Newborn Baby Care and Needs

Archive for the ‘Newborn Baby Growth and Development’ Category

Speech Milestones

By Najiah N

Other than a baby’s growth and a baby milestones, there is also a “Speech Milestones” that a parent should know. It is an explanation about an age by age baby speech development.

0-2 months

A baby can express, if s/he is hungry, sleepy, or feeling uncomfortable because of his/her wet diaper, through cries. S/he can hear all the sounds from his/her surroundings and then give respond to those sounds like searching from where the sound coming from, her/his head will turn towards the sound. Stimulate your baby by giving classical music which is proven can help baby brain development.

Toys that can give noises such as musical toys or rattle toys are also recommended. At the age of two months some babies can even make sound, that’s why you should talk to your baby often to stimulate him/her to make more sounds as if s/he is talking.

3-5 months

A baby at this age can produce vocal “aaaa…” when you talk to him/her. Sometimes s/he is talking by her/himself and making the murmur voice, like when you rinse after brushing your teeth. Those voices are the expressions of happiness, angry, tired, or sleepy. There is a slight difference between those voices when expressing different meaning, only the parent knows the meaning, you just have be sensitive.

6-8 months

A baby can mumble with different intonations. Those intonations are sometimes high and sometimes low. If you talk to your baby s/he can respond with smile, laugh, and movements. A baby can say “ma..ma…ma…mam…pa..pa..” Sometimes s/he can repeat things you said, or it sounded like if s/he is repeating things we said.

9-11 months

A baby keep repeating the sound of “ma..ma..pa..pa…” if it’s an effort of talking, and making a sound of a word. If you call her/his name s/he will turn his/her head to the voices which is calling her/him. If s/he wants something s/he will make sounds as if s/he is calling or wanting for your attention.

Moro Reflex

Newborn Baby Reflexes

 

 By Najiah N

Most physical reaction that newborn babies do is determined by his/her reflexes. It is one way to help newborn baby survive the environment. To know newborn baby reflexes is very important because it determine whether the baby has development disturbance or not. This natural movement that newborns do called the primitive reflexes. As the newborn grows, this reflexe will disappear and change into controlled movements. 

• Rooting Reflex is the opening of baby’s mouth and turn his/her head searching for mum’s nipple to breastfeed when you touch his/her cheek. You can train your newborn by doing the early breastfeed initiation.
• Sucking Reflex is sucking movement if you touch the surrounding of your baby’s mouth.
• Grasp Reflex is your baby’s hand will grasp your finger when you touch your hand. This reflex will disappear as the baby has the ability to close and open his/her hand properly.
• Moro Reflex is a baby movement like when s/he is in shock. Arms are up with closed hands and legs are straight. This movement shows that the baby reflexes are pretty normal. You can positioned your baby on her tummy to avoid him/her getting startled.
• Babinski Reflex is a movement of the palm feet when you touch it, like the baby’s feet will grasp.
• Stepping Reflex is baby’s legs movement like if s/he is ready to walk when you hold her/him up.
• Tonic Neck Reflex is movement  of baby’ body to the other side of baby head turn. For example,  when your baby head turn right, the baby body will turn left as his/her hands are closed grabbing position.

Chat with your baby

It’s Time to Play

By Najiah N

Children are identical with playing. So does baby. You need to often play with your baby to stimulate his/her intelligence as well as his/her motor, social, language skills. Other than those reasons, you need to play with your baby to throw the left over energies, to optimal his/her growth (bones, muscles, organs), to stimulate his/her creativity, and to study new stuff for his/her brain and baby development as they grow with new experiences.

A newborn baby also needs to play, not with sophisticated toys, but just play through games, to be exact the baby brain games. Toys that suitable for newborn baby are music box, hanging-colorful-with noises toy. As his/her vision capabilities grow you might want to show her/him pictures, read her/him books. For his/her hands and arms strength you can give him/her rattle toys. For older baby, usually baby like to put things in his/her mouth as s/he is entering the oral stage, you can give him/her teether, save and soft toy that baby can bite.

Here are some brain games you can play with your baby :

• For newborn you can call his/her name until s/he turns his/her head towards to the voice, hold-hug-I love you (hold and swing your baby while hugging, kissing and saying I love you), talk with your baby with parenthese sound, play soft music like classical or religious music, blow your baby gently while saying which of his/her body you’re blowing, hugs and kisses, starring your baby with smile face and other expressive faces, etc.
• For 3-6 months baby you can play with mirror while talking about his/her body parts, expressive faces. Hold your baby facing her/his in front, walk around the house, and tell him/her stuff around the house. Play with your baby legs, hold them up, let him/her kicks, hold his/her legs straight and roll him/her to the right and left. Hold your baby up and down. Sing with your baby, etc
• For 6-9 months baby still likes to play with mirror. Parents might want to to your baby with different intonations, mumbling voices. Play peek-a-boo, with people or toys. Holding/touching different surfaces, soft and rough, different materials. More nursery songs to sing with claps. Plays wave. Read books. Puts different kind of toys in front of her/him so s/he tries to grab them while crawling, etc
• For 9-12 months baby you can play hide and seek. Exploring around the house. Introduce your baby with the concept of inside, under, on, behind while playing. Play games with pictures of your family member. Play touching her/him body parts trough songs. Kicks ball. Put/sit her/him on your shoulder while walking around and sing. Plays with colorful small-big rings. Plays pull, you and your baby both hold a material/cloth you pull it softly so baby will pull too, etc.

There are lots of brain games you can play with your baby, you can even create one what you baby likes. Many traditional games in fact are brain games too, even though you might never realize it, like putting your baby to sleep while holding, swinging, and singing soft traditional songs. The point is you will help her/him to grow his/her intelligence through new experiences in a fun way, through games.