A Journey Through the First Year Every baby

A Journey Through the First Year Every baby develops at their own PACE but the sequence of DEVELOPMENT is similar for all babies.

Birth to 1 month “HELLO WORLD” Movements are a series of REFLEXES Babies have little conscious control over their MUSCLES

• GRASPING REFLEX: Babies automatically grasp onto anything put into their hands – they have a strong hold.

STEPPING REFLEX: When held upright babies automatically put legs out and make a stepping motion

• ROOTING REFLEX: This is crucial to a babies survival – if you stroke their cheek they will turn lips towards the touch. This is how babies know to turn to eat – nursing or bottle feeding. • SUCKING REFLEX: A baby automatically knows to “suck” - this is also very crucial for survival.

At first a baby’s focusing ability is only 8 inches. Images are not sharp or clear. Babies love looking at FACES. They find patterns more interesting than SOLID COLORS.

LOUD SOUNDS may startle or make a baby cry. Babies are also born with a “startle” reflex REPETITIVE and/or RYTHMIC sounds may sooth a baby.

• During the first few weeks a baby’s head is FLOPPY. • Babies will sleep 16 of 24 hours in the first few days and by the end of the first month they will sleep 12 hours a day. Babies usually wake up when they are HUNGRY or need TO BE CHANGED.

The 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th Months “REACHING OUT” • These months are filled with RAPID development. The child develops more than at any other stage in his/her life. • The baby is very interested in his/her surroundings and begins to EXPLORE the world around them.

• The baby is able to SMILE. They also begin to coo, gurgle and make sounds. They practice babbling and are fascinated by the SOUNDS THEY MAKE WITH THEIR MOUTHS/LIPS and SALIVA. • They may LAUGH/GIGGLE for the first time.

• Their vision is more in focus and they are able to FOLLOW MOVING OBJECTS. • They are fascinated with their own HANDS and love to look at their fingers. They are no longer content just looking at an object now they want to touch it.

• They use their MOUTH to explore the world around them. They are able to use BOTH HANDS and love to kick their feet too. • By the end of the fourth month they have complete control over HEAD AND NECK and may begin to roll from SIDE TO SIDE

The 5 th and 6 th months “Rolling along” • The baby ROLLS OVER for the first time. • These months are full of great physical activity. • They will discover their FEET - and even put them in their mouth in order to learn more about them.

• The baby can REACH OUT and grasp an object and move it from HAND TO HAND. • They are able to turn towards SOUNDS. They will also smile when they hear Dad and MOM’s VOICE. • By the 6 th month the baby learns INTENTIONAL behavior. They know to cry if they want attention from mom or dad.

The 7 th and 8 th Months “Sitting On Top of the World” • At this point the baby is very MOBILE. • They are able to SIT UP on their own without falling. • They drop TOYS to the floor on purpose. • SMALL objects fascinate them.

• They are able to understand a few SIMPLE WORDS - like: “MOMMY” “DADDY” “BYE BYE” • They have ABRUPT mood changes during this time. • When they see strangers they: MAY BE SCARED OR CRY WANT MOM OR DAD – HAVE SEPERATION ANXIETY

• The baby can crawl and every baby has his/her own STYLE. To see a video about crawling. . . http: //www. babycenter. com/videos/view/? vid=1487416&_requestid=495128&_req uestid=495128#videoplayer • “CREEPING”: pull body along with arms on tummy – kind of like an army crawl • It is very important at this stage to do what to your house? BABY PROOF MAKE IT SAFE

The 9 th and 10 th Months “STAND UP AND CHEER” • These babies do not stay in one place for very long. They are very curious about all that is around them. It is very good to let them EXPLORE.

• They love to CLIMB up and down. Going up is easier than going DOWN. • These babies want to TOUCH everything. They still put everything in their MOUTH. • They can put objects in and out of containers.

• They love to look at BOOKS. • These babies love to play in WATER and enjoy pouring. • At this point they can understand the word “NO”.

The 11 th and 12 th months “WALKING TALL” • They can hold on to FURNITURE and walk around. on • They slowly begin to hold less and then take their first STEPS. • 3 out of 5 babies are walking by their first birthday. • These babies love to SHAKE and BANG everything. - to see a video about walking… http: //www. babycenter. com/videos/view/? vid=1487416&_requestid=495128&_requestid=49512 8#videoplayer

2 of their favorite games are: “SO BIG” and “PEEK A BOO” http: //www. eakles. com/35 p eekpage. htm