From the moment your baby is born,all new experiences are overwhelming. This is a time to feel loved, safe, secure and comfortable in this new world.
In order to help your baby feel safe and comfortable, you most learn to recognize the signs your baby gives you. To help you, I'll provide you with information about what your baby does at this age. Remember, babies do not follow the exact same way to grow. One example could be my own children, the oldest decided to walk before crawling while the youngest crawled the longest time before feeling confident enough to walk. With this in mind let's begin on the wonderful journey you and your baby will travel together!!!
What Baby can do....
The baby is learning to know all those who care and love him or her. Baby can recognize faces, voices and smells. Also, The baby practices smiling and enjoying touching.
What you can do......
You can sing to your baby and rock gently. Do not worry if you are not a very good singer because your baby wont care as long as it is you singing and talking.
Have you ever seen a man holding a baby or a woman and talking like a little kid? Well, babies enjoy this high tone of voice when you talk to them. It is called parentese. Don't be shy! It might sometimes sound silly, but Parentese is great for building your relationship with your baby. Talk Parentese to your baby. It’s one of the most important things you can do for your child — and you.
Hold your baby and enjoy some skin-to-skin cuddle time with your little one!!!
What Baby can do....
Baby is learning how to “tell” you what he or she needs by using sounds, facial expressions, and
body movements to tell you how she or he is feeling— sleepy, hungry, happy, or uncomfortable. If you pay attention, your baby can show you when she or he wants to play and when to take a break.
body movements to tell you how she or he is feeling— sleepy, hungry, happy, or uncomfortable. If you pay attention, your baby can show you when she or he wants to play and when to take a break.
What you can do......
Watch your baby to learn her or his signals. Does she/he have a “hunger” cry? Does she/he rub her/his eyes or look away from you when she/he is tired?
Smiles are easy to figure out. Respond to your baby’s signals. When her/his eyes are bright, awake and alert, it is time to play. Slow things down when she/he cries, turns away, or arches her or his back. All that means that your baby needs to rest and take a nap away from much stimulation ( noise, sounds, lights, handling or passing from person to person). Your baby just want to cuddle and go to sleep.
By now you are thinking, babies only eat, sleep, pee and poo!!
As you can see there is much more we can do to get to know each other and bond so we can be prepare for the future.
What else can baby do?
Baby can use his/her body to make things happen.
Baby can grip your finger or a toy you put in his/her hand.
When he/she is hungry, he/she might move his/her head toward his/her mother’s breast or the bottle.
Baby can grip your finger or a toy you put in his/her hand.
When he/she is hungry, he/she might move his/her head toward his/her mother’s breast or the bottle.
What you can do?
Give your baby something to reach for and hold onto—a finger or toy. Let him/her touch objects with different textures and shapes. Hold a toy within your child’s reach so (s)he can swat it with his/her hands or feet. Watch to see how your baby is “discovering” his body. Does (s)he look at his hands, suck on his/her feet, or try to roll?
Baby can....
We are becoming closer and closer every day.
Your baby is learning to trust that you will read and respond to his or her signals.
Your baby relies on you to comfort him or her This helps him or her learn to comfort myself.
Your baby relies on you to comfort him or her This helps him or her learn to comfort myself.
What you can do...
Comfort your baby whenever she cries or he cries. You can never spoil a baby by proving comfort and security. Soothing makes your baby feel safe, secure, and loved.
Help your baby calm herself by guiding her fingers to her mouth, giving her a pacifier, or offering her a blanket or soft object that is special to her.
Help your baby calm herself by guiding her fingers to her mouth, giving her a pacifier, or offering her a blanket or soft object that is special to her.
Please do not feel that babies do not do anything. The time spent holding, talking and singing bring many messages to your baby. The first message is love, comfort, safety. The next one is bonding and trust between your baby and those who care for her or him.
How has your life changed?
I do not about many of you, but my life changed for a while until we figured out how to adjust to our kids personalities and temperaments. By now, you are heading into month two with your little one. Things might feel as though they are beginning to settle into some new kind of “normal.” You are probably getting used to diapering, bathing, and feeding your baby, as well as coping with less sleep and less free time than you used to have. Your relationship with your partner may be shifting slightly, too, as you each begin to adjust to this new role of parent.
I cannot remember when I began to eat my meal warm and be able to cut my own food. In the early months, my husband ate as our baby breastfed while I had water to drink. Next, my husband burped and changed the baby while I eat something---more than likely at room temperature. It was not until our baby could seat in the highchair that we were able to sit together at the table. Then, it was a different time to adjust!!
While you try to adjust to your new role as a parent without the how-to manual at your side and a baby that behaves like any other child you know, your baby is working hard to adjust to a new environment surrounded with blurry items, estrange sounds and the unknown. Remember, your baby needs to know that he or she is loved enough to take time to interact with him or her and delight in his or her discoveries. In addition, your baby needs to know by your actions that you can read and respond to his or her signals (Social-Emotional Development).
You probably heard that children's brain are better if we play Mozart to them. Although, music is good for your baby, you are much better. Your baby needs real people to talk and use facial expressions to know that you know the reason why he or she is crying. These sounds and gestures let him or her know that he or she is good at telling you what he/she needs. This will encourage your baby to keep on communicating with him or her. (Language Development)
Your baby let's you know that he or she can use his or her body to communicate his thoughts and feelings, like showing his desire to feel the touch of something soft such as a ribbon. On the other hand, your baby will also let you know that the touch of a ribbon is too much and needs a break.(Physical Development)
Did You Know...
