How to wake a baby according to his age?
Baby's development: how to wake him/her up according to his/her age?
From birth to three years of age, your baby learns about the world around him. How can you support his development? What activities should be chosen according to his age?
Photo Daria Shevtsova from Pexels
Dr. Grandsenne, a pediatrician, answers our questions about the main stages of the baby's development.
After nine months in the womb, your baby is discovering life outside and the alien world around him. In the first few weeks, he naturally turns to you when you talk to him.
Gradually, he is attracted to objects around him, especially soft objects, which he comes into contact with when he puts them in his mouth. Here are some guidelines to help you grow well.
What are the developmental milestones of the baby?
Between 1 and 2 months, "he smiles and babbles," says pediatrician Dr. Philippe Grandsenne. He also becomes aware of the world around him, which can generate certain anxieties, sometimes resulting in colic and sleep problems, which will gradually disappear.
At 2 months, he is able to take an object in his hands and bring it closer to his field of vision. He also begins to pronounce his first vowels.
At 3 months, you will notice that your memory has improved: you recognize the familiar music, and can anticipate the time of feeding, or understand that a person who plays hide-and-seek will soon reappear.
From the fourth month, your child starts sleeping through the night.
He has adjusted to the rhythm of the sun and is now able to go several hours without eating. He laughs when something or someone entertains him or amuses him.
At 5 months, your baby begins to remember things that are etched in his memory. Thus, when his mother disappears from his field of vision, he screams in terror because she represents one of his first memories and it is her image that first comes to mind. "At that age, the baby has such a need for his mother that he becomes anxious when she disappears," says Grandsenne.
At 6 months, it's a big step: "although he doesn't feel lonely yet, the child is sitting alone when we bring him down.
Between 7 and 8 months, it begins to double a syllable.
Around 8-9 months, your baby is afraid of others, which is a strange anxiety (or eighth month anxiety).
Between 9 and 10 months, he manages to stand up, hang from a table or hold himself up. It is only about a year that the child walks, but it depends on the children, it can be later.
"In all cases, the child should be walking alone before the age of two (i.e., take at least three steps), and should be able to sit up by himself before the age of one," explains Dr. Grandsenne.
It is also important to note that the child and mother have a particularly close relationship during the first two years. It is from the age of 2 that the child alienates his mother by saying the opposite of what she is asking.
It answers "No", it rolls on the ground, but it is in this "violent" way that it can be detached, individualized and affirmed.
Finally, from the age of 3, it is the age when the child can face others and go to school, where he will socialize with his entourage.
How do you stimulate your baby?
The parents must first and foremost accompany the child and help him/her in his/her progress. "It's not about doing the Olympics," says Dr. Grandsenne, "but about being (to some extent) available when he wants to play.
Communication with your child is essential
During the 9 months of pregnancy, the child heard his mother's voice over and over again through the vibrations.
Therefore, it is important to talk to her continuously, to exchange with her about the things that interest her. This allows us to see very quickly that he understands, sooner than we think, the things we tell him.
Therefore, talking to your child is one of the most important things in waking up your child.
In addition, "the more we speak 'real', with impeccable grammar, the more possibilities the baby will have to speak correctly at the same time," explains the pediatrician.
The musical awakening
Why don't you introduce him to some soft music? You will find a wide selection of baby rhymes, adapted to their age to give them a taste for music.
Dancing and singing with your baby is also a way to wake them up and share good times together. "Like language and taste, the sooner a child discovers his or her senses, the better," says the pediatrician.
What are the things to avoid?
In general, all activities are positive for waking a baby up to the world around him. However, Dr. Grandsenne advises parents not to overdo it.
Your pediatrician also recommends always placing your baby in front of you when using a sling or stroller. "At first, the child sees through the parents, although he or she can still see what's going on on the sides," he says.
Putting him face to face with the road would be like leaving him face to face with the void, alone, without his mother in his field of vision". This is not a very reassuring situation, especially since he may be afraid of the unknown.
Our advice on baby learning and development
Which early learning toys to choose?
Should baby toys be colorful and loud? "Pastel toys are too sad," says Dr. Grandsenne.
For example, for a child under three months old, we can choose a rattle that makes noise and is brightly colored.
Similarly, a mobile hanging over the bed, with various motifs (animals, characters ...) is always very attractive: perfect for newborns! And if, in addition, it makes music, it is even better to rock it and accompany it in its nights...
Beware, however, of wake-up mats.
Some parents put their baby on them without paying attention afterwards. As we saw before, it is essential to communicate with him, share and make him feel our presence.
As your baby grows, between 7 and 8 months, he will gradually play with bath toys, stuffed animals and cuddly toys, or with stackable construction objects...
Then, with toys to pull or push (around 16 months), creative accessories (pencils, markers, modelling clay...) or even figurines and dolls. And if you want to wake him up in a way other than by playing, let him discover what's around him.
Through a walk in the forest, for example, you can observe together the leaves of the trees, the colors of the greenery. At home, you can smell the fruit, etc.
Finally, certain activities adapted to young children also help to awaken them, in particular baby swimming sessions, which allow them to rediscover the water world they have known in the womb and to adapt their movements in the water.
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