Just a quick up-date from your "Feet on The Street".  I am in Atlanta at a Nurses Conference and I'm excited to share a quick story with you.  I came to this conference last year and met a wonderful woman whose daughter was pregnant with twins.  This soon-to-be grandmother gave her daughter the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System to use, starting in her 32nd week of pregnancy.  With twins, the mother reported lots of activity, with both babies moving and jostling for position throughout the day.  But she reported that when she would introduce BabyPlus, the babies would each try to position themselves close to the BabyPlus, and settle right down for their lesson.  When the twins were born, they were both very relaxed, with hands and eyes open.  Well, the twins are now 11 months old and their grandmother has reported some wonderful outcomes for her grandchildren. She stated that the pediatrician has been confirming at well baby visits that these twins are indeed advanced.  They are achieving their pediatric milestones ahead of their peers.  Mother reports that the twins were very good sleepers from the beginning.  The grandmother in this case is so pleased with the BabyPlus Prenatal Learning System that she has expressed interest in becoming a distributor for BabyPlus in Nigeria. 

This is just another example of how the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System enhances prenatal care. Infant development is enhanced by simply using BabyPlus and the results speak for themselves.

Visit our website at www.babyplus.com to learn how easy it is to enhance your childs cognitive development!

What an interesting article Dr. Logan sent me. It echo’s the message of BabyPlus with the rhythmic sounds heard with the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System and the first words a baby utters.

Why 'Mama' and 'Dada' are baby's first words

Study: Many cultures' words for mom and pop feature repeating sounds

MSNBC LiveScience, Aug. 27, 2008

A baby's first words are often "mama" and "dada," much to the delight of parents. Now scientists think they know why.

Beyond the obvious - Mommy and Daddy are around a lot and babies are drawn to them languages in many cultures have apparently made the task easy by creating words for mothers and fathers that feature patterns of repeating sounds, a new study suggests.

To arrive at this finding, brain scans were made of 22 newborns (age 2 days to 3 days) while they listened to recordings of made-up words. They heard words that end in repeating syllables, such as "mubaba" and "penana," as well as words without them, such as "mubage" and "penaku."

Brain activity increased in the babies' temporal and left frontal areas whenever the repetitious words were played. Words with non-adjacent repetitions ("bamuba" or "napena") elicited no distinctive responses from the brain. 

Recent studies show that babies who learn two or more languages at once actually perform better at certain tasks.

This suggests "mama" and "dada" (or "papa") are well-chosen words to teach a baby, and it also indicates that the ability to more easily recognize these sorts of repetitive sounds is hard-wired in the human brain.

The research, led by University of British Columbia post-doctoral fellow Judit Gervain, was published online this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"It's probably no coincidence that many languages around the world have repetitious syllables in their 'child words,'" Gervain said, citing "papa" in Italian and "tata" (grandpa) in Hungarian as examples.

"The language center of most right-handed adults is located on the left side of the brain," Gervain said. "This is consistent with our finding with newborn babies and supports our belief humans are born with abilities that allow us to perceive and learn our mother tongue systematically and

efficiently."

"The brain areas that are responsible for language in an adult do not 'learn' how to process language during development, but rather, they are specialized - at least in part - to process language from the start."

How amazing is that? 

Just a quick update from your "Feet on the Street".  I was visiting my "high risk pregnancy" friend yesterday and saw something I've NEVER seen before.  She said her baby was very active all the time, but yesterday I saw for myself just what she meant.  We were sitting on her couch talking, and suddenly her dress started moving and flapping around.  At first, I thought it was just her moving, but I saw that her abdomen would push out in several different directions at the same time and it became very obvious that it was actually the baby.  We started laughing about it, and the baby really started moving. If I didn't know that she was in her third trimester, I would have thought she had a puppy under her dress. She said he moved like that a lot, and that she would used BabyPlus when she needed a rest.  She stated that BabyPlus has actually started putting the baby to sleep, so when he becomes so active as to cause her pain, she would bring out BabyPlus.

My friend and I have talked about the benefits of prenatal stimulation, so I'm very happy that she can use the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System to stimulate her prenatal child's development.  Lucky for her, she can also use it to enhance his sleeping schedule as well.

I know my friend will have a smart baby, but I wonder if she's ready for a future Olympic gymnast?

I'll keep you posted!!!

Your "Feet on the Street".   

Sometimes I get asked, "What is BabyPlus?" working in Customer Service.  I am able to share with them the exciting benefits of using a prenatal care curriculum such as BabyPlus. 

Lisa Jarrett, President of the BabyPlus Company, says "BabyPlus introduces a safe, simple set of sounds to a child as early as 18 weeks in the womb.  These sounds are patterned after the mother's heartbeat, the one language the baby can recognize at this early stage of life.  It is the only true and consistent sound of the prenatal environment.  The variation of sounds stimulates the baby's cognitive development and as the child progresses through the BabyPlus curriculum, he or she learns to discriminate between those sounds.

