Your Baby and You: Week Thirty Two
YOUR BABY
Physical Development: Right or left handed?
You may notice that your baby starts to favour using one hand over another for certain tasks, or may be able to use both equally. There are four different possibilities when it comes to their preferences: left-handedness, right-handedness, mixed-handedness, and ambidexterity. Right-handedness is most common with 70 to 90% of the world's population being right-handed. Left-handedness is less common: only around 10% of the world's population. Mixed-handedness is when a person changes preferred hands between different tasks. It is quite common to be mixed handed, with about 3 in 10 of us being able to do this. Ambidexterity, although commonly spoken about, is actually very rare. This is when a person is able to do any task with either hand, equally well. Whichever hand seems to be naturally strongest in your baby, resist any urge to modify what they are doing as this can upset and confuse them unnecessarily.
Social and Emotional Development: I'm scared
At around 8 months of age your baby may start to show signs of shyness and fear. This is a natural step in her emotional development. The thinking is that babies start to feel shyness and fear around the time they begin to experience Separation Anxiety.
Behavioural Development: Early rising
If your baby is an early riser, you're not alone. All babies go into a light sleep sometime in the early hours. Some will settle back to sleep for a further hour or so but many do not. With a night waker at least there's the promise of another few hours of sleep once the baby is back in bed again. But with a baby who greets her parents bright and alert too close to morning, there's no hope of further rest for some hours afterwards. Often parents have no choice but to learn to live with this problem, however there are a few things you can try such as making sure your baby's room is as dark as possible and at a comfortable temperature. Take a look at our Early Rising article for more tips on how to cope.
Feeding: I can pick you up!
By now your baby will have greater dexterity. This means he has developed his fine motor skills (see Week 24) so that he is able to pick up smaller pieces of food between his thumb and forefingers and can get them into his mouth more accurately.
Don't forget: Choking
Now that your baby has a greater ability to pick up smaller foods this equally means she can put smaller objects into her mouth. This means your baby is more at risk of swallowing smaller things so always be on the look out for any toys with small parts that could pose a choking hazard. Take a look at our first aid steps and the video on what to do if your baby starts Choking: a few minutes of your time now could save your child's life in an emergency.
Care Advice: Am I spoiling my baby?
Playing with your baby when there are lots of chores to do, running to your baby whenever she cries and responding to every need adds up to a lot of attention. Does it amount to loving your baby or spoiling them? Your baby will not turn out to be a "spoiled" child, or a selfish adult by you giving them attention, comfort and fun at this age. Don't be too hard on yourself, attending to your baby's needs is a tough job. Judgement about spoiling is a very personal thing.
It is really easy to feel that you need to be constantly chattering to, stimulating, and amusing your baby for them to be enjoying themselves. However, try to remember to give your baby periods of calm and space for them to play on their own, it is a valuable skill for them to learn. They don't need you hovering over them all the time and they can really enjoy their own company. Of course, make sure your baby is in a safe area to play, and keep a watchful eye open at all times.
THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR BABY THIS WEEK
Ways to Entertain Baby: Building your baby's confidence
If your baby seems a little wary in new surroundings or in the company of strangers, make time to help gently build his confidence. On the way to a gathering, chat to your baby about where you are going and who you are likely to see there. Whilst they might struggle to understand much of this talk at the moment, it is a good thing to continue doing as your baby grows up, to help them feel prepared for outings and meetings with other people.
I your baby seems fearful when you are out and about, hold him and let him and let him observe his surroundings in his own time but in the comfort of your arms. Only encourage him to be out of your arms gradually - trying to force his confidence is likely to lead to more distress than is necessary. Shyness and anxiety are very real fears to your baby. Keep reassuring your baby by telling him about the things you see and who the people are that come to meet you. Your baby is likely to relax and will become more willing to smile and make new friends once curiosity takes over from shyness. If he does this at his own pace and on his terms, all the time with you being relaxed and supportive to reassure him, he will become much more confident in similar situations as he gets older.
ALL ABOUT YOU THIS WEEK
Emotions: Going back to work
The prospect and then the reality of going back to work can be an emotionally difficult time. The last weeks of your maternity leave can pass too quickly. But you may also be looking forward to getting back to a world of grown up conversation and the challenges of working again. See our Returning to Work section to see that you're not alone however you are feeling about the transition.
Relationship: Daddy/baby bonding
Encourage your partner to have some one-on-one time with your baby to strengthen the bond between them. Either go out and leave them to it at home, or Daddy and baby could go out for a walk, to the park or meet up with a friend, to give you some time to yourself. Your partner might like to have a read of our Taking Your Baby Out section to make sure he feels fully prepared for their adventure.
