How I Grow

• hold my head in line with my body when you pull me to a sitting position.
• I can sit with a little support and look around.
• I lift my head and chest when I'm lying on my stomach.
• I roll from my stomach to my back.
• My hands are open about half of the time.
• I grab at things, but sometimes I miss.
• I can bring my hand to my mouth evenvwhen I am holding a toy.

How I Talk

• I coo simple sounds, like oy, aah, ee.
• I answer sounds I hear by gurgling, cooing, and squealing.
• My cry has changed. I almost always have a good reason for crying. My crying is more rhythmic and I don't cry as much as before. Have you noticed?
• I say, thank you, by smiling and wiggling all over.
• I may be able to laugh.

How I Respond

• I get excited when I see people I know, or when I see my bottle.
• I stop sucking to hear sounds. Then I look and suck at the same time.
• I turn my head to follow moving objects, voices, music, and other sounds with my eyes.
• I like listening -- talk to me in simple sentences.

How I Understand

• I'm beginning to find out that I am a person.
• I'm beginning to show that I have a memory.
• I recognize family members and other familiar people.
• I explore objects with my hands and mouth.
• I like to play with my own hands, feet, fingers, and toes.
• I like to play games again, again, and again.

How I Feel

• I love being cuddled.
• I don't like being left alone.

Is Baby Doing Enough?

Each baby grows and develops at his or her own rate.

Some babies seem to be born "talkers" while others are the "movers." Some babies develop slowly in all areas. By respecting the specialness of each child, parents can help children develop at their own pace.

If you are concerned that your baby may be developing too slowly in some area, discuss it with your doctor or call the Child Development Watch:

• New Castle County: 1­800­671­0050
• Kent & Sussex Counties: 1­800­752­9393

Take some information about your baby with you when you talk with your doctor or the child development specialists at Child Development Watch.

Use the information from the front pages of last month's and this month's issue of the newsletter. Ask a friend who knows what infants are like to come and watch with you to decide if your baby really is or is not doing the activities listed in this column.

Take notes.

Put the date on them and keep them. In a few days, ask another person who knows what infants are like to watch what your baby does. Again, keep notes. Compare the notes.

Write down your concerns.

Show the doctor the list of concerns and the notes you took while watching your baby. Ask the doctor's office to make a copy of this information and add it to your child's file. Keep your set of notes where you keep your child's other health information.

Talk, Talk, Talk

If you respond to your baby's sounds -- even the jabbering and cooing -- he'll probably learn to talk sooner.

Be at the child's eye level. Get down to the baby's eyes or prop the baby safely in an infant seat. Look into his eyes and talk to him. Repeat the sounds he makes.

Let the baby join in household activities.

Tell him what you are doing. Let him see what's happening. Talk to him in complete sentences. For example: "After I fold these clothes, we're going to take a walk."

Baby doesn't use words yet, but he will understand a universal language -- body language.

You can tell your baby you love him by giving him a hug, singing a song, or gently rocking him to music. You will find that he talks back by using his body. He will give you a smile, a giggle, a coo, a hearty chuckle, or a wiggle.

Use both words and body language to tell your baby you care.

He will also learn to value the good things that happen when people enjoy talking with each other.

Feeding Your Baby

Breastmilk or the formula recommended by the baby's doctor are the only foods your baby should have now.

Your baby will have 5-10 feedings a day, drinking between 16 and 32 ounces of milk for the day.

Babies don't need to begin to have baby cereal until they are at least 4-6 months old.

Feeding cereal to your baby does not help the baby sleep through the night.

Baby will sleep through the night when she is ready (usually when she weighs about 11 pounds), not because of what she eats.

Your baby may not be hungry every time she cries.

When babies are fed too often, they eat less at each meal. Their stomachs empty more quickly, and empty stomachs soon make them hungry again.

Giving Baby a bottle just to keep her quiet teaches her to connect food with being unhappy. This may lead to feeding problems later on. Try to figure out why Baby is crying and soothe her in other ways.

If you think it is too soon for the baby to eat again, try playing with her or get her interested in another activity. If she is truly hungry, Baby will let you know.

Bottle Feeding Notes:

• Don't prop the bottle in the baby's mouth and leave the baby alone.
• Don't put baby to bed with a bottle. Propping a bottle in a baby's mouth can cause serious health problems. There is a small opening or tube between your baby's throat and her ear. If your baby is lying down and sucking on her bottle, a small amount of formula may travel from the throat to the ear and cause an ear infection. The formula that stays in her mouth when she falls asleep with a bottle can cause tooth decay.
• Keep extra containers of formula or breastmilk cold. Bacteria grow rapidly in infant formula or breastmilk that is not refrigerated. When you go out take a bottle of formula or breastmilk with you. Keep the bottle cold until the baby drinks it. Pack the bottle in an insulated cooler with some ice.

Let's Play . . . Help Me Learn

Help Baby Discover Her Body

To help your baby find her feet and hands:

• put brightly colored or striped socks on her feet.
• put brightly colored scrunchies, like women wear in their hair, or sweat bands around the baby's wrist or ankles.

To help your baby see herself:

• place her in front of an unbreakable mirror.
• tap the mirror to draw attention to it.

Why Play?

Playing helps babies learn.

Babies learn how to tell the difference among objects by looking, feeling, tasting, smelling, and hearing.

Play encourages Baby to explore the world.

Baby explores by using different body motions -- for example, banging, mouthing, dropping, and rubbing. He will do a combination of motions and compare the differences.

Playing with your baby shows him how to play when he is alone.

How to Play

Have your infant on the floor, in an infant seat or propped up enough to see you to play.

Get your baby's attention.

