Parents must read signals from baby, psychologist says

Rather than endlessly reading advice from "the experts," parentsof infants should learn to "read" their babies.

Babies offer myriad clues to their emotions, and with effort,parents can learn how best to respond, said Evelyn Thoman, aUniversity of Connecticut professor of psychology and biobehavioralsciences who is co-author with Sue Browder of Born Dancing (Harper &Row, $15.95).

Babies "talk" through the ways they hold their heads, look at oraway from another person, cry and even hiccup and yawn, Thoman said.

They have innate rhythms that wise parents try to get in stepwith. The authors term these behaviors a baby's "dance."

Cuing into these …