From the very beginning…
Useful Info
Homemade Baby Food
517 years
Jesse and I want to find a good food processor so we can make our own baby food. Has anyone had any luck doing this? Any recommendations on what kind we should buy or works the best for making baby food?
Activities for Infants 4-8 Months Old
017 years
This is something I received from my hospital after filling out a development questionnaire they sent us. I think I will be getting one every two months, so don’t be surprised if this isn’t the first one. Anyway, here are about 20 activities Ian should be able to do. After reading through this, I have to say that the three of us have already begun to do a lot of this. It’s good to know we’re on the right track.
- Put a windup toy beside or behind your baby. Watch to see if your bay searches for the sound.
- Make your own crib gym. Attach kitchen tools (measuring spoons and cups, potato masher or whips, shaker cup with a bell inside) to yarn tied across your baby’s crib. Place the crib gym where your baby can kick it. Take it down when your bay is not playing. Always supervise.
- Fill an empty tissue box with strips of paper. Your baby will love pulling them out. Do not use colored newsprint or magazines; they are toxic. Never use plastic bags or wrap.
- Place your baby in a chair or carseat to watch everyday activities. Tell your baby what you are doing. Let your baby see, hear, and touch common objects. You can give your baby attention while getting things done.
- Give your baby a spoon to grasp and chew on. it’s easy to hold and feels good in the mouth. It’s also great for banging, swiping, and dropping.
- Play voice games. Talk with a high or low voice. Click your tongue. Whisper. Take turns with your baby. Repeat any sounds made by him or her. Place your baby so you are face to face – your baby will watch as you make sounds.
- Safely attach a favorite toy to a side of your baby’s crib, swing, or cradle chair for him to reach and grasp. Change toys frequently to give him new things to see and do.
- Place your baby on your knee facing you. Bounce her or him to the rhythm of a nursery rhyme. Sing and rock with the rhythm. Help your baby bring his hands together to clap to the rhythm.
- While sitting on the floor, place your baby in a sitting position inside your legs. Use your legs and chest to provide only as much support as your baby needs. This allows you to play with your baby while encouraging independent sitting.
- Fill a small plastic bottle (medicine bottle with child-proof cap) with beans or rice. Let your baby shake it to make noise.
- Place your baby in a chair or carseat, or prop him up with pillows. Bounce and play with a flowing scarf or a large bouncing ball. Move it slowly up, then down or to the side, so your baby can follow movement with his eyes.
- Your baby will like to throw toys to the floor. Take a little time to play this “go and fetch” game. It helps your baby to learn to release objects. Give baby a box or pan to practice dropping toys into.
- Gently rub your baby with soft cloth, a paper towel, or nylon. Talk about how things feel – soft, rough, slippery. Lotion feels good too.
- Make another shaker using bells. Encourage your baby to hold one in each hand and shake them both. Watch to see if your baby likes one sound better than the other.
- With your baby lying on his back, place a toy within sight but out of reach, or move a toy across your baby’s visual range. Encourage him to roll to get the toy.
- Once your baby starts rolling or crawling on his tummy, play “come and get me”. Let your baby move, then chase after him and hug him when you catch him.
- Let your baby see him in a mirror. Place an unbreakable mirror on the side of your baby’s crib or changing table so he can watch. Look in the mirror with your baby, too. Smile and wave at your baby.
- Place your baby on his tummy with favorite toys or objects around but just slightly out of reach. Encourage him to reach out for toys and move toward them.
- Play peekaboo with hands, cloth, or a diaper. Put the cloth over your face first. Then let your baby hide. Pull the cloth off if your baby can’t. encourage him to play. Take turns.
- Place your baby facing you. Your baby can watch you change facial expressions (big smile, poking out tongue, widening eyes, raising eyebrows, puffing or blowing). Give your baby a turn. Do what your baby does.
The ASQ User’s Guide, Second Edition, Squires, Potter, and Bricker. Copyright 1999 Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
6th Month Milestones
017 years
from Enfamil
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Learning to Communicate
Amazingly, this month your baby may reach and gesture with her hands. It might be her way of imitating you or trying to tell you something. But you probably won’t notice it. Her communication skills need lots of work. And you’re not used to having a baby who says “Give me.” Even if it’s only with her hands.
Watch your six-month-old closely. You’ll see she sometimes tries to use gestures, body language, and eye contact to get her point across. She will also start canonical babbling this month. By paying closer attention to adult speech, she is able to make sentence-like strings of vowels and consonants. It’s up to you to guess what she means when she says “Ba ba ba” or “Da la da la.”
Sitting Up
Sitting up takes a combination of strength, balance, and coordination. Your baby will probably start with a tripod pose. That means she’ll keep her hands on the floor between her legs. Gradually, she’ll learn to sit up straight and let go of the floor. By the end of the month, she’ll actually play in this position.
