To not understand the be thought process of babies'

[Throughautomaticdoors]

I know that they learn by putting stuff in their mouths but why do they learn like this? It seems like an evolutionary fail to me.

Crawling along, spy a shoe / piece of fluff / the cat and straight in the mouth. Surely this insane thought process is a) germy and b) has the potential to result in choking?

Dd is ten months and I now spend half of my life taking stuff out of her mouth. It just seems a design flaw to me. Why don't they just learn by holding and looking at stuff?!
Also surely when it's been in your mouth once (cat's tail) you don't need to try it again?

[welshgirlwannabe]

A8mint - my eldest is nearly 15. I'm not as young and inexperienced as my babies poor sleep habits might lead you to believe

Some babies haven't read the 'leave them crying and walk away ' book, and don't know that it ends with them sleeping soundly after 10 minutes of fussing.

Similarly, some babies don't know that they ought to be sleeping through by now (looking at you ds2!). My years of parenting experience have taught me that they all get there in the end though!

[MommaGee]

Still giggling rudely at things feel bigger in the mouth...

[MommaGee]

Also my son is very good at determining the difference between food and not food. Only the latter shall enter his mouth!! Will chew ANYTHING so longs it isn't food

[Bobafatt]

Also snorting at the thought of walking off from tired shrieking Dbaby and thinking he would be asleep in a few minutes. I tried this once.
He spent considerable time shrieking the equivalent of "Get your arse back here. I haven't finished telling you how TIRED I AAAAMMMMM!"

[lozengeoflove]

batteries your post cheered me right up. Am now overjoyed at providing my baby and toddler with an amazing learning opportunity that is our hoovered, but filthy carpet and dusty surfaces.
It's not that I'm a slovenly dust cloth dodger, it's just that I'm letting their palette and immune system get used the germs you see.

[lozengeoflove]

Am posting this lying next to a sleeping baby who will only fall asleep if attached to a boob, or in a sling. I would love to be able to put him down and walk away to do some relaxing dusting, but he has this inbuilt alarm system which ensures this is never attempted.

[a8mint]

Well of course putting a baby down and walking away is not the cure all for all or even most crying babies. But I have noticed lots of first tume mothers of new babies do not recognise that very distinctive cry of a baby that just wants to sleep and jumps to pick them up at the first murmur.I am not advocating leaving a new born crying for more than a minute or so unless their cries are slowing down.

[Batteriesallgone]

Personally I think it's lovely when I see a crying baby being held. The attitude of put them down and leave them to it has always seemed so cold to me.

I guess because everyone I know who has said 'ooh when they whinge I put them down for a bit and they go to sleep' has actually, when I've been with them and seen it, just closed the door / pulled up the pram hood on a screaming baby and waited it out. So I'm skeptical of how many babies really just need to be left to it. I know they exist but to see lots of mothers who need to try that tactic? Nah.