Well over 100,000 families, including doctors, teachers and childhood development experts around the world have experienced the benefits of early education through the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System.  Right from birth, BabyPlus parents report babies more readily nurse, display an increased ability to self-soothe and are more relaxed and alert; and, later in life, reach earlier developmental milestones, show improved school readiness and greater creativity and independence, have longer attention spans and enhanced intellectual abilities."

I love being able to introduce people to how babies can learn in the womb during development.

Using BabyPlus during pregnancy provides a wonderful bonding opportunity for mother and baby.

In the prenatal period, the brain is at its most receptive stage of learning. By enriching the auditory environment during this crucial period, independent studies have shown that a child's long term learning capacities are improved.

This early advantage means children will be able to absorb and appreciate far more of their environment than if they had not received prenatal enrichment. BabyPlus children have an intellectual, social, creative, and emotional advantage from the time they are born.

 Mother's Heartbeat Sounds

Why the mother's heartbeat sounds?  Why not music?

Music is wonderful for infants and children.  As prenatal enrichment, however, it has proved ineffective.  Extensive research shows that the fluid surrounding the baby muffles all but the simplest sounds.  Music is too random and complex, while the spoken word is not understandable for an unborn child.  Instead, the recurring patterns of BabyPlus--based upon the maternal heartbeat's tone--and the changes in rhythm are the most beneficial sonic influences.  BabyPlus may sound repetitive to adults, but it is optimal as the earliest form of learning . . . an age-appropriate natural curriculum.

Click on the picture to hear what your baby will hear...

 Your womb...the perfect classroom...

You take a prenatal vitamin every day to enrich your child's earliest physical development.

Your child's brain development begins during these prenatal months, too.

Now is the time for the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System.  Click on the picture to learn more about prenatal care, our prenatal care curriculum, and, most importantly, prenatal development facts.

 How Do the BabyPlus Sounds Educate My Baby?

The unborn child receives very little stimulation in the uterus. The only sound that it can clearly discern is the maternal heartbeat. By providing the infant with sounds which closely mimic the maternal heartbeat, but which vary in subtly increasing ways, your baby's brain learns one of the most basic skills of all - discrimination - before she/he is even born.  Repetition is good because it creates a memory.  So, the repetitive sounds of the lessons (the maternal heartbeat) is being compared to your own heartbeat - and learning has begun!

 Is Using the BabyPlus Prenatal Education system safe?

Absolutely.

There is no question that this is an entirely new field of education, but prenatal stimulation has been around for thousands of years.  BabyPlus simply represents the evolution of enrichment in the womb to a technique that has incredible advantages for the child.  We believe that, someday, the use of BabyPlus will be as much a part of being pregnant as is taking prenatal vitamins.

BabyPlus Compared to Other Prenatal Devices...

The only sound your baby clearly recognizes is the sound of your heartbeat. 

All other sounds are equally confusing.

BabyPlus is distinctly different from all other prenatal education devices or techniques because only this approach has been tested for effectiveness and safety in clinically controlled measurements by independent professional evaluators. Neither music, spoken material, tactile, nor multimodal methodologies meet these standards.

The scientific explanation for this is as follows:

To determine appropriate material for the unborn child's growing mental structure, the child's normal environment must be assessed. That analysis reveals that the maternal heartbeat is the predominant influence - the mother's blood continuously pulses through the placenta at 95 decibels (as loud as a passing train). BabyPlus tones are preset to reach the baby well below this natural level. This natural sonic stimulus, the mother's heartbeat, occurs at about one cycle per second when the mother is resting. Throughout life, the BabyPlus advantage means the child will be better able to absorb and appreciate far more of his or her environment than a child who did not receive this benefit.

The BabyPlus tones passing through the maternal abdomen sound exactly like the mother's blood pulsing through the placenta, only increasing in rhythm and complexity. Standardized tests show that these natural, progressive sound lessons are the most effective form of stimulation. Music is too random and complex. It is the repetitive curriculum of BabyPlus and the changes in the pattern that are most beneficial for earliest learning. BabyPlus may sound repetitive to adults, but it is optimally effective for benefiting the prenatal child's forming mental structure - a developmentally appropriate curriculum.

This is why the only sound your baby clearly recognizes is the sound of your heartbeat.

Physical and Occupational Therapists agree that the BabyPlus Prenatal Education enriches the earliest developmental environment for a lifetime of benefit.

"As a pediatric physical therapist, the developmental strengths of the BabyPlus children I've seen in my practice are very convincing.  These children consistently demonstrate very strong fine and gross motor skills, early milestones, and long attention spans.  Now, I am a BabyPlus mother of three and have seen countless additional benefits in my own children.  What a wonderful investment!" Paula Ryan, Pediatric Physical Therapist

I heard about BabyPlus in a FitPregnancy Magazine when I was about 6-8 weeks along with our first child and decided to give it a try. My mother bought it for me (and the baby!) as my birthday gift and I began using it at 18 weeks. I must say that I am so very pleased with the product! Our beautiful baby boy is now 10 weeks old and a day never goes by that someone doesn't comment on how alert he is for his age. At 3 MINUTES old the doctor handed him to me; when my husband spoke, he turned his head completely around to look for his daddy!! He watches BabyFirst TV for 45-60 minutes if I let him, and will squeal and kick as the colors and pictures change! He has never been a crier either! He only cries when hungry or needs his diaper changed! I have been told by many people that he is the most content infant that they have ever been around. As an occupational therapist I have been very watchful of his milestones and have been pleased to find that he has reached ALL of them ahead of schedule. It seems that he started learning early and has thrived since being born. I truly feel that BabyPlus played a huge role in his calm demeanor, alertness, and quick learning. In utero, he enjoyed the lessons and would move along with the beats and from birth he has been an absolute angel!! I would recommend this product to anyone! I am already planning to use it with our next child! Stacy L. Moses, Occupational Therapist

What Do the Experts Say?

