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Just Me and My Mobile

Do Babies Need Alone Time?

By Jacqueline Bodnar

Moderation. It's a simple term that has been preached for decades by health professionals around the world. Interestingly enough, many individuals seem to relate the word "moderation" to their personal health habits or behaviors. Diet, exercise, work, play, relationships – you name the area of life, and chances are that the people who fulfill that area in moderation are the ones who will be considered the healthiest.

Many parents, however, tend to get slightly nervous when the term moderation is used in relation to the amount of attention they give to their infant. Unfortunately, many parents are under the impression that more equals better. Not so, according to psychologist Dr. Eileen Kennedy-Moore.

"Sometimes parents misinterpret the research that says stimulation is good for a baby to mean as much stimulation as possible is best for a baby," Dr. Kennedy-Moore says. "This is not true. Too much stimulation is overwhelming for a baby."

Dr. Kennedy-Moore, who is also the author of several books, including What About Me: 12 Ways to Get Your Parents' Attention Without Hitting Your Sister (Parenting Press, 2005), reveals an opinion shared by many top health professionals in the field today. Much of the dilemma stems from the bombardment of information that parents receive from the national media – most of which equates any amount of baby "alone time" with harmful neglect on the part of parents.

"Controlled amounts of time spent alone is not neglect," Dr. Kennedy-Moore says. "It may be hard to look at a helpless infant and think they periodically enjoy time alone, but they're as human as anybody else. It's also important to keep in mind that everything is new for babies."

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the brain structure within infants develops at an astronomical rate. In their first year alone, the majority of infants go from barely moving to crawling on their stomachs. Everything including colors, every word, every object, needs to be learned and understood by a brain that is constantly developing.

Want to see more?

• Check out our Article Library.
• Encouraging Individuality: Why You Each Need Time Alone with Baby
• It Takes Two to Toddle: The Benefits of Father-Toddler Alone Time
• Growing the Mind: Baby's Brain Development
• Talk about it!

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