It is wonderful that you can spend lots of time with your baby. In the first year, babies are learning so much, so fast. Their learning happens quite naturally and spontaneously in a safe, interesting and responsive environment. There is not a lot of "teaching" adults have to do during this time, but there are things you can do to get to know your baby better and to enjoy your time together.
Physical Development
Your baby is learning about her body. She is discovering that she has hands and is beginning to learn that she can do things with them. She is learning to coordinate her movements.
Give your baby plenty of time laying on her back, on a mat or the floor. When she is on her back, she has wonderful freedom of movement and she will naturally exercise her legs, back, neck, stomach and arms.
Allow her to have some time without her diaper on so she can move even more freely. Watching a baby move naturally like this is like watching a dancer.
She should only spend a limited amount of time in swings, baby chairs, baby jumpers, etc. While these pieces of equipment can be very convenient for parents, they don't adequately support an infant's physical development.
Communicating with Your Baby
Your baby is also busy learning that the world is a safe, responsive, nurturing place. She develops an essential sense of trust when her cries and other vocalizations are responded to, when her needs are met, and when she can smile and make someone smile back. The time you spend with her (if she is on the floor, you can get down there too, to be face-to-face with her) is important in building your special communication system. Long before she can talk, you and she will have elaborate verbal and nonverbal ways to communicate with each other. (As you hold her, for instance, she turns her head towards you and nuzzles, indicating she wants to nurse.)
Games, Toys, Talking and Singing with Your Baby
Try repeating the sounds she makes and wait to see what she does in return. This can be delightful for both parents and babies.
- Play "peek-a-boo," either with your hands or a scarf.
- Try stuffing pieces of fabric into an empty Kleenex box so she can pull out one at a time until the box is empty.
- Give your baby her own photo album. Cover pictures of family and other favorite things with clear plastic (sticky shelf paper or art cover) and hook them together with loose leaf rings for a small book. Then, just leave them on the floor nearby for her to look at. Remember, anything you give your baby should be safe for her to put in her mouth, because that is the way she explores the world.
- Talk to your baby. Tell her about what you are doing to her when you change her diaper, lift her up, feed her. Tell her about what you are doing when you walk away to feed the cat or work on the computer. Describe to her what you see her doing. "It looks like you are working on finding that thumb to put in your mouth. Let her know you are listening to what she is telling you. "Oh, that sounds like a hungry cry. Are you telling me it is time to nurse?" All of this rich talking, listening and interacting not only teaches your baby about language, it helps to build your relationship with each other.
- Turn the tape recorder on in "record mode" and just let it run near where you and she are playing. You will record some precious sounds and interactions that you will be able to listen to now, and later on when she's older.
Baby Time: Just "Hanging Out"
Hanging out with your baby, when you don't have other things to do, allows you to slow down to "babytime." When you are on her time, it allows you to observe things you might otherwise miss. You might see her try again and again to get her thumb in her mouth. You might see her turn every time the cat meows.
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