Monkey See, Monkey Do
At six months, babies begin what experts call social imitation. Your baby wants to be like you. Open your mouth, and your little monkey will open hers, too. Bang a toy, shake a rattle, splash the bath water, and with a little encouragement, she’ll delight in following your lead.
Brain Teaser
Did you know…that starting at about six months, your baby’s vocal and listening experiences will contribute to brain developments associated with her talking skills?
Getting Point
Your baby’s communication skills are developing. Sometimes her efforts are very subtle, so watch closely. You may see her gesturing with her hands, or even looking toward something she wants. Most exciting of all, her babbling is beginning to resemble human speech. You may even hear “Mama†for the first time. And she may be stringing sounds together to form “sentences.†It’s one of the many ways she’ll try to imitate you.
Take a glance at other milestones for your baby at six months old.
Carbohydrates
Your baby needs carbohydrates to grow. Carbohydrates supply the energy for her growth and physical activities.
There are two kinds of carbohydrates in foods. The first kind, complex starches, can be found in cereals, whole grains, dried beans and vegetables. You can get the second, simple sugars, from milk, fruit or added sugars. And if you’re feeding Enfamil LIPIL®, your baby will get her carbohydrates from the infant formula.
Doctors also recommend that you continue to feed your baby breast milk or formula for at least the first full year of your baby’s life. That’s because your baby cannot fully digest cow’s milk as easily as he can digest breast milk or formula. And since it lacks the proper amounts of iron and vitamin C that your baby needs to develop, cow’s milk does not provi de the right balance of nutrients he needs.
So, stick with breast milk or formula, to ensure your baby is getting all the nutrients he needs to grow. Find out which Enfamil® infant formula is right for your baby.
Home, Safe Home
With crawling just around the corner, now is the time to make sure every corner of every room is baby-proofed. Soon, your baby will be lifting herself up on anything she can get her hands on. So check furniture for sturdiness. And remember, your little one’s little fingers can get into anything. Plug up all your unused sockets now.
Teething
017 years
We found out Ian was teething about a week ago and I’ve been looking for things to help ease his discomfort. I’ve come across a couple of remedies (both known and new) and I thought I would put them here for future reference. Here’s what I’ve found:
- Hyland’s Teething Tablets – these were recommended to me by someone in one of my discussion boards. We’ve been using them for a bit now and they seem to be working. I like the fact that I can give 2-3 tablets up to 6 times a day. I don’t have to give Ian 2-3 tablets each time, in fact I’ve only had to give him 2 at a time and he seems to be fine. If I notice that he seems to be getting some discomfort, but it isn’t worthy of crying yet, I can give him 1 tablet and it helps a lot.
- Tylenol – this helps everything. We tend to use this at night since we know how Ian is going to react to it. It’s still a drug though and we’re both hesitate to rely heavily on this. So, for now, Ian only gets this when it’s absolutely necessary.
- Teething Rings – make sure you put these in both the freezer and refrigerator. We haven’t had much luck with the freezer ones yet. It seems they are too cold for Ian and they are also a bit for his mouth. I’ve found some triangular ones that Ian really seems to like. He can actually stick these in his mouth. Jesse says the round ones fail because they make the corner of Ian’s mouth cold.
- Cold Washcloth – I basically wet a washcloth and stick it in the freezer for a bit. Ian likes to gnaw on fabric, so these are really good as long as I don’t leave them in the freezer too long. Once they get hard, Ian doesn’t like them as much because he can’t clutch at them.
- Gentle Naturals Teething Drops – I haven’t really tried these yet, but Lori’s neighbor recommended these. I’ve found them at Walgreens and Meijers. Once I’ve tried these, I’ll post a comment on what I think.
- My Finger – Ian loves grabbing a hold of my finger and sticking it in his mouth. It’s not a long term fix (at least not in my opinion, but Ian seems to think so), but it is a temporary fix until you can get something else. It helps calm him down
If anyone else has any recommendations, we’ll gladly take them.
5th Month Milestones
017 years
from Enfamil
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Life’s an Adventure
For your five-month-old baby, life’s an adventure. And the world is a playground. This month, he’ll become better at tuning out interruptions so he can stay focused on playing, exploring, and learning.
And your baby’s got enough control over his body to make things happen. By the end of the month, he may start moving objects from one hand to the other. He may even wrap his hand around his small baby bottle and try to bring it to his mouth.
Five-month-olds have clear vision and good depth perception. Which may be part of the reason they’re so fascinated by moving toys. This month, your baby will realize that his teddy bear is still his teddy bear, even when it’s sideways or upside down. Scientists call this skill form constancy.
Learning to Crawl
Your baby’s spirit of adventure makes him want to crawl. But he probably won’t really get moving this month. Instead, he’ll “swim” on the floor. He’ll “scooch” an inch or two. He’ll do “pushups.” All these movements are good exercise for his strengthening neck, shoulder, and upper chest muscles.