Our patented prenatal curriculum is designed to strengthen your baby's learning capabilities with naturally derived audio lessons.  For your child, the developmental benefits of BabyPlus last a lifetime.

"For their child's lifetime development, every parent should hear about this discovery, an innovation representing the single most significant step science has taken toward increasing infant potential."  Rene Van de Carr, M.D., author of While You Are Expecting.

"The list of developmental benefits we've seen in our son, now age 4, is too long to go through in full.  Even my colleagues acknowledge he is an amazing child." Sarah Stroup, Ph.D., Professor and BabyPlus mother.

Joyful Time

The BabyPlus Company is lucky to be able to participate in the truly joyful time of a pregnancy.  We hear from expectant parents often; we love being a part of your lives.  Every parent wants to make sure they are giving the best prenatal care available to their child.  Your amazing concern and love for your child is so evident with every phone call and email you send us.  We believe in the benefits of infant stimulation during the stages of pregnancy, and clearly, so do you!  Think of the bond you are already establishing with your baby!

It's not very often that you get a hug at work.  But that is exactly what I got at a recent conference I attended. A nurse walked into my booth, wrapped her arms around me, and said "Thank you for BabyPlus". (I wished I could take credit for it, but I told her "your welcome" anyway.)  She proceeded to tell me that I had given her a BabyPlus Prenatal Education System at a conference we had both attended.  Her baby was now four months old, and she credited BabyPlus with her child's very calm demeanor, his very contented nature, and that he was a very good sleeper, but she said the most noticible thing about her baby was that he nursed like a pro from the very beginning. (As a mother of two, I know what a struggle breast feeding can be.)  I was happy to tell her that many first time parents who used the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System, have reported the same thing to lactation consultants. I'm excited to hear from this wonderful mother in the future about her childs developments.

See you next time!
From Your "Feet on the Street"

The real question is, "Why wouldn't you use BabyPlus?"

The BabyPlus Prenatal Education System is safe, scientifically validated, and the benefits are remarkable. The benefits are a baby who more readily nurses, has an increased ability to self-soothe, is more interactive and responsive, and is more relaxed and alert at birth.  In order to give your child every advantage, you take care of your health while you're pregnant - eating right, taking prenatal vitamins, avoiding alcohol, etc. Basically, you commit to taking care of the physical environment of your developing baby. 

The great news is - you can also begin taking care of your baby's early cognitive development.  The scientific research community is in agreement with your natural instincts.  Why not start educating your child as early as possible - with an age-appropriate curriculum for the stages through pregnancy - based on your own heartbeat? 

Click on the picture to see some of the research behind the use of baby stimulation week by week during pregnancy.

About the Comfort Pouch

The BabyPlus Prenatal Education System includes a comfort pouch.  You put your system in the pouch to wear during these critical times in child development.  One question we often hear is "How do I adjust the size of the comfort pouch?"  Click on the picture of the comfort pouch straps for directions to "re-size" the comfort pouch.  Some moms even buy two or three pouches to have extras on hand!  The pouch should be worn snug to your belly, and your baby will hear the sounds similar to a mother's heartbeat sounds.  This is how learning begins! 

If this is your first pregnancy, I know that you are concerned about your infant's development.  Prenatal care is so important to not only your baby's infancy but to his health and welfare throughout his life.  One element of prenatal care should be the use of BabyPlus.  One mother of a BabyPlus child wrote recently on BabyCenter.com about her child's early benefits and her baby's development after birth.

It seems to live up to its claims!
As promised, my daughter (25 months) was born with her eyes wide open, relaxed, not crying, and nursed well in spite of being a few weeks early. Early on, many people commented on how alert she is, and now they comment on how friendly, happy, and verbally advanced she seems to be. My mother works with an early childhood education program and gave me developmental charts that professionals use, and my daughter seems to be off the charts cognitively and verbally, and somewhat ahead emotionally as well. We haven't really been pushing hard to teach her things, but she knows at least 10 colors, several shapes, and about half the alphabet and the numbers 1-9 on sight. She can count to 12 solidly, and sometimes tries to get up to about 20, is up to 4 word phrases, and engages in lots of pretend play. She doesn't get upset very easily, and if she is upset, she recovers very quickly. I don't know how much of this is just her nature, but when I read the descriptions on the BabyPlus website, I have to believe it had something to do with it. My only word of caution is that it was louder than I expected which was a little annoying and made be worry a bit about the volume for my daughter, but her hearing is just fine!
Michelle, mom of one, happy customer, Hawaii