Tag: Agency

Chaos Theory & Babies

written by Sarah Barnaby on 07/09/2023

…development is the outcome of the self-organizing processes of continually active living systems

…development does not “know” where it is going from the start

…the very nature of development itself — its contingent, evolving, emergent nature

(Esther Thelen, 1941-2004)

We’re inspired by the writing of Esther Thelen, a developmental psychologist and multidisciplinary out-of-the-box thinker who applied chaos theory (or dynamic systems theory) to infant development. Per a colleague’s tribute, Thelen “saw a child’s development more akin to a jazz improvisation than to a biological process driven by genes.”

Esther Thelen’s approach and research ring true for us: it … Read more

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Q&A: Follow-up about tummy time

written by Sarah Barnaby on 06/14/2023

In our previous Q&A post, we responded to a mother’s question about whether we recommend tummy time on a pillow for her 4-month-old. Our short answer was that we don’t think propping a baby on a pillow is particularly helpful for their movement development. What we encourage instead is supporting a baby to develop their midline and hands skills so they can spend time on their belly while engaged in play with an object.

We’ve since heard back from the parent, who sent new photos of their now 5-month-old engaged with toys on her belly and for contrast, propped … Read more

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Q&A: Tummy time on a pillow?

written by Sarah Barnaby on 05/31/2023

Question from a mother of a 4-month-old: Someone told me that it’s good to put babies on top of pillows (on the floor) so they can get perspective and help them develop. I am a bit hesitant but wanted to hear your thoughts on this.

Our response: Thanks for asking for our perspective – we’re happy to share our thoughts on the topic!

In short, we’re not huge fans of the practice of using pillows when positioning babies prone (on their belly). We don’t agree with what seem to be the reasons behind it – particularly focussing on strengthening muscles … Read more

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Thoughts on Meeting a Baby

written by Sarah Barnaby on 10/21/2019

In our work at Babies Project, we meet new people every day. Many of them are babies. We’d like to share what we’ve learned from our experiences, with the support of our values, principles and ongoing conversations and questions. We offer this in the hope that it might lead to more fruitful, mutually enriching meetings between babies of all ages.

As a foundational principle and framework, we believe that babies come in as whole people with a sense of agency and the ability to make choices. The non-verbal aspects of an interpersonal interaction, which are always present, come forward … Read more

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GEEK NIGHT: Agents, The Intentional Stance, Cells & Babies

Tuesday, October 15, 2019
6:00-7:30pm

with Sarah Barnaby & Amy Matthews

“The intentional stance,” a term coined by philosopher Daniel Dennett, is a tool for predicting the behavior of semi-autonomous, interactive agents.

This simple theory of intentional systems is a theory about how and why we are able to make sense of the behaviors of so many complicated things by considering them to be agents. It is not directly a theory of the internal mechanisms that somehow achieve the rational guidance thereby predicted. The intentional stance gives you the “specs,” the job description, of an intentional system — what

… Read more

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Developmental Movement: Elders & Babies

written by Sarah Barnaby on 10/08/2019

At Babies Project, we offer developmental movement education for “babies of all ages.” What do we mean by this?

We have a common personal history. We were all once babies. (We could also go further back and say that we were also all once embryos, but we’ll stick to babies for now.)

Our earliest experiences as babies are still with us. This includes our process of learning to move in gravity and space, knowing where we are and orienting ourselves, and finding our way from birth to walking. This process has influenced our movement as adults: our patterns, preferences, … Read more

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GEEK NIGHT: A Conversation About Collaboration

Tuesday, September 17, 2019
6:00-7:30pm

with Sarah Barnaby & Amy Matthews

In our first Geek Night of the new season, we’ll take up the topic of collaboration, which at its most basic (and etymologically), means working together.

  • What are the elements of a generative collaboration, where each participant contributes and grows, and the outcome is greater than the sum of the parts?
  • Can we find inspiration from looking at how our cells collaborate with each other?
  • Can we find support for improving our collaborations in principles of fractal systems that we’ve previously explored, including agency, participation and interdependence?

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Developmental Movement: On Track or Behind?

written by Sarah Barnaby on 07/16/2019

A good part of our work at Babies Project involves talking about developmental movement: what it is and why it’s important. Very often, the topic comes up in our discussions with parents and caregivers who bring their babies (and their questions) to Babies Project:

    • “Is my baby on track?”
    • “Are they behind?”
    • “Should we be concerned?”

Developmental movement refers to the way a baby learns to move, from birth to walking. At Babies Project, we believe that a baby’s developmental process takes priority over the speed of their progress*. This means that a baby who isn’t “on track” according to … Read more

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Agency, Relationship, & “You’re OK”

Our topic here is AGENCY and RELATIONSHIP. A baby’s development is a relational process. A baby and their primary caregiver(s) are affected by and in turn affect each other. They respond to each other, they co-create their relationship, and they exist within layers and networks of other relationships.

In our work educating parents and other caregivers, we bring awareness to how they influence their baby’s development: through how they touch and handle them, how they talk to them, and how they view their role as caregivers.

We acknowledge and want to help parents navigate their choices about parenting. What we teach in terms … Read more

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Agency & Emergence

“Things are always changing, and we have agency in that change.”– Rebecca Solnit

“Developmental change is not planned but arises within a context as the product of multiple, developing elements.”– Esther Thelen

Agency is the first of our core values, and we come back to it again and again. It encapsulates many of our ideas, underlies our principles, and guides our teaching.

As we define it, agency is the ability to make choices, to have an impact, and learn from experience. We do not think agency is the same as autonomy. Rather, agency is relational, interdependent and participatory.… Read more

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