Dancing With Your Baby: The Science of Nurturing Infant and Caregiver through Music and Movement

Now in a completely revised third edition Sue Doherty, anthropologist and author of the pioneering, practical book, Kinergetics: Dancing with Your Baby (1994), offers must-have cutting-edge research, advice, and insight. A groundbreaking look into the art and science of song, dance, and melodies--and their profoundly nurturing, therapeutic, and developmental effects for infants and caregivers. It is an unprecedented, eye-opening investigation into our evolutionary instinct to rock a baby in our arms.

An inspiring and easily accessible guide exploring the expressive heartbeat of human nature. Discovering a baby’s amazing capacities reveal how music and movement has helped shape humanity across cultures and throughout history. From acquiring language acquisition to learning to self-regulate, a baby makes impressive gains socially, emotionally, physically, and cognitively, when engaging with the rhythms of his or her surroundings. Doherty provides a convincing synthesis of current scientific evidence to promote a deeply immersive and stimulating physical engagement. Fully illustrated, she introduces the reader to various “carriages” to dance freely with a baby, and with the use of a baby carrier. There are chapters on bonding and the importance of touch, stress reduction in baby and caregiver, specific recommendations for babies with special needs, tips on necessary back-care, and tai chi and yoga for warm-up and cool-down.Doherty offers parents and caregivers fascinating science that spans infant development, child psychology, neuroscience, cultural anthropology, music and movement therapy and much more. And, as Julia Dimitrova and Michael Hogan argue in their Psychology Today review: “ The book will also be of interest to psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists and educationalists interested in dancing toward greater insight and understanding of human development.”

Praise for Dancing With Your Baby

"Every parent wants his or her child to feel connected, validated, and treasured. Dancing with Your Baby is a wonderful tool parents can use to develop deep connectedness. Since children internalize how their parents relate to them on a verbal and physical level, what better way to create this essential foundation than through dancing with them?"
Dr. Shefali Tsabary, Clinical Psychologist and author of the Oprah acclaimed The Conscious Parent and her follow-upw Out of Control and The Awakened Family

“This book is a great blend of practical and creative methods, resting on a solid scientific foundation.”
Rick Hanson, Ph.D. neuropsychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, New York Times best-selling author of Hardwiring Happiness, Buddha’s Brain, Just One Thing, and Mother Nurture

“Doherty uses language that is accessible, colorful, and rich with imagery. This book is a must read for any parent, caregiver, or soon-to-be parent interested in learning about the incredibly dynamic, rewarding, stimulating techniques for bonding with their baby that Doherty advocates.”
Julia Dimitrova and Michael Hogan, Ph.D. senior lecturer and neuropsychologist at National University of Ireland, Galway

"Integrating dance and musical activities into the parent-infant relationship is a wonderful way for everyone involved to feel socially connected, to be physically active, and to have fun. Sue Doherty carefully outlines safe, flexible, and age-appropriate ways to build dance into your baby’s life, while exploring how infant cognitive, social, and motor development shape these activities"
Laura Cirelli, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow in Psychology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada

Sue Doherty, M.A. is an anthropologist with a masters in Cultural Resource Management and a background in child development and holistic health (certified in acupuncture, nutrition, and teaching mindfulness K.-5). Her work includes applied behavioral analysis and mindfulness based behavioral intervention with Early Start infants and toddlers and special needs students K-12. She was the recipient of a scholarship award for her outstanding historical research, and her oral histories have been anthologized and featured in museum exhibits. Sue is the author of Dancing with Your Baby--The Science of Nurturing Infant & Caregiver through Music & Movement, 2017, and Kinergetics: Dancing with Your Baby--for Bonding and Better Health for Both of You, 1994. Her research explores the interface of material and intangible cultural heritage, including song, music, dance, skills, crafts and the like and how they help individuals, communities, and cultures survive and thrive. Sue is currently in the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, led by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, certified through UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center.