Baby Plus

The 18th week also means that I am starting to wear the Baby Plus monitor. Mary and Juan gave it to me (thank you so much!) and they used it with Zoe. Apparently Oprah did a show about it and Juan thought it was a must have for Mary.

Here is what it is:

"The BabyPlus curriculum is a series of 16 naturally derived sounds that resemble a mother's heartbeat. The rhythm of the sounds increases incrementally as the pregnancy progresses. The BabyPlus sonic pattern introduces your child to a sequential learning process, built upon the natural rhythms of their own environment.This "auditory exercise" strengthens learning ability during the developmental period when the advantages will be most significant and enduring for a child. BabyPlus is the first educational tool designed for prenatal use that has been proven effective. BabyPlus children have an intellectual, developmental, creative, and emotional advantage from the time they are born. Your baby can very clearly hear these patterns. She/he learns to discriminate between the sound coming from the mother and those from BabyPlus. In other words, learning has begun."

Benefits of BabyPlus®
BabyPlus® parents report babies at birth and infancy:
More readily nurse
Display an increased ability to self-soothe
Are more interactive & responsive
Are more relaxed & alert at birth

And later in life demonstrate:
Earlier developmental milestones
Enhanced intellectual abilities
Longer attention spans
Improved school readiness
Greater creativity & independence

Juan and Mary saw a huge difference between Zoe and Dominic and obviously that could just be the difference in children but they are believers in this device.

You are supposed to wear it for two hours a day - one hour in the morning and one hour at night. I have been setting my alarm an hour before I have to be up and putting it on - I have to turn the sound machine up very loud so the sound of the monitor doesn't keep me up! Then I put it on for another hour when I get off work in the evenings.

Who knows if it really works but I figure it can't hurt!