fright at loud noises
•Apparent squints
•Stimulating sight
•Scratches to skin from nails
•Why breast babies pass so few stools
•How to express breastmilk
•Weaning Baby to go back to work
•Regression and aggression of older siblings.
•Rub noses with your baby. They love this type of interaction where your face comes ever closer and ends with gentle touching and toing and froing of noses! Expect delighted laughter.
•Practise funny faces. Even if no one else does, your baby will appreciate your acting efforts and your facial contortions are sure to elicit squeals of pure mirth.
•Bath with your baby. Longer bathtimes or playing with Baby as you share a bath will be both fun and a learning experience as drops of water splash all over and surprise your little one.
Months Three and Four
MILESTONES
Baby is a really sociable little creature now, very ready with smiles and cooing sounds. His movements are a lot smoother and you see the person he will become unfolding on a daily basis. When you lift Baby holding her around the waist, notice how she kicks her legs out in delight. Breastfeeding will become a lot easier and although you still have to do almost everything for your baby, you do see the silver lining most days. Constant drooling makes many moms think that Baby is about to cut her first teeth but this is unlikely, as most babies start from six months. Baby grasps at close-by objects and explores everything with the mouth and this stimulates copious saliva production. Notice too how fascinating he finds his feet.
BABY GAMES
COMMON CONCERNS
Read more about these elsewhere:
•Heat rash
•When do babies roll over?
•Use of dummies
•Constipation
•How to implement routine
•Should a big baby have cereal?
•Continued pain in the perineal area
•Lack of libido.
•Hang colourful spherical face-shapes with lines for mouth and eyes above Baby’s cot, as he will respond really well to this.
•Place musical mobiles at slowly increasing focal distances as Baby grows.
•Sway rattles and other objects from side to side so that she can practise visual tracking.
Month Five
MILESTONES
Baby provides much pleasure at this age, babbling continually and smiling readily. Infectious laughter will light up your days. Baby will probably have mastered the art of rolling from side to side by now and he loves pushing up on his arms when lying on his tummy. Encourage this. She will also love to smile at herself in the mirror. You’re coming close to that big milestone of half a year!
BABY GAMES
COMMON CONCERNS
Read more about these elsewhere:
•Introduction of solids
•Recognising and dealing with teething
•How to recognise illness
•When to go to the doctor
•Dealing with fevers
•Why daytime naps are better than night sleeps
•Feeling that there is strain on your relationship
•Wondering when menstruation will resume.
•Swing Baby from side to side in a sheet hammock.
•Lie Baby on a big pregnancy ball and roll her forward, backward and sideways.
•Place various types of coloured paper and plastic in net bags and dangle above her play area, cot or pram for visual and tactile stimulation.
Month Six
MILESTONES
Delightful as your baby is at this stage, he might become very frustrated with life. He can conceive of things he would like to do, and can see things he’d like to reach but just isn’t able to! This is a demanding phase for parents who need to help Baby attain goals but should not automatically do everything for them: they need to use this energy to develop their abilities. Soon Baby will be able to crawl and then life will be easier again. He will drop one object in preference of another, ‘rake’ interesting objects closer, sit with support, stand firmly if you hold him and start gripping things between his fingers.
BABY GAMES
•Bounce Baby around on a pregnancy ball,
•holding securely around the waist.
•Rattles of various kinds still provide listening pleasure. Fill light but secure containers like small plastic bowls with a variety of things like seeds, beans or marbles. Let Baby rattle these around and be enraptured by the different sounds.
Months Seven and Eight
MILESTONES
Your baby may have developed a sudden shyness of strangers or people she does not see often. This is because babies now become quite aware of themselves as separate from others. Baby will bang objects on a table, reach for food from your plate and quite enjoy being the centre of attention. She can, by the eighth month, manipulate objects between index finger and thumb, and will offer these to mom, but won’t let go. Most parents expect their babies to sleep and eat in a far more adult fashion by now. This could mean that you are in for a time of confusion and unhappiness if your expectations are not met. Moms especially see failure of a baby to sleep through as a sign that they are doing something wrong.
BABY GAMES
COMMON CONCERNS
Read more about these elsewhere:
•When will Baby crawl?
•Use of walking rings
•Suitable foods for this age
