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Dads and Babies Can Cry
When Infants Cry for Stress Release
By Laura Paul
"I think both of us parent differently, but we are both nurturing in our own way," he says. "I probably tend to let the kids take more chances at the playground or figure things out where she may be in there more if the kids get hurt. She might hover over them a little more. When they are crying, I'm more like, 'Let's get it over with,' and not prolong it."
Another stay-at-home dad, Jon Saunders of Los Altos, Calif., says it's more challenging to handle the crying tantrums of his adopted 2-year-old daughter, Sara, now that she is a toddler. "It's like a hostage situation," he says. "You never want to give into the demands – just divert [their attention]. If you do reward them, eventually they will build it up into a more sophisticated game."
"When Sara was a baby, we considered ourselves very lucky because she would only cry if something was wrong and it was always so obvious," Saunders says. "How many things do you cry about when you are a baby? You are hungry, you need to be changed, you are tired – that's about it. So that was a slam dunk."
Most experts today say it's best to give infants attention when they are crying, but don't feel inadequate or incompetent if an infant does not stop crying right away. He or she might just need to have a good cry.
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