Do this by making eye contact and calling the baby's name.

Show Baby a toy.

Baby, look what I have. It's a red rattle. Listen! Then give the rattle to Baby.

As she plays, talk about what she is doing.

You can make it rattle. How does it taste? Is it hard? Allow Baby time to play and explore what she can do with the toy. When she is bored, show her how to do something else with the toy. If it is a rattle, show her how to move it up and down. Give her the rattle to try.

Baby will let you know when she is tired of playing.

It is your job to match the amount of play to your baby's needs. If your baby wants to play some more, try playing another game. If your baby is fussy and tired, it's better to stop and play again later.

First Toys for Baby

Rattles

Have 3 or 4 different rattles. A baby uses these for about 3 months.

Feelie Toys

Find harmless objects around the house that are square, round, hard, soft, fuzzy, long, or short. Show them one at a time to Baby. Let him examine them with his hands and mouth.

Batting Practice

Waving arms and legs enjoy batting at objects. Baby likes brightly-colored, different-textured, lightweight objects. Use a cradle gym to help baby practice these skills. Be very sure that they are safe for Baby.

Before you know it, this random batting will turn into reaching, then grasping, and then putting the objects into his mouth.

Developing a Routine

Organize some of the time for your baby when he is awake.

Try to do some things at the same time each day so that baby can come to expect what is going to happen. Some activities that could be done at nearly the same time each day are: bathing, dressing, playing, outings, and bedtime.

Baby will let you know when he is sleepy or when he wants to eat after some activity. After a while, you will recognize a pattern of when the baby wants to eat and sleep.

When you have tasks that you need to do, like preparing a meal, provide an activity for the baby to do.

Baby can come to enjoy some time in the infant swing or playing with the crib gym while you do a quick task. Keep the baby in a safe place where you can see what he is doing.

Use these activities for times that you are busy. If Baby does them too often, he will get bored with them.

Babies can get bored.

Plan to play with your baby between feedings. Show Baby the pictures in children's books. At 3 months, an infant needs more activity. When babies are bored they can get fussy, think they want to eat, or go to sleep and keep a schedule that may be hard on parents.

Babies Need to Suck

The need to suck is very strong during Baby's first 4 months.

Baby may quickly discover her own fingers and fists are good to suck.

Sucking is not always a sign of hunger.

Putting things in the mouth is the way your baby learns about her world.

Babies also use sucking to calm themselves when they are upset.

Which will it be: thumb or pacifier?

Studies by pediatric dentists indicate that both pacifiers and sucking on fingers and thumbs can cause dental damage. They each cause different problems.

While a pacifier or finger is helpful now to satisfy the baby's urge to suck, she will outgrow this need. At that time, between the ages of 2 and 5, you can prepare her to find comfort in other ways.

Try other ways to comfort a baby, without using a pacifier.

Rocking, singing, and gently rubbing the baby's body may help.

If you use a pacifier, use it safely.

Replace pacifiers frequently because the rubber may break apart.

To avoid strangulation, do not put a pacifier on a string or ribbon around Baby's neck.

Prepare a Sitter

Ask someone you trust to care for Baby.

The first time you have a sitter, ask them to come a half hour before you leave so you can show them around your house and tell them about the baby's routine.

It will help to write this information down and put it in a folder for this sitter and the next one.

Tell the sitter about your baby:

• What usually happens at this time of day?
• What are the baby's favorite toys and activities?
• How does the baby tell you that she ishungry, sleepy, or wet?
• What do you do to calm the baby?
• How do you feed, burp, diaper, or place the baby in the crib?
• Where are all the things that the sitter will need -- for a diaper change, for warming a bottle, or for changing clothes.

Show the sitter around the house and where these items are:

• telephones.
• flashlight.
• outside doors.
• first aid kit.
• smoke detectors and fire escapes.
• list of emergency phone numbers.

Provide the sitter with the information needed for an emergency.

• important phone numbers:
  • where you can be reached.
  • the baby's doctor.
  • neighbors or your parents.
  • 911 or emergency response system such as fire or police.
  • Poison Control Center 1-800-722-7112
• address of your house.
• address of the nearest emergency room.
• a signed consent form authorizing medical care within certain limits if you cannot be reached.

Keep Your Relationships Strong

Whether you realize it or not, you are ready for a few hours away from the baby for some time together.

After some time away from the baby, you can return refreshed to face the challenges. It is important for new parents to make time for each other, and to be with other people.

Well-adjusted babies tend to have fathers and mothers who show that they enjoy and love one another.

Are there ways you can make your partner feel special, beautiful, and cared for every single day?

Try to let your love show for your partner and Baby every day.

Hugs and kisses are great -- and so is helping with household and child care chores. Each day, tell your children and partner a reason that you love them. It's easy to say, I love you. Giving them a reason gives, I love you, more meaning.

Brothers and Sisters

Spend time with your other children.

Try not to let the new baby become the total focus of attention.

Involve the children in caring for the baby.

Help them recognize how the baby responds to them. Read books to the siblings about a baby joining the family.

Everyone is affected by having a new family member.

Encourage the children to talk about both the good and bad parts of having a new baby.

Great Beginnings   is sent to you by:

Patricia T. Nelson, Ed.D.
Family and Child Development Specialist

This newsletter has been edited by Deborah J. Amsden, CHE; and prepared with the assistance of Dr. Penny Deiner, Department of Individual and Family Studies, University of Delaware, and Marie Anne Aghazadian, Executive Director of The Parent Information Center. This series has been adapted from Parent Express, by Dr. Dorothea Cudaback, Cooperative Extension, University of California, and her colleagues throughout the national Cooperative Extension System.

GB-3M
5/28/97