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10/2/2009 3:35 AM

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By Sylvia Cavallo For the Observer-Reporter newsroom@observer-reporter.com

This article has been read 1010 times.

When Sabrina Mangin of Avella brought her newborn son home from the hospital 11 months ago, she feared she was just going to have to accept her weariness from sleepless nights and difficulty calming her son.

Then she started implementing techniques that she learned through the "Happiest Baby on the Block" program offered through Community Action Southwest's Women, Infants and Children program in Washington. Within weeks, Mangin said caring for Aiden became less stressful and much more enjoyable.

Since 2007, WIC's Happiest Baby program has provided parents with books and DVDs compiled by Dr. Harvey Karp, pediatrician and child development specialist. Karp is an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of California at Los Angeles and an expert on children's health and the environment. His books and award-winning DVDs, "The Happiest Baby on the Block" and "The Happiest Toddler on the Block," have made him one of the most read pediatricians today.

Karp visited WIC's Washington office during the summer to discuss the Happiest Baby initiative with the WIC staff and to learn how the program has impacted local WIC parents.

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"Dr. Karp's visit was an encouragement to our staff, and he was very pleased to see how well the Happiest Baby initiative is being implemented at Community Action Southwest," said Rosa Snyder-Boyd, nutrition services coordinator for CAS. "Through phone calls and at WIC appointments, many families have reported how helpful the program has been to them. Grandmothers and fathers also attest to how effective the technique is for calming babies.

"We plan to do an evaluative survey early in 2010. We hope to reach more families with this information and have more DVDs and CDs available."

Mangin, who also has a 3-year-old, said before she was introduced to Karp's techniques, she was on the brink of severe frustration.

"At first, I was skeptical about the techniques," she said. "I watched the video and thought it sounded almost impossible, but I kept trying the techniques and eventually it all worked."

Mangin said Karp's program explains ways in which infants are underdeveloped when they are born. Karp refers to the newborn stage as the "fourth trimester" and introduces calming techniques that are necessary for a newborn's survival.

"I learned that everything about a baby that small is a reflex," Mangin said. "Newborns need five main things to soothe them: swaddle, swing, shoosh, side and suck."

Mangin said swaddling made the most immediate change in Aiden.

"Some parents will say that their baby doesn't like to be swaddled, but if you stick to it and just keep trying, they will see that it works," Mangin said. "The same is true of the shooshing. The program teaches to shoosh loudly. It sounds odd, but it works. I gave the program to all my friends who have had babies and it has worked for them, too."

Snyder-Boyd said WIC nurses and nutritionists throughout Washington and Greene counties are trained to share the Happiest Baby program information with parents.

Happy Baby classes are held at WIC sites throughout Washington and Greene counties, and "The Happiest Baby on the Block" DVD and "White Noise" CDs are available to borrow.

To learn more about the Happiest Baby program or the Happy Baby classes, call 877-814-0788, ext. 229. Parents do not need to be WIC clients to participant in the program.

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