Baby Care Encyclopedia

The developmental landmarks that babies ordinarily reach at certain ages are known as milestones. That word may make parents think of a kind of baby race run along a straight, narrow freeway. Unfortunately, parents sometimes buy into this view and worry excessively about how their babies are doing in comparison to others. It is important to remember that some people always fall on one side or the other of an average. (Otherwise, it wouldn't be an average!) While you may be very pleased if your baby turns over or sits on the early side of average, a baby who does these things a little later is no less likely to grow up healthy and intelligent. PHYSICAL MILESTONES Birth To Two Months Turns head when lying on stomach or back Holds chin up momentarily when lying on stomach Begins supporting head slightly Maintains strong grasp reflex Two To Three Months Raises head and chest when lying on stomach Makes swimming movements when lying on stomach Rolls from side to back Begins to los...

Most newborns sleep about two-thirds of the time, but their periods of sleep tend to be rather brief and scattered all around the clock sometimes, it seems, in a totally random fashion. Within six to eight weeks, almost all babies begin to sleep more at night and less during the daytime. Still, they differ greatly in the ages at which they begin to sleep through the night. Part of this variation has to do with temperament, but household patterns also have an effect. Like adults, babies have alternating cycles of light and deep sleep, which become more regular in the first few weeks of life. At first, your baby's sleep patterns will be closely linked to feeding times, and he will tend to fall asleep readily after feeding and burping. Later, as the baby spends longer periods alert and awake, fatigue (rather than a feeling of being well-fed) will lead to sleep. He may also cry and fuss as if fighting sleep....

After the first few weeks of the baby's life, you and your baby should start settling into a daily routine of sorts. You don't need to follow a rigid timetable, but it will be helpful to keep to a fairly regular pattern of eating, sleeping, and care that allows you to meet the baby's needs within the context of daily family activity. As much as possible, accommodate the baby's own rhythms and preferences rather than trying to impose your schedule. For example, if he naturally has a wakeful period between 6 and 8 A.M. (when you'd prefer to be sleeping), your best bet is probably to stay awake yourself indulging, if possible, in a midmorning nap of your own. The ease with which your baby settles into a routine depends largely on his temperament. Many parents blame themselves for cranky or difficult babies. In the past, some child care experts did the same, claiming that tense parents made for anxious infants. But the opposite is probably true: Inherently fussy babies make for stresse...

After birth, different regions of the brain mature at different rates. As a result, motor activity (movement) develops first in the head and neck, then progresses down the body. A newborn can lie on his back or stomach with the head turned to the side. Many babies can raise their heads briefly while lying on their stomachs as early as the end of the first month of life. In the second month, they can raise their heads for longer periods, and when held upright, they show the first wobbly traces of head control. By three months, they can sit supported in a lap, head upright, for several minutes at a time. Hand control comes more slowly. Your baby will probably mouth and suck his fists and -fingers right from birth. Newborns typically keep their fists curled during sleep. By about four weeks, though, your baby's sleeping and waking postures will start to look a little more grown-up, with hands held loosely closed or open. By the second month, the strong reflexive grasp of the newborn ...

To say that my boyfriend was being neurotic about the impending birth of our child would be an understatement. By the time I was 28 weeks pregnant he had built a cot, painted and decorated the spare room in the house, bought a boys and girls new born outfit and planned the route to the hospital! To be honest I didn't mind so much and it was nice to see him taking such an active interest in the planning of the whole thing. There seemed no end to his enthusiasm for the birth of the child. He had bought books for the baby to look at from a young age, and he had devoured three different baby manuals himself in preparation for the big day. There seemed nothing I could do to stop him going slightly over board, and I was lost for words when he walked into the living room one day with a big bag that turned out to be my overnight bag for my hospital stay for the birth. It had everything in it that I would possibly need for the birth and more! I tried to pick it up and I couldn't! He told me...