Serenity

Your baby’s motor skills develop in sequence – that is, usually, from head to foot. Hence, your baby’s ability to co-ordinate her head and arms will usually come before she can co-ordinate her feet and legs. What is often unknown is that the development also occurs from the middle of the body first – so your baby will be able to co-ordinate her torso before her arms and so on.

How Your Baby’s Motor Skills Develop

Motor skills are a key development stage for babies as it enables them to become more independent. As soon as a baby is born he will begin the process of developing the motor skills that are vital for her to manipulate and interact with his environment. The ways in which different babies develop their motor skills can have a big effect on their outlook towards the environment that they are a part of. In fact the development of your baby’s motor skills and her experiences and ability to take on new skills are very closely linked. As her motor skills grow, so will your baby’s ability to interact in a deeper way with her environment.

The development process can be broken up in to three-month intervals and divided into two categories: gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Gross motor skills are the term used to describe your baby’s ability to control different parts of her own body. Fine motor skills refer to your baby’s level of coordination of different body parts, such as picking up an object with her thumb and forefinger.

As we touched on above your baby’s development will begin at the head and work its way down. You can expect your baby to first develop control over the neck muscles before progressing to the torso, and then the leg muscles. You might notice now that your baby will be able to turn over and sit up independently and perhaps even crawl a about a little. You can now sit her on your knee and bounce her up and down gently – it’s a good way to promote her balance skills. At the age of eight months old you will find that she can probably now stand up using her own resources (although she may need to use chairs/upright objects to help her do this).

When it comes to actually walking, babies can usually expect to start this between the ages of nine to fifteen months of age. Most will start at about thirteen months. If you find that your baby is unable to walk but can do other things such as crawling, standing, or sitting upright, then do not worry as this is really quite normal. In fact some babies even miss the crawling stage completely and go on to walking (this may be very late – as much as seventeen months for example).

Holding Up Head

One of the first things that you will be taught as a new parent is how to support your baby’s head – as most babies are unable to do this themselves until the age of 3. Usually by about 7 months of age your baby is likely to be able to hold his head steadily using his own control, for longer periods of time. To help your baby develop head control here is what you can do:

• Gently place your baby stomach facing down on the floor. Try and do this a few times a day.
• Try and get your baby to lift her head – perhaps by sitting down next to her so your face is close to hers.

Walking

There are several ways to help your baby begin the process of walking. Some parents think that expensive toys and walking aids are required to facilitate early development but this is not actually the case. The most important factor, which should be done as much as possible, is interaction with your child. This helps to stimulate brain development which is obviously a key factor.

There are different ways of doing this – for instance babies love to hear stories and this is a great method of facilitating brain development. Instead of telling your baby a story and making it up as you go along, try reading it aloud to her from a book. Among other things, story telling also aids the development of her vocabulary. You should also play with her, talk and sing to her as much as possible.

Did you know that younger siblings in a family often develop at a faster rate than their older brothers and sisters? Can you think why this is? If you guessed it is because the younger sibling has some one to constantly interact with then you are correct.

As far as toys and walking aids, walkers are definitely NOT recommended, because babies tend to rely on them too much. Using walkers may well stunt the development of your baby’s upper leg muscles and as a result delay the progression of her motor skills. And if you need another reason why walkers are not a great idea, were you aware that every year there are approximately 200,000 walker-related injuries? The scary thing is that 30,000 of these are quite serious and can include fractures, broken bones, and dislocations. In fact Canada has banned the use of walkers altogether.

Rolling Over

Rolling over is another action that is something of a landmark for your baby’s development. Typically, after about 4 or 5 months your baby may be able to roll over in one direction (e.g. stomach to back or vice versa). After 6 or 7 months she may be able to roll over both ways. Helping your baby to Roll can be helped by several of the points raised above (such as using her favourite toys as an incentive). Make sure your baby has plenty of space for rolling (a good clean and non slip floor is a good place for this).

