Babies are constantly growing and developing. They are focusing right now on their motor skills, while also physically developing, rolling over, and sitting up. They will now sort of respond to your rhetorical question with a “coo” that is cute and funny all rolled into one syllable. You cannot stop these kids; heck, you can only hope to contain them. During months 4–7, you will also continue to take your little one in to the doctor to ensure that your child’s rapid development stays on the proper course. As your child’s development continues, your child will be learning and showing off his new talents all of the time. In addition, as he continues to grow and change, we will discuss his evolving sleeping habits. Ouch! Something just bit me! It may be that your child will begin teething, and we will take a look at that as well. This is also an exciting time for everyone, as your child will take note of your excitement when he does something new. It is a fun time to bond together as a family.
We have covered the doctor’s appointments in the first year of your baby’s life in Chapter 3, but we didn’t discuss all the things going on with your baby. Let’s look at some of the cool medical-related stuff going on with your child at this stage.
But now we are getting to some of the child’s first exciting signposts along the way to the biggies, like first steps. They might be doing little baby pushups, and they may begin to roll over. Be careful though. As exciting as this is, once your baby begins to gain mobility, it will be the end of putting him on a blanket on the floor and watching TV. Somewhere in here your child will begin teething, and probably sticking anything he can get his hands on into his mouth.
True or False: Less than half of all mothers go back to work within six months of giving birth.
False. According to the most recent figures published in 2010, 55 percent of mothers are back at work within six to twelve months of giving birth.
Your child is getting bigger and, at the same time, he is developing skills. They may not be very marketable skills in the workplace, but you have to start somewhere. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights:
What part of your baby’s body accounts for about one-quarter of his body weight?
Your baby’s head. Your child’s body will eventually become more proportionate, but for now get used to your child having a disproportionately large (but cute!) head.
Well, when they are born, they don’t of course. The majority of children start getting teeth somewhere around the six-months age marker. Signs that your child might be teething are about the same way you feel when you wake up Monday mornings for work — crankiness and excessive drooling. The symptoms can start before you see teeth, so be forewarned. Little known fact (at least in the man community): babies get their teeth in pairs, beginning with the two bottom teeth (right in the middle). Yes, you pesky nags, this isn’t true of every child, but it’s the general pattern. Your child may begin to chew toys and anything else he can when teething occurs, to help relieve the pressure he is feeling. He may also tug at his ears as the pain and pressure move up toward the ear canal.
Babies are born with tiny buds of teeth inside their gums, and yes, occasionally some babies are born with a tooth or two. But what body part are babies born without?
Kneecaps! Almost all babies are born without kneecaps, which do not develop until the area ossifies around age two or three.
In case you don’t remember, teething actually causes some pain or discomfort. If it becomes a problem for Junior, then you can give him a cold teething ring, or some parents will administer infant ibuprofen (remember not to give babies under six months of age ibuprofen without your doctor’s permission). I think most parents outside of the boonies know better, but don’t try rubbing a little alcohol on your baby’s gums; it’s simply unhealthy. The other idea that often comes up, but is unsafe, is to give them something like a frozen carrot or banana. At the average teething age, these could quickly become a choking hazard and should be avoided. Until those pearly whites come in, you can perform some oral hygiene for your child by taking a clean wet washcloth and wiping your child’s gums twice a day to help prevent bacteria from building up. When the teeth actually arrive, you can just gently brush them without toothpaste, until age one, when a pea-sized amount of nonfluoride toothpaste can be used. This will get your child started down the road to healthy teeth and gums.
Parenting has some interesting dynamics to it. You enthusiastically celebrate every milestone and sign of progress your child makes, and rightfully so. At the same time, with each new stage reached, your life as a parent becomes more complicated. Your baby gaining self-powered mobility is no different.
Somewhere around six months in, you are probably feeling like you have a good routine established. Between your baby’s nap schedule, and the fact that you can just put your child on a blanket with a few toys and know that he can’t wander off, he is fine as long as you are in the area. Up until now you have had the ability to try to get a few things done on your “master list,” or catch a few minutes of your favorite show, cleaning up the backlog on the DVR. Then, partway through The Amazing Race, you look over and see that your child has moved from the spot you placed him on and panic, and a whole new stage of parenting ensues as you begin your own amazing race to find your baby.
Now that he can begin crawling (usually around seven months), you are going to be on the move quite a bit as well. Now, instead of your child pointing or verbalizing if he sees an object he would like to examine, he becomes inclined to just make a break for it so he can check things out for himself. Now that your child is mobile, you will receive feedback on how well you have babyproofed your house (as we went over in Chapter 2). If you forgot to move the glass figurine grandma gave you, your child will find it for you. Many parents choose to use a baby gate to block off the top and bottom of the stairs to prevent a fall. Also, resist giving your child baby walkers with wheels. There is no proof that he will learn to walk more quickly, and this crutch allows him to go places that may be unsafe. Plus, your baby just doesn’t have great control yet and may be prone to spills and running into objects that may injure him.
