Four-month-old Cody Sakuda is late for his first day of class at the University of Texas at Dallas. His mom, Tamara, rushes into the room with him strapped in a blue denim kangaroo sack.
But no worries: The Sakudas have more than two months to catch up in Family Infant University. The new program teaches parents about the physical and emotional development of their children while graduate students learn how to work with real families.
The Sakudas are one of three families taking part in 10 weeks of classes and home visits.
Tamara Sakuda has read many parenting books, but she and her husband, Kent, thought that Family Infant University would be a good way to interact one-on-one with professionals.
“I love my parents, but I knew that there were some things that I wanted to do different,” said Tamara Sakuda, 36.
“This program can teach parents a lot about infants that they probably can’t read in the books,” said Michelle Aldridge, one of the program’s coordinators.
These aren’t classes on better parenting. Rather, the parents, who pay a $250 fee, learn about the developmental stages of their kids, including when an infant should learn how to hold his or her head, crawl, grasp toys and recognize family members.
“Most people with infants are very hungry for information,” Aldridge said. “This helps them understand what’s going on with a child, and hopefully we can relieve some anxiety and satisfy some curiosity.”
Family Infant University is a pilot for a university course.
Two graduate students are paired with a family. Each Friday, mother and child are temporarily separated. The graduate students test the infants’ development while parents attend seminars on infant communication and development of motor skills.
Officials at the School of Human Development have been planning the Family Infant University since December. They saw a community need for it and a need among graduate students for practical experience.
Danette Marx, 35, one of the participating mothers, says she and her husband were worried that their son Alex had problems walking and talking. They confirmed Alex’s development was slower than other children’s, but learned that they shouldn’t worry.
At the Family Infant University, Marx has learned that her 14-month-old son will develop at his own pace.
Sakuda and her husband, Kent, 35, decided to marry four years ago. Tamara Sakuda was sharing custody of her daughter, Emily, with her former husband, but she was ready to build a family with Kent.
Since Tamara Sakuda had Emily five years ago, she has read more than 25 parenting books. Each week, Sakuda brings a note pad to class. She asks questions, adds comments and often takes notes. “I’d like to see if there are things I have been missing.”
The mothers sit at attention during lectures but always have a keen ear for the cries of their babies.
Several times during the first few weeks, Marx got a pained look when she heard Alex crying. It didn’t take long for her to rush to comfort him.
Sakuda listens attentively as Tom Bower, a university professor, explains that during their first five months, infants do not really know that they have one mother.
He says babies know they have someone who feeds, comforts and plays with them, but in their minds, the caregiver is not one person. He says this is partly why babies don’t necessarily fuss in the company of strangers.
He also explains that babies are very perceptive. Bower has tested babies hours after being born to see whether they prefer happy or sad faces. They consistently prefer viewing happy faces.
“Babies are born with the capacity to make sense of the world,” he told the mothers.
While mom is learning about baby development, Cody is busy flirting with Andrea Fasken and Jennifer Davis. They are the graduate students assigned to work with the Sakuda family.
Fasken and Davis test how Cody responds to sights and sounds. They ring bells, place the baby in front of a mirror and watch how he plays with toys.
While Fasken is holding Cody, Davis holds a string with a red ring in front of him.
“Grab at it, buddy,” Fasken said. Fasken is working on her master’s degree in speech pathology. Davis is working on her master’s in early-developmental disorders. Aldridge says the teams are paired to provide expertise from each concentration.
“It’s so neat to follow them all these weeks because you get to see things as they happen,” Davis said. “Things Cody couldn’t do three weeks ago, he’s doing now.”
Cody nearly missed graduation last month because of a bug he caught while vacationing in Hawaii, but his fever broke and he was able to get his diploma and wear his yellow mortar board.
“This has really gotten me to look at the world through infants’ eyes,” Tamara Sakuda said.
