Submitted by Gehan Roberts, MB, BS, MPH
Boston, Massachusetts
Children's Hospital, Boston

I was especially taken with the power of the NBO to help parents learn about the competencies of their newborns. Parents were consistently amazed by their newborn's ability to alert and turn their voices, habituate to annoying stimuli and console themselves when crying, needing not much more than a soothing voice. The NBO is a quick and satisfying examination to perform as it provides an understanding of a baby's repertoire of strengths rather than looking for pathology. It can provide valuable information to both parents and clinicians, especially those training in primary care pediatrics and planning on following families over a period of time.