Your baby just came home from the hospital. Now what? I remember when my husband and I brought home our first. We were definitely nervous. Parents' intuition? What was that? We were clueless. It didn't help that we couldn't dilute the powered baby formula either. We ended up buying the ready made cans to give to him! Seriously though, the first year may be intimidating and time consuming, but as you watch your baby grow and hit his or her milestones, its also very rewarding.
One of the earliest milestones she will reach is smiling. Between four to six weeks, give or take, she will recognize mom, dad, and family members. A gentle tickle of the chin around this time will get her smile muscles working and soon she'll light up when she sees you enter a room. Now's a good time to baby proof before she gets mobile, because trust me, she will - soon.
Smiling is a sign of a healthy, happy baby. If you notice she's crying more than smiling, seems colicky, or doesn't seem interested in engaging you at this early age, by seeking you out with her eyes, let your pediatrician know and discuss your concerns with them.
Shortly after he starts to smile, you might notice he's trying to raise his head. Give him plenty of tummy time. He may get frustrated at first, but soon you, and him, will be grinning about his accomplishment. During the first three months, he's getting familiar with his surroundings. He's visually alert and is very interested in watching the world around him. Along with tummy time, he enjoys simple games like patty-cake and peek-a-boo. Games like this encourage his smile and laugher, too.
Once she's mastered tummy time and smiling, she's onto other things. Around four months, you'll notice that she likes to babble and coo. Go ahead and talk back. She loves to hear your voice and she needs to practice her vocal chords.
Next, she'll start to roll over. She's building her abdomen and back muscles and its time to test them out. Also around this time, about four to six months, she'll start drooling so have plenty of bibs handy. She's teething. Her teeth can start to pop out as early as four months!
Around six to seven months, you'll notice him take off. Watch out - he's crawling! He's also learned his name so use it often. He likes to hear it. Games like patty-cake and peek-a-boo still make him smile, but he's off to explore lands unknown such as your kitchen and computer room. Now's when your baby proofing earlier pays off.
From nine-to-twelve months, she's crawling, exploring, and learning to stand. She loves to babble. She may even have mastered a "Mama" or "Dada." She may also be a little shy when left with the babysitter or when meeting new people. It's normal around this time.
By his first birthday, he should be cruising the furniture, ready to take his first steps. Not only is he smiling, but he should also be able to express some basic emotions like fear, anger, and pleasure. He's refining his motor skills and moving objects from hand to hand. He may not be able to blow out his candles on his birthday cake, but he'll eat the cake.
These are just some milestones that are important for baby to accomplish by her first year. So what is a developmental delay? It's when a child doesn't reach a milestone by the upper range of what would be considered normal. Milestones fall into five different categories: gross and fine motor skills, language, thinking, and social skills. If she's not walking by one, there's no need to worry as the upper range of what's considered normal is about fifteen months. If you have any concerns, the best thing to do is to discuss them with your pediatrician.
