Baby’s development at around 3 months

You must feel exhausted after three months of sleepless nights! Your baby is still getting used to this world, so be patient and rest as much as you can during the day. Take naps whenever your baby allows it.
Your little one is getting more agile and can already turn around and cause some mischief. Don’t leave her alone on the changing table now – many new parents find themselves in A&E after their baby has fallen off the bed or the table. Remember that it can happen very quickly!
At around 3 months, baby can already lift her head and chest, supported by her forearms, for some time, shake a rattle and take things in her mouth. She may study toys in her hands and the little baby in the mirror. Baby is certainly too young to recognise her own image – self recognition starts at around 18 months. By now, parents may be able to hear baby laugh out loud while expressing real pleasure. When baby is pulled into the sitting position, she has only little head lag and can hold her back straight when held. Baby can kick a lot with her legs and wave her arms.
She can also move her head to follow an object with her eyes and watch her hands and fingers. They are certainly fascinating! Baby still prefers moving objects to still ones and will always turn her head towards the sound of a human voice. Some babies respond already to their name being called and can recognise their parent’s face in a photograph.
Baby shows emotions such as distress when she hears a loud unexpected noise, and enjoyment at positive experiences such as bathtime. She can smile at familiar people as well as strangers.
There are a lot of games and activities that she will enjoy now. Take a look at our baby activity list for some inspiration here: http://www.babysbest.co.uk/Articles/Active-Bonding-Time/Parent–baby-activity-0-to-3-months/60/

Your baby’s development at around 2 months

By now, numerous nights with little sleep are compensated with the most gorgeous baby smiles! Your baby can recognize your face and shows real excitement when you talk to him by moving his arms and legs. The little fists open and close while he may already be able to hold a bite ring in his hands. When baby is on his tummy, he can also hold his head up for a few seconds. Though baby trains his neck, tummy and back muscles very hard, it is still necessary to hold his head when lifting him up.

Baby may already be able to imitate facial expressions, such as movements of the mouth. Try to stick out your tongue and see what happens – if nothing else, you will certainly get a big smile!

Baby’s understanding of the world starts slowly to become structured into moving versus static things and people versus things. He is now capable of concentrating and focusing on something, such as a moving rattle or a bell. He can also follow things of interest with his eyes and turn his head.

By about 2 months, baby’s so-called “oral phase” begins as baby takes everything, including his fingers and hands, into his mouth. Developmentally, this phase is plausible as baby’s senses are strongest in his mouth. So even if you worry about hygienic standards, this part of baby’s development is essential in order for him to understand what is going on around him.

If your baby starts sucking his thumb, let him do so. This is also part of his development and calms him. The choice of dummy is only the second best option as parents are constantly on the look out for the lost dummy – not to mention the times they have to get up at night in order to give baby his dummy back.
And even dentists agree that sucking the thumb does not necessarily cause the teeth to deform!

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Your 2 week old baby – what is best for baby now

Though we live in an informed society, many still believe that a baby can be “spoiled rotten”. However, baby’s physical and emotional needs are still so basic that they cannot possibly be spoiled too much! Infants have basic needs such as food, warmth, love, tenderness and the feeling of security which can hardly account for educational measures. You cannot give enough of these essential requirements so do not let your newborn cry for food for too long, even if you are very tired.

Putting baby in his crib in his own room, is a modern way of thinking in which babies are thought to be separate units from their parents. Yet, historically and as it is naturally intended, babies should always stay near the family: either carried in a sling or in a moses basket where mother or father is. Numerous studies have shown that those babies who are actively taken into everyday family life are much happier, cry much less and have a better chance of becoming more content and self-confident adults. If you still worry that your precious angel does not get enough sleep with all the background noise, think again: babies get used to all the noise and in fact, it calms them because they know that there is always somebody there to look after them.

Baby’s food

Breastfeeding is best for baby. Human milk is not only nutritionally optimised for baby’s needs, the close contact to the mother creates a deep bond which nurtures a very special relationship. However, breastfeeding can be accompanied by lots of difficulties so it is important to know somebody you can turn to if it gets tough going.

If you cannot breastfeed or you decide not to breastfeed: do not worry! Artificial formula has nutritionally very high standards and companies are trying their best to create formula that is as close to human milk as artificially possible. Nonetheless, formula milk can be dangerous for baby if it is not prepared in a clean setting with good standards of hygiene. So please make sure that your hands are clean before you prepare a bottle and the feeding equipment is sterilized in order to minimize the risk for baby.

When baby is breastfed he wants frequent feedings – day and night – so be prepared to feed up to 10 times in 24 hours. This can be particularly demanding when baby has a growth spurt of which there is one during the first few days at home, another one at around 7 to 10 days and one at 2 to 3 weeks. Please make sure to allow yourself plenty of rest: sleep when baby sleeps!

When baby is bottle fed he is likely to feed up to 8 hours in 24 hours. Artificial milk tends to be more filling and can intervene with baby’s natural sleep pattern so make sure to keep baby close at all times so you can respond quickly if necessary. When baby has a growth spurt prepare yourself for more unsettled nights!

Keeping baby clean

In our modern age of allergies it is important to help baby build up immunity by using as little bath supplements, soaps, etc as possible. Baby’s skin is extremely delicate and does not require any perfume, preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilizers etc. In fact, a newborn only requires a weekly bath with clear water! Scientific studies reveal that babies are born without the protective acid mantle, thus giving baby a daily bath can be more damaging when baby’s skin protection is still developing.

Baby’s bottom can be cleaned effectively with warm water and soft cotton wool dipped in some vegetable or olive oil. Change your baby’s nappy frequently to prevent nappy rash. Let him kick his feet with his bare bottom for at least 15 minutes so his skin can breathe a little. If he has nappy rash, use ointments that contain zinc: they are reliable helpers as they support the healing process and keep the skin dry. If you breastfeed you can also put some breast milk on his bottom – it speeds up the healing process!

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