Helping Your Baby Develop Motor Skills

There are some things you can do to help your baby in developing her motor skills. These may well help her start to walk earlier:

• While indoors your baby should be allowed to walk bare-foot because it is far easier for a baby to learn how to walk this way (as opposed to wearing shoes). Just remember to make sure that the floor is not slippery.
• Hold your baby by her torso when helping her learn to walk – do not hold her by her arms and legs.
• You can try and “entice” your baby to develop her motor skills for walking. For example, bribe her by holding her rattle/toy just beyond her reach so that she has to crawl and get it.Motor skills are somewhat different to hand and eye coordination although there are some similarities. Hand-eye coordination is usually seen to parallel/compliment gross and fine motor skills development. Here are some activities you can introduce your baby to, for the stimulation of her motor skills and hand eye coordination.
• Try Installing A Crib Gym: This will allow him to “swat” at the objects above him – however it may be safest to remove this once your baby is able to sit up by himself.
• Different Types Of Interaction: When your baby is below you, dangle some objects in front of him so that he has the chance to bat at them.
• Using Fun Objects: When your baby is at least 4 months old let her grasp safe objects that have a fun feel to them – for example a rattle – this may want her coming back for more as well as keep her wanting to hold on.
• Jigsaw Puzzles: Get hold of a few baby-puzzles (usually consisting of just a few jigsaw pieces). Then progress her onto slightly more difficult puzzles (make sure they are not too difficult as this can end up just irritating her).
• Baby Lego: These simple toys require your baby to assemble and fit the different shapes and sizes and are a good way to develop her motor skills.
• Plastic building blocks: These types of blocks allow babies to stack and build things that require balance and use a different set of hand/eye coordination skills and motor skills.
• Peg and hole toys: These are toys that are made of plastic and have holes fitted to plastic pegs for the baby to differentiate different shapes and also to develop motor skills and hand/eye coordination.
• Plastic “Doughnuts”: Another popular toy for encouraging the development of motor skills is the graduated soft plastic Doughnuts that fit on a plastic centre pole. Your baby can stack these and will soon learn more about shapes, sizes and colours, and how they relate to one another.

The Crawling and Walking Process

So what does the crawling and walking process look like? Well, between 8 and 13 months most babies follow this kind of development:

• First your baby will be able to get herself on her hands and knees.
• Then she will jolt back and forth, in an attempt to try and take her first movements forward.
• She will learn several new methods of moving around, such as swivelling and squirming on her stomach.
• Once this starts, within a month she will be able to crawl forwards. In some babies the crawling begins backwards before they learn how to crawl forwards.
• Different babies have different crawling styles – everything from bouncing along on their bottoms to crawling with arms and legs extended may be seen.These locomotion skills that your baby is trying to learn can be developed by doing a few simple things. For example, games such as “crawl tag” can be great fun for your baby and provide her with valuable locomotion training. Crawl after your baby slowly saying, “I’m going to get Baby!” (or anything you wish) and then turn and crawl away to try and let her crawl towards you. You could also create a crawling track – a kind of obstacle course on the floor where several of her favourite playthings are used as the “obstacles”. Again, good fun for your baby and very useful for her development.

Looking at the chart below you’ll find a very generic timeline for milestones that your baby may cross in the first year and half:

Generally, your baby will get most of her nutrition from breast milk or a formula until the age of about 4 to 6 months. This chapter will help you learn what types of foods to introduce into your baby’s diet at a certain key stage of her development. The information here should only be a guideline. Your doctor may provide you with other advise and your baby may have ideas of her own.

The Signs That Your Baby is Ready for Solids

It is important to know that not all babies will be ready for solids at the same time. So what are the signs that she is ready? There are a few simple guidelines that you can follow that will give you the information that you need to start your baby on solid food. You should check with your doctor as well for his/her professional advice. Here are the signs for clues as to whether your baby is ready for solids or not:

• Birth weight has doubled.
• Your baby shows more interest in solids (she may even try and grab your own solid foods).
• Baby consumes 32 oz or more each day of breast milk or formula.
• Baby often puts things into her mouth.
• Baby is able to sit up with some support and can turn her head when she is full.

If your baby can do all of the above she is probably ready to be introduced to solid foods. Another indicating factor is that your baby always seems to be hungry. You do not want to introduce solids too early into your baby’s diet because this can increase the risk that she will develop a food allergy. Another reason for waiting four to six months before introducing solids is that it is important that she is fully able to swallow and chew safely without the threat of choking.

