How to get a yes or no answer from a baby.

Since I was on the subject of babies, figured I throw in one final post, even though it has nothing to do with "not new." Frustrated moms can make their lives a little easier by teaching baby to communicate simple agreement. I used to say "kick your feet" to the offspring while moving his feet in a kicking motion (we also did swimming, running, etc., but kicking was easiest for him). He quickly learned to kick his feet when asked. It eventually occurred to me use that to help him communicate his needs. "If you want your bottle, kick your feet." "If your tummy hurts kick your feet." It was surprising how much of what I said that he seemed to understand.

Of course, many times I either couldn't guess what was going on, or, more likely, he didn't really know what was making him cranky. Still, it was obvious that he loved having the power to communicate. Made my life easier, too.