Your baby now enters into an 'age of exploration'.
Months of practice since birth bear fruit now
as baby has perfected her skills in eye-hand coordination,
grasping skills and arm skills. Most important
achievement however is her ability to sit all
by herself. Her hands are free for play, and to
grab things within reach. These new skills however
mean new potential dangers. Now is the right time
to consider baby proofing. You will also notice
social and emotional development skills, when
most babies this age begin making sounds like
ma, ba, da, and pa. Your baby also demonstrates
her closeness to parents in a different way; seeks
comfort and solace from Mom, excitement and stimulation
from Dad.
Milestones
- your Baby's progress report
Holds bottle:
He may hold his own bottle now. He may use his
fingers to pick up something. He passes items
from hand to hand and lifts, shakes, pushes, and
tosses things close to him.
Chews and bites
objects:
In addition to mouthing his toys and stuffs around
him, baby may chew or bite them - yet another
way of learning more about his environment. Just
be sure the objects around him are safe to bite
or chew on.
Ability to Sit:
His strength is increasing, so he can sit briefly
without any support. When he starts to tip over,
he may place one hand on the floor to keep himself
erect for a short while. This action displays
his sense of balance and strength recently acquired.
Baby Vision:
At present, her vision is about 20/50. Things
she sees now are only mildly fuzzy. She can see
details fairly well now such as patterns on fabrics
or details on a face. She is able to distinguish
colors quite well now.
Toys and Play
Peek-a-Boo, I see
you:
Peekaboo will probably be baby's favorite game
from now to some months to come. One reason is
that your baby loves the surprise of seeing you
reappear after you her sight. Secondly, this game
teaches her that you can go away and come back
- an important concept for her to learn. Perhaps
by experiencing your brief coming and going in
a game atmosphere, she becomes better equipped
to deal with the real situations. The versions
are many but the structure is the same: a person
'disappears' then reappears accompanied by a jolly
cry 'Peekaboo, I see you!'
The toy explorer
Here are some shopping guidelines to toys.
• The best toys are still toys that respond
with sounds and movements to skills like waving,
shaking or pulling. Transparent toys with things
that move inside when shaken are often favorites.
• A toy should be easy for baby to pick
once she drops it. Babies love to throw or drop
toys so look for toys that are raised off the
floor and have a handle of some sort for an easy
grasp. Toys that lie flat on the floor are not
a good idea.
• Toys should be washable since babies still
mouth them. Plastic versions are better than,
say wooden ones because the latter are heavier
and can splinter. Plastic or fabric toys are colorful,
light, durable and easy to clean.