The most common reason babies are late developing mobility is that they are constantly held, and not given a chance to properly develop the strength to get themselves moving. The lack of use of your child’s muscles may cause the muscles to strengthen at a slower rate, and your child won’t gain the muscle coordination required to get up and go all by himself. So allow your baby time to play on the floor and use his muscles, which will aid in his development. Also, make sure that you and your BRP communicate as to who is keeping an eye on Junior. You don’t want to think each other is running point on this duty, only to find out that neither parent is watching your newly mobile child!
Between 4–6 months is when the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends you introduce solids, as your child’s digestive system should be developed enough to process the food and extract the required nutrients. But, how do you know when it is the right time? The more likely process is when one of the parents decides it is time to introduce some solid food, or when your child makes a grab at something on your plate and you spontaneously decide to let him have a little nibble just to see what happens. Here are a few things you should consider before you throw a half rack of ribs on Junior’s plate:
When you decide to start introducing solids, don’t think of it as an “all or nothing” situation. Most of your infant’s nutrition will still come from breastmilk/formula. Your child might simply spit the solid food out, or seem to lose interest. Just keep at it a little at a time and before you know it, your child will be eating regular foods along with everyone else. Here are some tips to keep in mind as your child transitions to “people” food:
Lots and lots of rules! Your child is moving from basically a liquid diet to more of a diet of solid foods. Just remember to keep him on a healthy diet. Getting the proper nutrition into his little body will ensure that he grows and develops to his fullest.
I guess the first thing I should do to help my dads out there is to define what exactly the term “weaning” refers to. This most commonly refers to a gradual decrease in the frequency of breastfeeding for your baby (although I have seen it refer to decreasing bottle feedings as well). This gradual decrease continues to the point where your child is receiving all of his nutrition from solid food and no longer from milk. This process can either be initiated by the baby, who will no longer accept the breast/bottle as his primary food source, or by the parents, who decide the time is right. The American Academy of Pediatrics (www.aap.org) states that babies should have milk as their primary food source for the first year of their lives. Weaning may take place as early as month ten, but generally happens later.
So, as you now know, either parents or the child himself can begin the weaning process. You should be ready to offer your BRP support during this time, as she may feel that she’s losing a special time that she cherishes between herself and your child. Lots of hugs and assurances are a good place to start!
True or False: Your baby can live off of breastmilk or formula alone.
True. Babies can get the nutrition they need from these sources. Sometimes as early as four months and sometimes as late as 8–10 months is when select solids may be introduced. Please consult your doctor first. This is based on your child’s development, ability to sit up and hold his head up strong, and ability to control his mouth and tongue to hold in solid food and swallow, as opposed to his tongue reflexively pushing the food back out.
As we have discussed a few times throughout the book, each baby is on a slightly different development schedule. So if we generalize about the milestones attached to a certain month, you may be saying, “Not my baby.” But the information is usually tied to a development process that, at one time or another, your child will go through. With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s take some time to discuss your child’s sleeping habits.
Around the four-month time frame, many parents report that their child regresses in his sleep habits. If he was sleeping substantially through the night (lucky you), often he will begin to wake again, reminding you of a more exhausting and sleep-deprived time of your life a few months ago. Research of various sources seems to indicate that it may be something as simple as children being used to frequent night feedings and their bodies adjusting to a new eating schedule, or looking for some company, or maybe because they are teething and in some discomfort. There are also more complex reasons that may be in play concerning different levels of sleep and how that is changing for your child. One article based on the book The Wonder Weeks by Hetty van de Rijt, PhD and Frans Plooij, PhD hypothesizes that babies experience this kind of sleep regression when they are working on a new skill or growth milestone. Regardless, it is important to know that your child will sleep most peacefully in the first part of the night, and tend to cry/sing/rustle/roll after about eight hours of sleep. However, unless you and your BRP are going to bed around 7 P.M. with your baby, it’s likely that you’ll still be feeling pretty tired during this stage of sleep regression.
Babies do enjoy a good routine so one of the best ways to minimize your child’s restless habits is to stick to a regular sleep schedule. Keep the naptime’s length similar from day to day, and put him to bed for the night at a consistent time. Also, a bedtime routine will help your child wind down for the night. Whether you give him a bath, read him a story, or some of both, keep a routine before putting your child to bed.
When your child wakes up during the night, and invariably he will, you and Mom can decide if you are going to run to your child or simply let him cry it out. Our pediatrician, whom I love, told us to set a time limit if we couldn’t agree on one method or the other. So after ten minutes, if she was still crying, one of us would go in and rock-and-walk until sleep came. Our pediatrician reasoned that if our bundle of joy had not stopped after ten minutes, by that time she had cried herself fully awake and would likely need help getting back to sleep. Some parents are quite firm and refuse to enter their child’s room between certain hours to allow him to learn to put himself back to sleep faster. It’s really up to you how to play it. When — not if — your child hits a rough patch, it will affect your and Mom’s sleep schedules as well. Be creative on ways to combat exhaustion, such as taking turns rocking the baby back to sleep and giving each other time to nap when possible. Anything you can do to keep each other as rested as possible will help.