Discovering His Own Limits
Exploring and learning are exciting. You may notice your baby wriggles and babbles with anticipation now. Especially when he sees an interesting new toy. He also reaches for and grabs things with enthusiasm. He knows what he wants. That means he’s more likely to get frustrated when he discovers his own limits.
Imagine what it’s like to be stuck on your tummy all the time, with a thousand interesting things just out of your reach. You can make life a little easier for your little explorer. Helping him isn’t “cheating.” Your baby will soon be doing plenty on his own.
Brain Teaser
Did you know…that babies learn to control their arms first, then their legs? These milestones occur because of their motor and learning experiences, which help promote their maturing brain.
Review: “No Cry Sleep Solution”
117 years
Here is my review and notes from reading the No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. I’ll give a status update later to see if it really worked with Ian or not.
So I said I would give a review of this book once I was done with it. Well, I never finished it, but I thought I would still let people know what I thought. Overall, I enjoyed this book. The first half gave a lot of useful information and I think that was why I never finished the book. I started incorporating a lot of the things Pantley was suggesting and it seemed to work. It’s been four months and Ian is finally sleeping though the night – only getting up once around 2am – 3am. Ian and I did things the simple way. We started giving him the same routine every night between 7:30pm and 8pm. First we gave him a bath, then we changed into his pajamas, and then he received a bottle. I know it’s not the biggest routine, but we started this when he was barely 2 months old and he really wouldn’t stay still long enough to include reading or singing or whatever. Either way, after a couple of weeks, Ian started getting really fussy if he didn’t have his bath by 8pm and then it became even more obvious that he was waiting for it when he wouldn’t go to bed until he had his bath. Now once he gets his bottle after his bath, Ian starts to get sleepy and is usually out before the end of the bottle. So while I never did try the “no cry sleep solution”, I did do a lot of the other suggestions in the first part of the book and it really helped. I’m not saying it would work for everybody, but I would definitely recommend giving it a try.
Naps
217 years
My little man is growing up on me. Ian used to love falling asleep on me. He used to fall asleep while we were nursing and then complain if I tried to lay him down. Over the last week or so, I’ve begun noticing that he hasn’t been sleeping as long when he falls asleep nursing. The other day, I put him in his crib soon after he fell asleep and he slept for an hour. He doesn’t want to sleep on mama anymore. That’s fine, but now I’m having a hard time getting him to take decent naps. He starts rubbing his eyes and I know that’s a signal that he’s getting tired. So today, I am trying to get him to fall asleep for a nap in his crib. It’s not working yet. I’m also trying to get him to go to sleep without nursing.
Any ideas on how I can get him to take a nap without nursing (he nurses right before bed half the time too) or other hints that might help this transition?
New Books!
117 years
So I’ve been raiding our local library for new books and I found a couple that I had to share. The first one is Mother Goose’s Songbook by Tom Glazer. Basically, it’s a bunch of the Mother Goose nursery rhymes with sheet music. Jesse is going to translate some of them into a guitar tabulare (if there isn’t already one someplace) and then the three of us can sing them together. It should be fun. The second book is Playtime Rhymes for Little People by Clare Beaton. It has a bunch of rhymes with suggestions on how to use the rhymes to play with Ian. It should be good especially since I’ve been at a lost on this aspect. Amazon has a sneak peek for this one.
I’ve been looking for some new books as we tend to go through them pretty fast. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know.
4th Month Milestones
017 years
from Enfamil
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Playing with Toys
It’s time to take some more of those baby gifts off the shelf. Although your infant has shown little interest up to now in playing with toys, you can expect her to change her tune this month.
Kicking, grabbing, swatting, and rattling are evidence of your baby’s improving motor skills. She’s learning how toys work, too. Which requires memory and a longer attention span.
New visual skills also show up this month. Your four-month-old is learning that objects come in different colors, shapes, sizes, and even textures. Staring intensely at a toy gives her lots of pleasure. It’s as if she’s just discovering what a beautiful world she lives in.
Tummy Time
Some babies roll over as early as three months. Others wait until they begin to sit and crawl. Most babies roll over tummy to back first, then learn to roll the other way. Signs that your baby is about to roll: rocking back and forth on her stomach, kicking her legs, and “swimming” with her arms.
Once your baby discovers the joy of motion, she may turn into a rolling machine. Watch her carefully on the changing table and other high surfaces. She’s quicker than you think.
Clowning Around
Once your baby starts laughing, you won’t want her to stop. Get ready to make a fool of yourself this month. Babies usually start laughing at around four months. What gets the most giggles? Try funny faces, goofy grins, and “raspberries” on that adorable little belly.
Brain Teaser
Did you know…that your baby can make voluntary movements, like reaching for toys? That’s because she’s been practicing her hand and arm skills, which help promote new growth in her brain.