Ladies, let’s be honest. Living life with a baby is tough work! Trying to figure out this new tiny human’s personality, what he/she needs and wants, and just adjusting to life with a new little one is tough! I’ve said it before and I’ll admit it again, I know Clara was like the easiest baby ever!
In case you missed it I’ll do a quick recap:
- my first born and therefore only child
- slept 10-14 hours in her crib straight by two months old
- naps in the car, crib, on you, stroller, etc…
- rarely, ever fussy…not even when she’s hungry or tired
- great eater (after her tongue tie and lip tie were fixed)
But since we’re being honest, it’s still rough! Even though she was the best baby, we had our struggles. There were days where I wasn’t sure if I was doing the mom thing right. What toys should I be playing with her? What things do I need to be teaching her? Is she developing like she should be both mentally and physically? Those hesitations are totally normal. It wasn’t until I discovered this app that I started thriving with a new baby.
The Short Story of Why You Need The Wonder Weeks App
So here’s the short story…Go buy The Wonder Weeks app or book NOW. If you’re pregnant, a mom of a child under a year and a half, plan to have another baby, have a niece, nephew, or grandchild…this app is for you. It will change the way you see this tiny human and all the brain changes they’re going through.
Let me just stop for a second and mention that I am not paid by Wonder Weeks to promote it. I seriously just love this app and EVERY MOM with a small child should have it!
But for those that have time, here’s the long version…
The Long Story of Why You Need The Wonder Weeks App
As I’ve mentioned before, I started attending a mom’s group at the hospital when Clara was five weeks old. Seriously my absolute saving grace! I could ask all my newbie questions, share stories and worries and thoughts with other mom’s with new little ones. Some were newbie momma’s like me and other’s were in the group with their fourth baby. It was so eye opening! Even the mom’s with multiple littles had questions, fears, and worries. We shared it all!
Early on in that group, our leader, who loves these little babies like they were her own, mentioned The Wonder Weeks study. She said it gives you a peek into your little one’s brain so you know what they’re going through and there are less unknowns. Sounds magical, right?
I hurried home and researched the heck out of it in between feedings. Here’s just a little synopsis:
[The Wonder Weeks study teaches] how to stimulate your baby’s mental development and help him turn his 10 predictable, great, fussy phases into magical leaps forward describes the incredible mental developmental changes (leaps) and regression periods that all babies go through. Understanding the real reason behind crying, eating and sleeping problems is the only real solution every parent needs. The Wonder Weeks reveals what’s going on inside baby’s mind.
It’s seriously as if you’re able to crawl inside your baby’s mind and see what’s going on.
Late night screaming sessions? Probably in the middle of a developmental leap and after a few days your baby will be able to do (insert next developmental milestone here).
Clingy? Check the calendar. Most likely going through another leap.
I had both the app and the 400 page Wonder Weeks book to look through, but honestly, there isn’t much time to flip through the book to figure out what’s going on. The app is awesome, succinct, and thorough! It provides just the right amount of info and was our saving grace through all the new baby worries and questions.
Each leap includes a summary, abilities that your little one is grasping, signs of what your baby may do during this leap and why they do it, and how you can help your baby through this time. Whether it’s singing songs, playing with certain blocks, teaching them about patterns, or dusting with a cloth.
Every person I know that has followed along with their little one’s leaps in The Wonder Weeks says it’s spot on. One of the things I most took from their research is that if your baby seems off, there’s probably a reason. Have you noticed them making new sounds? Attempting to roll over more? Did they just learn to sit up and are working on perfecting it? Do they now understand object permanence (the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be observed)?
Whenever I sensed something was off with Clara I checked the app and found that she was in the middle of a leap and it was exciting to read about what new skill she was developing and what games I could play with her to help her through the tough time. During the leaps you might find your baby sleeps more, is more fussy, or just downright cranky.
Rather than getting upset at Clara and thinking I needed to change the way I parent, I realized that we just needed to get through this leap and she would be one step close to a precious little toddler.
The book says it way better than I can though. Here’s the basis of The Wonder Weeks:
The book is based on the scientific- and parental-world-changing discovery of a phenomenon: all normal, healthy babies appear to be more fussy at very nearly the same ages, regression periods, and sleep less in these phases.
These age-related fluctuations in need for body contact and attention (regression periods) are related to major and quite dramatic changes in the brains of the children. These changes enable a baby to enter a whole new perceptual world and, as a consequence, to learn many new skills. This should be a reason for celebration, but as far as the baby is concerned these changes are bewildering. He’s taken aback—everything has changed overnight. It is as if he has woken up on a strange planet. He needs you to guide him and understand what he is going through! Get ready to rediscover the world all over again with your baby…
I mean how amazing does that sound! Clara has more than leaped through all of her developmental milestones and I like to think it’s in part because I wasn’t stressed when she was fussy or going through something. I wasn’t constantly changing my parenting style worried that things weren’t going well. With the help of Wonder Weeks I was able to help her through those rough patches and provide the comfort and support she needed.
I share about it with everyone I know and I think every mom should know about it. So if you’re a new mom, expecting a baby, pregnant with your fourth, go buy this book or buy the app. It will seriously save your sanity. This book also makes a great baby shower present!
Did you follow The Wonder Weeks? Did you find it to be accurate?
*This post contains affiliate links. I did not receive free product or services for this review. I seriously just love The Wonder Weeks that much! For more information, please see my disclosure policy.
Wow! This app sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing it. I’m also new to blogging and I found your site from Abby Lawson’s blog. Come check out my blog sometime!