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Down For The Count
Three- to six-month-olds still have to nap off and on throughout the day, although the timing and length of the naps varies from baby to baby. After breakfast, many babies enjoy an active play period, followed by a calmer period of gazing around from the infant seat or a brightly colored blanket (perhaps the kind with toys attached) on the floor. Calm babies may simply drift off to sleep wherever they are when the time comes, particularly if you've had the foresight to put them in reasonably quiet, unstimulating surroundings. More high-strung babies may need to be held, rocked, and possibly given a bottle of plain water or a pacifier before they can wind down for a nap. If you're out and about in the morning, your baby may well fall asleep in the car. Some babies sleep right through a transfer from car seat to crib, but others will startle and waken as soon as you jostle them, then remain wakeful but fussy perhaps extremely so. Parents whose babies wake easily may therefore want to ...
Playing With Your Baby
Three-month-olds commonly have calm, wakeful periods of up to 45 minutes, and by six months of age, many babies stay awake for stretches of two or three hours. As babies spend more time awake, the opportunities for interaction with parents, siblings, and caregivers increase dramatically. These periods of playful give-and-take can be a source of endless fun for everyone involved. They are also vital to the baby's physical, mental, social, and emotional development. Babies are fascinated with objects that move and make noises, and they love to touch, grasp, shake, and pull whatever they can. They are also fascinated with people and enjoy watching their gestures and facial expressions. Here are a few examples of games that will delight your baby and stimulate her development: • Hold a toy so that the baby can reach for and grasp it. Start by holding the toy close to the baby's chest and directly in front of her eyes. As early as three months of age, the baby will bat at the toy...
When your baby was a newborn, she probably fell asleep for an hour or more soon after the first feeding of the day. Not so the three- to six-month-old, especially if she is healthy and well-rested. The baby's increased alertness and sociability will make her more of a companion as you go about your daily routines. As long as she is awake, she will be looking for more stimulation and engagement with you. No longer can you park her in a playpen or crib and expect to be undisturbed for more than a few minutes at a stretch. Unless there is something interesting to look at and handle and, preferably, someone to look at and handle things with the baby will get bored and issue some protest. This doesn't mean you have to entertain your baby and neglect everything else. Just keep the baby close to you, in an infant carrier, strapped into an infant seat or propped up in a stroller, while you do the normal things, stopping every now and then to visit and, when the baby seems restless, providi...
Some babies eagerly consume all new foods, while others who generally shy away from all kinds of new experiences shun their first solids. Often, it takes some experimenting on the part of both the parents and the baby to diversify the baby's diet and feeding patterns. The task may be easier if you: ? Avoid introducing new foods when the baby is not feeling well. ? Do not force the baby to eat any food she seems to dislike particularly. Rather, give up this food temporarily and try to introduce it again at a later stage. ? Offer new foods in tiny amounts, no more than a teaspoonful at a time. ? Let the baby suck a little food off your finger if she seems to dislike the spoon. Elimination Most babies also begin to have fewer, more regular bowel movements, although breast-fed babies may continue to have more frequent movements than bottle-fed babies. Don't be alarmed if the baby goes longer between bowel movements or seems to strain to have movements after solid foods ...
Before the age of four months, solid food may actually be harmful to babies. Early introduction of solids may increase the chance that the baby will develop food allergies, and it may prevent the baby from getting enough calories to grow properly. At around six months of age, though, babies can no longer get adequate nutrition from milk or formula alone. From this point on, they need a greater variety of foods for proper growth and development. Certain changes in a baby's feeding behavior signal a readiness to begin solids. These changes, which appear between the fourth and sixth months, include the development of a more mature sucking pattern in which the gums move up and down, and the appearance of drooling, which makes it easier to swallow solid food. The baby's tongue no longer reflexively pushes food out of the mouth, and coordination of the tongue and swallowing muscles is improved. Even babies who have experienced all these developments, however, may resist solid food at fi...