Your Baby and You: Week Forty Six
YOUR BABY
Physical Development: Improved fine motor skills
You should be noticing now that your baby has noticeably improved their dexterity and strength, operating certain toys (especially ones with smaller pieces or buttons) that they were unable to do maybe only a few weeks ago. Babies develop quickly and this is why it is important to keep revisiting the toys that you might have put away for 'when they're old enough'. Their skills and abilities move on so fast that you can easily find that they have almost outgrown such toys by the time you get around to bringing them out again!
Behavioural Development: Does your baby ever hold her breath?
Some children experience episodes whereby they hold their breath and pass out - known as breath holding attacks. They tend to come about when a child is crying - be that as a result of a tantrum, a fright or because they have just hurt themselves. Of course these events are very frightening to parents, but in most cases they are not cause for major concern. You should, however, take your baby to the GP to confirm the diagnosis and to discuss how to deal with your baby if it happens again.
Speech & Communication: Working on that vocabulary
Whilst your baby probably hasn't begun to use words just yet, they are learning the meaning of words all the time, and you are probably their key teacher. When your baby 'asks' for something, she probably points or squawks and waves in the direction of the food or toy that she is after. Take every single one of these opportunities to teach her the proper word for the object by saying 'Would you like the ball?' or 'OK here is the ball'. Avoid using baby talk as much as you can because it is important that babies hear the correct words for objects right from the start.
Feeding: Hiding food?
There is a presumption among some parents that vegetables are best 'hidden', grated and cooked down into sauces or disguised behind more tempting food items. But the less a baby gets to actually see what individual food items look like and feel how they differ in texture, the more chance there is of them becoming fussy as they get older. Make sure that you regularly dish up meals where the components are easily distinguished, and as mentioned above, use the opportunity to involve vocabulary too. Show her which ones on her plate are the carrots, which are the potatoes and which bit is the chicken.
Care Advice: Kitchen safety
Keep kitchen cabinets locked so that you can keep peace of mind that your baby cannot gain access to any heavy or sharp object, or poisonous cleaning chemicals. However, it can be useful to allow your baby one small cupboard which they are allowed to open, and which only contains items that they cannot hurt themselves with. Make sure the cupboard is low down and safe for them to access and fill it with plastic containers, plastic jugs and maybe a wooden spoon and a small saucepan. Your baby will love being able to play with these things that are Mummy's things and it will provide you with a valuable distraction for them when you're working in the kitchen!
Safety Advice
Safety Tip: Fit the cupboard locks
Cupboard safety catches are easy to fit and are totally invisible from the outside. They can be bought very cheaply from a wide range of shops and provide invaluable safety cover in your kitchen. However, too many parents put off fitting these small catches, often because their baby hasn't shown an interest in opening drawers or cupboards or because they are hoping it is something that they will grow out of quickly. But serious accidents do happen, don't wait until you catch your child curiously trying to nibble on a dishwasher tablet, get the locks on the doors before they have a chance to even go looking.
Common illnesses and ailments: What to do about a foreign object in their nose
Children are often very curious about their body, and there is much to explore when it comes to mouths, ears and noses. But what happens if they put something up their nose that doesn't come out? Only ever try to retrieve it yourself if you are confident that you can do so without breaking the item - this can be easier said than done with a wriggly baby. In most cases you should make an appointment to see your GP as soon as possible in order to have it removed. Objects that are lodged for long periods of time can cause infections and lead to further problems. A sign that your baby may have had something lodged in his nose that you didn't know about might be if they have a runny nose on only one side or if they have a nose bleed. Your doctor is best equipped for viewing inside the nose and establishing the best course of action.
THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR BABY THIS WEEK
Entertainment: Shape sorting and nesting
The simple toys are often the best - although it can be hard to believe or remember that when we are bombarded with marketing for fancy, flashing, battery operated toys on a daily basis. Give your baby a set of stacking cups and show him how they nest inside one another. Babies can spend long periods of time experimenting with taking things in and out of other containers, and they tend to make a good noise when banged around too!
Activities: Keep on chatting
It's really important that you continue to talk about what you are doing all the time, from running the bath to washing the dishes or brushing your hair keep on telling them what you are doing. Your baby is learning about daily activities and about the use of words all the time.
ALL ABOUT YOU THIS WEEK
Your Body: What about your diet?
It is easy to find that after spending so much time and effort maintaining a healthy and balanced menu for your little one, your own standards for what you eat go out of the window. This trap is especially easy to fall into if you are a single parent or if your partner is away a lot, because cooking for one is always harder to motivate yourself to do. Here are some tips for making sure your diet is healthy, giving you plenty of energy and not full of unnecessary fats, sugars or empty calories.
- Do a mental check each evening of how many of your 5-a-day you've had that day, being honest with yourself is an important start to getting your diet on track
- Cook meals in bulk and freeze in individual portions to reheat as and when you want them.
- Use shortcuts that are healthy - frozen bags of vegetables that steam in the microwave with zero preparation are a good choice
- Fill the fridge with some boiled potatoes, cooked chicken and plenty of salad items so that you can make yourself up healthy and filling salads throughout the week
- If you can't face preparing food for yourself in the evening, try eating more meals with your baby, there are plenty of nutritious options for meals that you can share and lots of benefits for your baby when it comes to eating at the table with a grown up
Things to do: Exercise & socialise
You can do both simultaneously. There are loads of exercise classes out there for parents - outdoor aerobic and strength building classes where you take your buggy are ideal at this stage.
