Association…Welcome
Welcome, and thank you so much for your interest!
We have been thrilled and humbled by the enthusiastic response The Happiest Baby approach has received from thousands of caring professionals like yourself. The “5 S’s” are very simple and straightforward, however they are not automatic for young parents today. In fact, they often seem counterintuitive to them…and if not done correctly, these amazingly effective techniques may totally fail to work. That is why, like with lactation training, educators need to be well trained in the nuances of this approach before attempting to teach them.
The Happiest Baby approach introduces four concepts that are radically new and add dramatically to parent success:
- The “Missing 4th Trimester“ – this is the pivotal concept for new parents. In many ways, babies are born 3 months before they’re fully ready for the world (our babies are very immature compared to baby horses or cows). Parents who understand the importance of imitating the womb (with frequent nursing and lots of holding, shushing and rocking) become great baby calmers and are not worried about “spoiling” their newborns.
- The “Calming Reflex“ – The Happiest Baby is not magic or a miracle. It is based on a newly discovered neonatal reflex. However, since it’s a reflex, it only works when parents trigger it exactly right (this is especially true for challenging babies). Once parents recognize that that this extraordinary reflex requires careful accuracy in order to get turned on (similar to a knee reflex), they understand why it is so important to do the “5 S’” calming techniques right.
- The “5 S’s“ – lots of parenting guides recommend swaddling, swinging, sucking, etc., but none teaches parents exactly how to perfectly do each one of the “5S’s.”
- The “Cuddle Cure“ – learning to mix together the perfect combination of “S’s” for any particular baby (every baby likes a slightly different combination).
I think you’ll recognize that there are several strong reasons to become trained in The Happiest Baby techniques before beginning to teach it to parents:
- Teach Correctly – These methods are simple, but only work when done correctly. Parents who do them incorrectly may fail and become even more frustrated, irritated and demoralized. As with child birth education or lactation consulting, there are many subtleties to effective baby calming and sleep promotion and often very small errors in technique can make a huge difference in parent confidence and success
- Provide Essential Materials – Once certified, educators buy deeply discounted Parent Kits (Happiest Baby DVD + white noise CD) to give to every family they teach. Parents usually need to watch the DVD 2-3 times to master the approach and they use the CD every night to boost their baby’s sleep. (Dr. Karp recommends parents use the sound CD to promote good sleep and avoid sleep disruptions all night for the first year.)
- Be Successful – °CHBEs receive email updates and quarterly newsletters discussing ongoing research, etc. CHBEs are given marketing suggestions and sample curriculae and can enter our educator’s chat room. Being certified is a sign to parents of your competence and association with our highly regarded national organization. All CHBEs are listed on The Happiest Baby Education Association website to help parents find instructors in their area
- Reduce Liability – Parents often forget or misremember what they learn in class. This may lead them doing the 5 S’s incorrectly or teaching them incorrectly to their family or friends. These errors may cause frustration – or worse – serious consequences (overheating, SIDS from a parent using the stomach position for sleep, etc.). Professionals who are not certified and/or fail to provide Parent Kits to all families to refresh and reinforce their lesson will be fully liability for any parental errors.
When we help families to become strong they in turn pass on that strength. When we forget that parents do have needs and that early parenting can be unbelievably challenging and rocky for some we do ourselves and our children a serious disservice by not providing parenting tools.
As a Childbirth Educator, I realize the importance of childbirth classes, but what about parenting classes? Of course, we all know that parents today are often lost when they get home with the realities of baby. Infant crying and parental exhaustion can directly lead to marital stress, breastfeeding failure, postpartum depression, SIDS, Shaken Baby Syndrome, etc.
Certification is important because it shows professionalism through continued study on subjects that will help you diversify your business.
Specialty certification (be it childbirth, lactaton, doula, or The Happiest Baby) is an indicator of an educator’s knowledge and experience. It ensures a high level of familiarity and competence with the methodologies. And, it protects consumers and sets the professional standards for your community.
The program can be taught as a class or individually in a home. We offer 3 classes a month at our hospital, and the response has been fantastic!
The program has been approved for 5.4 nursing ceu’s, 4 ICEA and 6.6 Lamaze. By offering of continuing education credits for The Happiest Baby educators by these national organizations, it verifies the validity of The Happy Baby Education Certification.
Thank you again for your interest in our program and for making a difference in your community supporting new parents.
Warmly,
Sherry Turney Mayeaux, ICCE, CLE, CD, CHBE
Director of Education
The Happiest Baby Education Association
