This new book is coming out soon!  Just in time for your new baby’s first year.

Here are a few excerpts to give you a taste of what’s to come.

Chapter Four

The Third Month: Repetition and Novelty with Your Baby

“Eye Love”

During play, special communication moments can occur, such as “eye love,” when mothers and infants sustain a mutual gaze for up to 100 seconds with positive affect (Ammaniti and Trentini 2009, 22).

This parent-infant process cannot be explained based on either partner alone. The parent and infant co-create the nature of the infant’s experience (Beebe, Cohen, and Lachmann 2016, 13). In other words, mommy and baby work together interacting when they play. Interestingly, a mother tends to look at her baby’s face most of the time, while the infant is the one who makes and breaks the mutual gaze—looking away and looking back in order to regulate arousal. (This is also a time when your communication might misalign or be out of synch, as your baby may need to dampen or lessen her arousal when you want to stimulate her with eye contact.)”

“An Illustration of a Mother and Four-Month-Old Baby at Play

Mommy and baby are facing each other.

Mommy: “Hey. Wa-a-tch carefully! See this pillow? (Mother covers her face with the pillow.) Where is Mommy?”

The baby stares and waits a few seconds until the mother dramatically says, “Swoosh. Off it comes.”

The baby giggles and laughs. The mother repeats this play three times, each time getting escalating laughter. Daddy is watching, too, also enjoying these delightful moments.

Then the mother puts the pillow gently to the baby’s face.

“Ooh. Where did you go?”

The mother removes the pillow and sees the baby’s eyes open wide and grin.

The mother does it several times each time getting an escalating giggle.”

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