Developmental milestones: 3 months to 6 months
Time passes more quickly than you can imagine. Your baby constantly learns new things, and suddenly you hear a sweet laugh or gurgle. Babies are fortunately born with natural, unique and dynamic skills for learning and development. They need a supportive and loving family and a nurturing environment that is suited to innate needs, to grow and develop in the best possible way. Their relationship with their parents and the environment greatly influences the way they maximize their inherent developmental potential.
It is important to remember that although babies differ and develop at their own pace, there are predictable milestones in their development that can be monitored to determine whether your infant progresses. Once you are familiar with these milestones, you can offer the infants age-appropriate activities, games and experiences that will help them develop and advance.
Developmental milestones
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Sensory Development
- Gazing at a vertical line, up and down.
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Language Development
- Making repetitive sounds, including consonants (such as mah, bah, gah).
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Motor Development
- Lifting the head and chest while lying on the stomach.
- Reaching out and grasping objects.
- Bringing the hands closer to the midline of the body and joining fingers.
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Social Development
- Making sounds in response to your voice and sounds.
- Smiling in pleasure and at sounds in response to your smile and speech to them.
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1More and more games
There are many ways to play. You can give babies age-appropriate toys, encourage them to play in all kinds of physical positions: lying on their stomach, lying on their back, and in your lap.
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2Reading books
Children enjoy stories long before they know how to read or even speak. You can hold your baby in your lap, creating pleasant contact or eye contact, when reading. You do not have to read the exact text, or even finish the entire book. Story time is an opportunity to speak to each other. You can refer to the characters, the voices they make, the illustrations appearing in the book, and so on. You can also read a section, take s short break and wait for a response such as a sound or a smile, and then respond in a similar manner. This is essentially a very early form of a conversation. It is also an opportunity to observe your baby, to learn about his or her preferences and to adapt yourself to the baby's needs.
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3Familiar faces and strangers
Your baby flows your responses to determine how safe they can feel in their environment. Initially, babies respond with warmth to any person but over time, they distinguish between people they know and strangers, developing stranger anxiety. This is a natural and appropriate reaction. You should allow your child to slightly distance from you, to explore the surrounding and to return to you when he or she wants.
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4Diapers and rolling
Turning over from back to stomach should be encouraged after every diapering through exercises: gently bending your child’s leg towards the body’s midline, while tilting the body in that direction. Babies who are ready to turn over will complete the movement on their own. Remember you should never leave a baby alone on the diapering table or on any other elevated surface even for a minute.
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5Maybe it’s too much?
It is important to identify your baby’s preferences and moods, and to adjust the activities and stimuli accordingly so that it will be pleasant. Occasionally, too much stimuli can overwhelm the baby. If he or she looks away or shows signs of irritation and tiredness, try to ‘clean’ the area and reduce stimuli. The baby may have had enough play time and would be happy just to sleep.
Safety
Safety
During all activities with infants, it is important that you protect their safety. Newborns are vulnerable: their head is relatively large in comparison with their body. The neck muscles are still weak and they lack head control. You must never shake infants. Shaking infants, even in play, is extremely dangerous and may cause irreversible harm.
No less important: take care of yourself
Parenthood can be an incredible as well as an extremely challenging experience. To be a parent requires patience, attention and persistence. It is therefore important to take care and do something for yourself that will revitalize you. Taking care of yourself is not a luxury but an inseparable part of being a parent. Try to incorporate time, even if it is brief, for yourself so that you can plan (and do) something that will be good for you. This will allow you to return to your child with renewed energy, more patience and attention.