'The infant's evolutionary history, and just about every psychological study of infants, reveals that they are designed to respond favourably to sensory stimulation,' suggests James McKenna, an anthropologist at Pomona College in Claremont, California. He believes that the idea of monitoring a sleeping baby through an intercom is all wrong. Instead, we should switch the amplifiers to let sleeping babies listen to family noises. 'Babies' heart rates and breathing are known to change and be positively affected by listening to mother speak, laugh or sing,' he says. 'Family noises promote healthy infant sleep.'
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