Infant Esoterica: CONSENSUAL BIRTH PLAN: We did homebirth…

Lack of meds, synthetic oxytocin, pain meds—all that stuff mattered too and if you can skip 'em, it's ideal, but the main thing is engineering a harmonious, celebratory entrance for the kid. That could be in the hospital. That could be at your home.

Figure your plan out.

I won't go into breastfeeding. Obviously you want to do that. To explain fully why would take an entire thread. Maybe later.

Skin-skin contact with both parents is essential. Chest to chest. Doing as as early and often as you can --> lasting connections. https://t.co/1NRK6Z2qAo

DEAD HANGS: From day one, a baby can hold his own weight dangling from a bar. Many ways to test.

Lay them on their back on bed or soft surface, get them to grab your thumbs and start lifting up. They'll come off the ground and relinquish grip when tired. Repeat.

Your baby will just hang fully from your thumbs and drop when done. Do this over a bed, somewhere soft they can safely drop. Expect laughter.

If you do this from day 1 and never stop, you build powerful grip strength. ie normal grip strength, the grip they're meant to have.

CARRYING: We primarily carried our babies everywhere, letting them sit on the forearm close to elbow joint (reduce lever length, avoid bicep tendonitis), giving them opportunity to build postural strength and awareness, neck strength.

Carry in different positions. Slung over shoulder. Sitting on shoulder. Piggy back. Football carry (belly down on forearm, your palm of hand under chest, great for their head control).

Stroller good to have but not exclusively.

A baby is defenseless. First few months is the "4th trimester". Human brains grow so much so fast that we have to come out "early" or else we'd never make it out of the birth canal.

They're adrift in a psychedelic sea of sensory data. You are the anchor as they make sense of it.

Close physical contact in the early months actually sets the kid up to be stronger, more confident, more independent later on. They have the "anchor" and know they can safely navigate the world.

Carrying kids lowers their cortisol, increases mutual oxytocin release.

SUNLIGHT EVERY DAY, NUDE SUNBATHING.

AM sunlight provides infrared light which improves skin UV resilience, helps set circadian rhythm so they sleep better at night.

Midday sunlight provides UVB for vitamin D production.

Suitable dosing depends on ethnicity, skin color, etc.

NATURE EVERY DAY

Trees and plants emit volatile organic compounds to communicate with each other, and we humans can pick up on them (the smells we smell in the forest) and obtain physiological benefits—lower stress, improved immunity. Small humans benefit too.

Babies don't "know" why they like nature. They just do. You're giving them a taste of their evolutionary home-base, their baseline.

Secret to most of this stuff is it's all good for you, too.

ANIMALS: Have pets, preferably dogs. Study after study finds that exposure to dogs in early life improves resistance to allergies and other chronic immune conditions.

Also, dogs make kids happy.

LIGHT AT NIGHT: Don't let baby chill out in the living room late at night with the TV blaring, phone in his face. Blue light/artificial light is just as bad after dark for your baby as it is for you.

Switch house bulbs to warm Edison lights.
Use these: https://t.co/uYTtXQDu72