At 2 months, babies start to "wait their turn" in conversations and pay attention to another person—showing that they are learning some important relationship-building skills.
Try and say something to your baby and notice that when you say something to your baby, she will coo or move her arms. When you repeat her cooing sounds, your baby smiles and you smile back. Enjoy talking to your baby because this is how she learns language. It’s also important to remember to stop talking sometimes so you can give your baby a chance to respond. She may gurgle or coo, kick her feet, catch your eye, or move her hands. Then it’s back to you: You may copy her gestures, repeat her sounds or make a new sound back. Having “conversations” like these lets your baby know that you are interested in what she has to say. This makes her want to keep on communicating and connecting with you. Talking—and listening—are two important ways that you build a strong relationship with your baby and help her learn from the start.
Play With Your Baby? How? What do I do with a 2 month- old baby?
Actually, babies at this age are becoming noticeably more interested in the world around them. While they don’t “play” like older children by pushing trains around a track or feeding a baby doll—they are eager to explore the objects and interact with the people they see every day. At this age, play is not just about toys, it’s about interaction—anything from singing a song to your baby as you change his diaper, to cooing and smiling back-and-forth with him. Loving and playful experiences like these help your baby learn.You are your baby's best toy.
Your baby will let you know when it is time to stop playing because he or she might need a break. Your baby might begin to cry and fuss after having a good laugh. Babies have their own individual ways of responding to stimulation—light, sound, touch, activity. Some can take in a lot of stimulation before they top out and become distressed. Other babies get overwhelmed very quickly by what may seem to be just a small amount of stimulation (like brightening the lights in the room). There’s no right or wrong way to be. A baby’s ability to manage stimulation is part of his in-born nature—part of who he is.
“I need a break” signals include:
- Turns head away
- Back arches back
- Closes eyes/falls asleep
- Fussing and/or crying, making “fussy” sounds, or even hiccuping.
When you see these kinds of signals, try giving your baby a rest for awhile. Put aside her toys and try rocking and singing quietly to her. If that’s still too much, just hold her. And keep in mind that even eye contact can be very stimulating for young babies, so just snuggling her against your chest may feel best to her. It’s all about trial and error.
If your baby is falling asleep in order to rest from playing, let her snooze. You can also swaddle your baby to give her a break. The idea is to reduce the amount of stimulation—sights, sounds, touches, and movements—that she is experiencing. This gives her time to calm down and “re-group,” pull herself together. You’ll know your baby is ready to play again when she is calm and clear-eyed, when she meets your gaze, moves her arms or legs, turns toward you, or makes sounds to engage you.
Watching your baby to see how she reacts to, manages, and responds to stimulation gives you very useful information. You can begin to understand what and how much play your baby enjoys, how to recognize when she needs a break, and how to comfort her when she is distressed. Don’t worry if you don’t get it right immediately. Learning about your baby’s individual needs and temperament takes time. Eventually the two of you will get more “in sync.”
One of my friend's kid loved stimulation, so when we went to restaurants with low lighting it was time for her baby to cry and scream. As a result, we decided to go home instead and enjoy a home cooked meal. From then on, we picked restaurants that were well lit.On the other hand, another of my friend's child did not care where we were as long as we were there to cuddle and offer comfort. The more adults the better since we took turn on the care of the baby.
In the early months, there are many ways to interact with your baby:
- Offer to your baby interesting and safe items to touch,explore and taste. Help your baby build visual skills by moving an object from side to side slowly so she or he can follow it with her or his eyes. This is called tracking.
- Offer interesting objects to touch which have different textures like a teether.This way your baby begins to learn about how different objects feel. This helps her learn through her senses. Exploring objects with eyes, and later hands and mouth, also helps babies discover how different objects work and what they do. This helps your baby become a good thinker and problem-solver.
- Place your baby so that he or she can kick or hit at a mobile or rattle. Have you ever tie a ribbon on your baby while in the crib and the other end on a mobile above? When your baby move the leg with the ribbon a, the mobile will move as result. Eventually, your baby will connect the act of kicking with the sounds the mobile makes when struck or moved with the ribbon. This will help him understand cause and effect. Your baby will also discover that making noise is just plain fun.
- Make everyday routines playful by giving him or her a massage after baths or before bedtime. Being massaged helps you baby feel bonded to you and also develops body awareness—the understanding that she/he is a separate being from others. Share books together, either by reading them to your baby or just letting her/him gaze at the pictures. In the next few months you’ll start to see your baby take matters into her own hands—grabbing the book and gumming it—while you ask her/him how it tastes!
Activities That Nurture Bonding and Learning at This Age
- Follow the Light. Lay your baby down on his back. Darken the room slightly and shine a flashlight on the ceiling above him. Wait until he has focused on the light and then move the beam gently, slowly back and forth, up and down. Stop if he begins to fuss. Games like this help babies practice focusing their visual attention on objects
- Head and Shoulders Above. Hold your baby with her head on your shoulder. Walk through the house, pointing out interesting objects and talking about them. Encourage your baby to move her head to look up at a mobile, or turn to look out a window. Games like this develop neck, shoulder, and trunk strength.
Check my posts for ideas and activities to help you and your child or children grow in more than one way.