The First Six Months

During the first six months of your baby’s life breast milk or formula will be all that she needs for nourishment. If you are breastfeeding you will be using cues from your baby as to when she is full or hungry. If you are using formula you will likely have been following the guidelines for how much formula to feed your baby, as well as taking cues from your baby as to when she is full and when she is hungry. The following chart is a very general guideline for formula feeding – remember you should consult your doctor before introducing your baby to solids:

By the age of 6 to 8 months most babies develop teeth and are ready to be introduced to strained/mashed or finely chopped fruit and vegetables.

By the time your baby is six months old you will want to think about giving up night feedings. Start by giving your baby less and less breast milk or formula during night feedings so that she eventually she will stop waking as her body adjusts to not eating during the night. If you are bottle-feeding you can substitute water in your baby’s bottle in place of milk or formula. Your baby is almost ready to start eating solids and once she does she shouldn’t be as hungry at night.

Four to six months: Introduction to solid food. You should try to wait until your baby is at least four months old before introducing her to anything other than breast milk or formula. You should start by offering your baby tiny amounts of baby cereal thinned with breast milk or formula. You can introduce your baby to fruit juices that are thinned with water. You may want to hold off introducing orange juice for another month or two since orange juice may be too acidic.

Six to Seven Months: Add Fruits and Vegetables

Once your baby has been introduced to cereal you will want to add mashed/strained fruits and vegetables. Start with small amounts (one teaspoonful), increasing gradually as your baby gets used to the new food. You should only introduce one new food at a time and wait 2 to 4 days before introducing something new. This is so that if your baby has an allergic reaction you will be able to pinpoint which food is the culprit.

Make mealtime a happy time with your baby. Make sure that you only put milk or water into baby bottles and juice into a cup or glass. Putting juice into your baby’s bottle can lead to dental problems later down the road due to the sugar content of juices.

Seven to Eight Months: Add Protein

From seven to eight months you will want to think about adding protein foods to your baby’s diet. Protein foods include strained meats, cottage cheese, egg yolk, yoghurt, and dried beans. As with the fruits and vegetables, you will want to introduce one new food at a time and wait 2 to 4 days before introducing a new food, starting with a small helping (one teaspoonful) and gradually increasing.

Eight to Twelve Months: Add Other Foods

By now your baby will be ready to start eating what the rest of the family is eating. Start by adding soft table foods to your baby’s diet such as mashed potatoes, squash, soft meats, and soups. As your baby gets more teeth she will be able to add more foods to her diet.

There are some things that you should consider as your baby starts to be introduced to different food types:

• The baby’s food does not need sugar, salt, desserts, pop, or sweets in them.
• Consult your doctor about introducing cow’s milk into her diet.
• Avoid nuts, seeds, popcorn, raw carrots, and other hard foods in her diet.
• Be sure to feed your baby a variety of good, healthy food so that you are promoting healthy eating habits from the start. Dietary habits are learned and by starting her on a healthy dietary lifestyle you are laying the foundations for a healthy life in adulthood too.
• Let your baby try and feed herself. It may be a mess to see but it helps to develop her motor skills and her sense of independence.

The below table demonstrates a guideline for the type of solid foods that may be introduced and when – because every baby is different it’s best to consult your doctor.

As you begin to introduce your baby to food during the first year you should keep in mind that because babies are different, each one may have a different adjustment and reaction to the process of starting solids. You will find that your baby soon has her favourite foods that she looks forward to eating as well as food that she will refuse to eat. Try to listen to what your baby is telling you while remaining within the guidelines outlined here.

I remember those early months of sleep deprivation. My baby slept for little bits at a time, during which time I would rush around trying to get things done. This was a huge mistake. I learned I needed to let baby sleep be a guide for my own sleep.

Eventually, we settled into a sleep pattern that worked for baby and me, and I learned how to reduce stress as a new mom.

But before I could do any of this, I had to understand how my baby slept, how to encourage him to sleep at night, and how to improve the sleep itself. So I want to share what I’ve learned and my best tips for better baby sleep!

Understanding Baby Sleep

Hugs and kisses,
Serenity

Want to remember this? Share this Baby Sleep Guide to your favorite Pinterest Board.

