What babies need: A view through the lens of ecology

Caring for your baby can be all-consuming, but sifting through conflicting parenting advice shouldn't be. What babies need is simple, but not always easy to figure out. KidEcology will help you find research-based answers, so you can create the most nurturing spaces and experiences for your baby, in your home and out in the world. 

Are you finding a lot of baby advice too prescriptive, black-and-white, and confusing?

• “Let your baby sleep”... yet “keep naps short”;
• “Start with purees”... yet “skip purees entirely”;
• “Babywear as much as possible”... yet “don't restrict free movement”

Does it feel like you have to stick to a specific parenting philosophy or a set of techniques yet none of them feel quite right? Did you hope to rely on your instincts but discover that you don't 'naturally' know what to do?

YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

And you're right in questioning the too-specific, one-size-fits-all, "only one right way" advice.

When I was a new mom 14 years ago, I found myself in a sea of ​​opinions. Many came with a sense of pressure: "Do X or your baby won't thrive".

It was overwhelming and not helpful.

So I set out to do something different.

What babies need: an ecologist's answer

My name is Anya Dunham. I am a scientist with a PhD in Biology working in the field of ecology: the ways living things relate to one another and interact with their environment. More specifically, I study habitats: spaces and environments that support life.

(more about Anya)

When I became a parent, I began to think about what babies need from an ecological perspective.

Despite technological progress, baby ecology — what babies need from the physical spaces they live in, the care they receive, and their interactions with people in their life — has remained largely constant and universal.

What babies need is simple, but not necessarily easy to create in our fast-paced, busy world.

Here and in my award-winning book, Baby Ecology, I look at scientific studies on baby sleep, feeding, care, and play through the lens of ecology, to answer the following questions:

1. What do our babies really need to thrive?
2. What elements in our babies' environments — their physical spaces and their experiences — help meet these needs? And what elements hinder them?

Here, I analyze the scientific research and add my lived experience as a mom of 3 to help you create these nurturing spaces and experiences in ways that work best for YOUR baby.

What you'll find here

I write about everything that forms yours and your baby’s day-to-day experiences: getting ready for baby; sleep, feeding, playing and being cared for.

Here's what you'll find in this space:

• Knowledge from hundreds of academic papers carefully analyzed and brought together to answer tricky and complex questions we all face as new parents (for example: starting solids and avoiding picky eating; babies and screens; choosing daycare).
  
• Support, whether you're formula-feeding or breastfeeding, using purees or baby-led weaning, bed-share with your baby or your baby sleeps alone. There are no parenting wars or strict, black-and-white “do's” and “don'ts” here. 
• Practical ideas for planning, creating, and organizing play spaces and making things for your baby.
• References to the studies I mention are always listed at the end of each article, in case you want to dig deeper or use them as a jumping off point for further reading.

I began working on this space in 2022 after I wrote Baby Ecology . See what Baby Ecology is about, browse through reader reviews, or check out multiple awards Baby Ecology received here. 

What topic would you like to explore today? The buttons below will take you to the list of articles.

Recent Articles

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1. Can babies get bored?

   May 28, 25 01:52 PM

   
   Can babies get bored? Let's look at the research to see what, if anything, babies need to avoid boredom.

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2. Best nursery colors: Is the 'sad beige babies' trend good or bad?

   Apr 28, 25 02:24 PM

   
   What are the best nursery colors? Is the 'sad beige babies' trend detrimental or beneficial for baby's vision development? Let's explore what the studies say.

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3. Baby cry decoder apps: Are they any good?

   Mar 04, 25 04:42 PM

   
   Are AI-powered baby cry decoder apps helpful? Is there science behind them?

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Hello! I'm Anya Dunham, a scientist with a PhD in Biology, an award-winning author, and a mom to three young kids. Here and in my book, Baby Ecology, I analyze the research on baby's first year to find the optimal nurturing environment — the (usually wide) range of good options — to help you choose what works best for your baby and your family. Welcome!

Let's stay in touch