Baby Milestones, What You Should Be Looking For Next.
| January 5, 2012 | Posted by under Baby Development |
Do you ever find yourself wondering, “What baby milestones will she going to hit next?” When I was a first time mom I never knew what to expect. I also had no idea when my baby should be accomplishing the next big task. Having a concise list of milestones would have been So Helpful!
Holding The Head Up
Once your baby is around 4 weeks old she will most likely have the neck strength to lift her head off of your shoulder, or off the floor if she is lying on her tummy. Remember though, some babies are born being able to accomplish this, and some babies will take more time to reach their first in a long list of baby milestones.
If you are concerned that her neck is not getting strong fast enough, give her more supervised tummy time. Get down on the floor with her and encourage her to lift her head by talking or singing to her.
Smiling And Laughing
A lot of babies will begin smiling and laughing around eight weeks of age. These baby milestones vary though, depending on how much you are interacting with your baby. Research has shown that the more you look into your baby’s eyes and talk to her, the quicker she will begin to respond back to you.
One of the best times to bond with your baby in this way is while feeding her. Whether you are bottle feeding or breastfeeding, use this special time to look deeply into her eyes and tell her how much you love her.
Another great time to chat is while you are changing her diaper. Don’t know what to say? Just explain what you are doing. At this age, it doesn’t matter what you say to your baby, what matters is that you are communicating with her.
Rolling Over
This will be one of the baby milestones that seems like a BIG one! When your baby rolls over for the first time you will see the next 18 years flash before your eyes!
The really strong active babies may start rolling over towards the end of the third month. The average baby will start rolling over somewhere between the fourth and fifth month.
If your baby is showing no signs of rolling over, give him more tummy time. Tummy time is the answer to a lot of developmental delays. But remember, each baby will develop at a different pace.
Your job as Mommy is not to make sure your baby hits all of his milestones in record time. Your job is to give him the opportunity to reach the baby milestones when he is ready.
First Tooth
This is one of the baby milestones that you have absolutely no influence over, so just sit back and wait for this one. Cutting the first tooth is exciting. It will completely change the look of your sweet baby’s face.
Some babies will cut their first tooth as early as four months, other babies wait until 10 or 11 months.
The timing will even vary within the same family. My earliest teether was four months, my latest was 11.5 months. Most of my children got the first tooth at around 9 months though, which is considered late. Six months is the average.
Solid Foods
I always wait to begin introducing solid foods until my baby gets his first tooth. This is a matter of preference. As long as your baby is gaining weight steadily on your breastmilk or formula, you do not NEED to begin solids at a certain time.
The average mom will start her baby on solids at around six months of age.