I thought I was SO prepared. I did everything right during my pregnancy, had a healthy baby, and I was ready to rock it at home. But within just two days of being home, I was on the phone to my pediatrician in desperation. Bringing baby home was anything but easy for me!

Your first baby can be a daunting thought – all the preparation in the world is unlikely to ease the anxiety that can be felt. Even doctors and pediatricians get overwhelmed when they bring their firstborn home from the hospital. You aren’t alone!

What to Expect After Labor

Before we go onto the topic of caring for your baby, let’s look at what you can come to expect the day after labor. First, you’ll likely have all-over pain derived from the stresses of labor. Your arms and legs are likely to be sore.

One point to note is that although aching legs are normal, you should ask your doctor if you get symptoms of tenderness, warmth or pain in the calves – this can include swollen or red veins. This is important as these symptoms could indicate thrombophlehitis – a condition when veins become inflamed due to blood clots. Pregnant women are more at risk to this condition because the vein walls tend to relax a little during the pregnancy. You can greatly reduce the chances of thrombophlehitis by walking soon after your delivery.

Other symptoms from pregnancy include stretch marks (which usually fade a few months after the birth, darkened areas of skin (the linea nigra and aerola are common), and a line running from the belly button to the pubic bone. You may also notice some hair loss about three months after birth – this is due to the change in the level of hormones and can be expected to stop within a couple of months after starting.

Lovely, eh? But these are small prices to pay for our bundle of joy.

Now that we are aware of a few of the common issues that mothers face immediately after childbirth, lets go on to caring for your new baby.

First Days at Home

The first few days home from the hospital are important for both baby and parents. As parents you will have gone through an intense birth process that is unlike anything else you have ever experienced. As a new mother you will be drained, both emotionally and physically New dads often have feelings of being overwhelmed by the huge responsibility he now faces.

During your first days at home, it’s wise to limit the amount of visitors that you welcome into your home becaus. You’ll need a lot of time to recover from the birth process. Other than your immediate family and good friends you might want to ask other friends to wait a week or two before they descend on you with gifts and wanting to hold the new baby.

New mothers will want to pay attention to the way that they feel so that those “baby blues” don’t creep up and surprise you unexpectedly. It is normal to feel a bit out of sorts and sad for the first couple of weeks after giving birth. Your body is going through some major physical changes after the birth of your baby.

Your hormones will be changing and you likely will be feeling a lack of sleep. It is important to remember that this is natural and to allow yourself a good amount of time to recover from this. If you find yourself feeling more and more depressed it is advised that you should discuss it with your doctor to see if you are suffering from “postpartum depression.” Symptoms of postpartum depression include:

• Overwhelming feelings of sadness and depression accompanied by crying.
• Having little or no energy.
• Feelings of guilt and worthlessness.
• Having no interest in your baby or being overly concerned and worried about your baby.
• Weight gain accompanied with overeating or weight loss accompanied by not eating.
• Insomnia or oversleeping.

What if I get Postpartum Depression?

If you do have postpartum depression then there are a few ways that you can try to beat it:

• Try and get as much rest and relaxation as possible. When the baby is asleep use this quiet time to get some rest yourself. Nap when baby naps—this is what I did and it helped a lot.
• Be more understanding with yourself and do not put yourself under too much pressure to “get back to normal”. Ensure that your family is aware that you need help with housework and so on.

• Try to limit the time that you spend just alone. Keep your mind and body relatively active (for example by taking short pleasant walks).
• Get professional help if the depression seems to be ongoing.
• Discuss with other mothers their experiences after birth. You may find that your friends and family members also went through the same issues as you.

During the first few days at home your family will be adjusting to the additional member of your family. If you have other children at home you may be dealing with feelings of jealousy as the new baby takes center stage.

Make sure that you include your other children in the day-to-day activities that are part of the new baby’s routine. Remember that you are trying to adjust to some huge changes in your life so allow yourself the understanding and care that you would give to family and friends in your situation.

Be kind and patient with yourself, mama!

Hugs and kisses,
Serenity

Want to remember this? Share this guide to Bringing Baby Home to your favorite Pinterest Board.