic of keeping their baby healthy?
MF: Here are a few:
- Don’t take your newborn to busy public places. Although her immunity is still well supported by your antibodies, a newborn who gets sick will not feed well and this is very stressful for you as a parent.
- Breastfeed – there is no doubt that formula milk simply cannot replicate the antibodies in breast milk, but if you only breastfeed for a very short time, know that the highest level of antibodies is passed to your baby in colostrum, which is that first milk babies get in the early days. In addition, don’t take on the guilt about stopping breast-feeding because that’s enough to make you ill.
- Offer your baby a healthy diet once she is on solid foods. The micronutrients found in whole grains, fruits and vegetables and lean meat, chicken and fish are essential for your baby’s health.
- If your baby attends a childcare facility or is cared for in a group when you return to work and is consistently getting sick, put her on a good multivitamin.
- Vaccinate your baby. This is the best way to ensure she does not suffer any dramatic and potentially life threatening childhood illnesses.
- Do not over sterilize everything. Simply wash your hands and your toddler’s hands before eating and sterilize her bottles until six months of age. Thereafter, sterilization is not necessary and in fact exposure to most germs -which are harmless- is important for our immunity to develop over time.
LTK: Do you have any other information or advice you’d like to share with our readers?
MF: Get to know your baby’s sensory personality (which we cover in my latest book) as this will help you to understand her response to social situations, why she may or may not get colic and how to settle her into a nice sleep pattern. Develop a day sleep routine based on awake times, her personality and her signals. A day sleep routine makes for better sleep habits in general and a happier baby all round.
LTK: Where can we read more about you?
MF: My books are the best place to read more. The Babysense Secret is a great resource for tired parents. I also have a monthly newsletter where moms can learn more; to get this go to our website Baby Sense and register for my newsletter. Alternately we have a very lively Facebook community.
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