subject: Guidance To Your Baby's First 6 Months [print this page] Your baby is transforming you into a parentYour baby is transforming you into a parent. There wont be another period of time as intense as your babys first 6 months in terms of growth and development. Here have some guidance to your babys first 6 months.
At birth, your babys body is quite tucked in: arms flexed, hands in tiny fists, legs and feet drawn up, and a head that lolls to one side. Your baby begins to notice that his feet and hands are attached to him. By three months, hell be able to lift his face when lying on his stomach and hold his head. Hell swipe at a toy, grasp or shake it, the development of hand-eye coordination.
Your baby is getting used to the world. He learns through all his senses. Newborn prefers sweet tastes. He can distinguish mothers scent, and turn to and are calmed by familiar voices.
If you purse you lips or raise your eyebrows and wait, you baby will try it too. Babies are designed for face to face interaction. When your baby is awake and alert, notice how intently he gazes at whatever is close enough to focus on. Let him study your face, or move a boldly patterned object slowly across his line of vision.
Whenever you can, slow things down, keep your baby close, spend time gazing, rocking, feeding. Your baby is soaking up the rhythms and sounds of language. Sing to him; tell him about what youre doing.
Crying tends to peak at about 2 months, one to three hours a day of crying is average, and then tapers off by 4 or 5 months. Carrying your baby more or feed your baby often may reduce the overall amount of crying. Because infants have tiny stomachs and need to eat often, around the clock. Recreate the womb environment, like rhythmic movement and swaddling are time honored baby soothers.
If you feel very frustrated or angry during a crying jag, put your baby in a safe place like her crib, and leave the room until you feel calmer.
At three months, if you hold her in a sitting position, her head will slump forward; gradually shell be able to hold up her head and shoulders and sit with support. She will soon figure out how to roll front to back and later, the other way.
Shes found her hands and feet by now and she is developing hand-eye coordination. She can reach for and drag objects to her. Show and name objects and let your baby experience all kinds of textures, colors and shapes.
By five months, shell begin to add consonants to her repertoire of sounds, and a few weeks later, shell start putting it all together, like baba, Mama. A six month old knows what bye-bye means, even though she wont say it yet. Sing and talk to your baby, provide lots of physical contact, play on the floor and respond to her attempts to communicate. Let your baby watch the action. A little bouncy seat is great for this, and so is a front carrier when youre out walking.
Now your baby is easier to soothe and more social. She actively engages you, cooing, babbling and shrieking with delight when youre nearby. She knows her family as her special people.
Some parents see that their baby is watching them eat at the table, and conclude that the baby is hungry. But Breast feeding is still the best nutrition for babies until about six months. Even though sometimes parents are anxious start solid food early, thinking this will help the baby sleep longer at night.
