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? 

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...

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.

 What are they saying about BabyPlus?

The BabyPlus company thanks the thousands of progressive, thoughtful early adopters of this technology and the countless media outlets that have featured our product.  Tens of thousands of mothers worldwide have enriched the prenatal environment of their baby with BabyPlus.

We believe in the benefits of infant stimulation, and many experts in the field of prenatal development agree.

"BabyPlus is a brilliant invention.  I have used it myself, will definitely use it again, and have only positive things to say about it in my book."  Sarah Brewer, M.D., author of SuperBaby: Boost Your Baby's Potential from Conception to Year One.

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"

I sometimes hear an expectant mother say "I don't know when I would find the time to use BabyPlus". In my travels, I've heard some interesting suggestions from mothers who have overcome this.   One second time mother said she would use BabyPlus to lull herself and her two year old to sleep at naptime.  She would simply lie down, position BabyPlus, and cuddle up with her two year old. She would let the soft, rhythmic sounds lull her and her son to sleep.  Now, not only is everyone getting the rest they need, the prenatal baby is receiving the beneficial stimulation that BabyPlus provides. Having a smart baby is as easy as taking a nap! 

See you next time,
from your "Feet on the Street"

We all know that babies have different personalities and temperaments.  While one baby may be able to self soothe, another may require much more attention to calm and relax.  One may enjoy bath-time and squeal with delight; the other may scream when their toes touch the water.  While there isn't a magic formula for the perfect baby, we can influence them even while in the womb.  Studies have shown that mothers who have used a prenatal curriculum such as BabyPlus have babies with an increased ability to self sooth and are more relaxed and alert at birth.  It doesn't guarantee that your baby will sleep all night, will never cry, or will be a genius, it just means that you have given your baby a head start by using the one constant they experience throughout their nine months--their mother's heartbeat.

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

Born Learning - Already!

All parents know that learning actually begins before your child goes to school.  Learning really begins in the womb.  Everyone knows that baby development after birth is important.  However, the research now confirms that the critical period in prenatal development - especially early brain development - is impacted week by week in pregnancy.  Using the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System - a simple set of sounds similar to the mother's heartbeat - helps during the stages of prenatal development.

Don't wait to begin teaching your baby after he or she is born - help them to be born already learning!

Recently, I visited a Mimi Maternity store in Chicago that was selling the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System.  One of the sales associates was 20 weeks pregnant.  I asked her whether or not she was using the BabyPlus system since she was selling them to customers.  She replied that she was not using one because she was more of an "earth momma" and didn't believe that we needed to be "pushing" babies in the womb to learn.  She felt that once her baby was born that she would have plenty of time to teach her baby what he needed to know. I told her that BabyPlus is not actually "pushing" your child to learn but is helping the child's brain to develop so that it will reach more of its full potential. Research has shown that the mother's heartbeat sounds, which the baby hears 24/7, trigger early brain development during pregnancy. BabyPlus offers a new sound like the mother's heartbeat, but different enough that the baby's brain will automatically compare that sound with it's mother's heartbeat.  Then, as the BabyPlus curriculum changes over time, the baby's brain will compare each new sound to previous sounds.  This comparing and contrasting helps enhance the baby's cognitive development so that when the baby is born, he will have "exercised" his brain and it will be receptive to learning at a higher level.  At that point, the sales associate said that explanation made a lot of sense to her.  She was not forcing her baby to learn in the womb but offering him an opportunity to strenthen his learning ability.  Kathy ended up buying a BabyPlus and wearing it to work to talk to other mothers about the importance of prenatal learning.   

Posted by LJ Russell

 

Bonding between mother and baby

Ability to self soothe

Breastfeed more readily

Years of benefits

Prenatal learning

Longer attention span

Used worldwide

Safe and simple sounds

There are many benefits from using BabyPlus during prenatal development.  These are just a sample.  By using this safe, simple set of sounds, the baby learns to differentiate between those sounds and the mother’s heartbeat.  This sets the stage for providing a lifetime of benefits.  Click on the link below to learn more about the lifetime benefits of using BabyPlus.

We receive emails and testimonials from grateful parents weekly.  They share the stories of how their children have benefitted from the baby stimulation provided by BabyPlus during the critical period in prenatal development.  The main goal of the BabyPlus Company has always been education.  With over 30 years of PhD scientific research behind us, we know that using the mother's heartbeat sounds during the pregnancy trimesters with help create an environment to strengthen all that is being developed in the womb. 

The 2008 Olympics is now underway.  So many different countries with different cultures, languages and ideas have all come together for a common goal—to take home a Gold Medal.   It’s a bond between all the athletes that doesn’t require speaking the same language to understand. 

There is another common “language” that is universal—a mother’s heartbeat.   That element remains constant throughout prenatal development.  BabyPlus is a language similar to the mother’s heartbeat and teaches the baby to discriminate between those two similar sets of sounds in the prenatal environment.  It’s a terrific tool to get a head start on learning for many years to come.

 

 The idea is so simple - yet AMAZING! 

Learning in the womb.  Pretty simple.  BabyPlus "kick starts" learning in the womb.  The results are noticeable immediately after birth, and the effects last a lifetime.  Usage of the BabyPlus during critical times in child development is important because you are giving your baby even more of a "head start." 

Prenatal development facts are very consistent.  Stimulate your baby week by week during your pregnancy, using the Babyplus (which is the mother's heartbeat sounds), and see a baby who more readily nurses, self-soothes, and reaches pediatric milestones earlier.