Baby’s Motor Skills

“The ultimate goal of physical motor development is to make the human organism as independent of gravity as is possible within the limitations of the human body.”

When babies begin to participate and engage in the world around them it is indicative of them becoming more and more independent.  From the moment a baby is born into this world they will begin the process of developing the motor skills that are necessary for them to take command of that which is around them and for them to relate with their environment.  Because of this at Baby Nursery Bedding, we think a baby who has mastered the motor skill of sitting up without help, for example, will have a completely different outlook on the environment that they are a part of than a baby who has not yet mastered this skill and needs assistance from objects or adults to help them up.  You will find as your baby begins to stack skill upon skill that their experience of the world, and in turn the complexity of newly learned skills, will grow exponentially.  As your baby’s motor skills grow and become more complex, so will your baby’s overall interaction with their environment.

Physical development can be broken up in to three-month intervals and divided into two categories: gross motor skills and fine motor skills.  Gross motor skills are the term used to describe your baby’s ability to control different parts of her own body.  Fine motor skills refer to your baby’s level of coordination of different body parts, such as picking up an object with their thumb and forefinger.

Infant muscle development starts at the head and works its way down. Your baby will first develop control over the neck muscles.  Soon after that they will learn to control the torso, and finally the leg muscles.  Your baby will then start sitting up on their own, crawling a bit, and turning over by herself. They will enjoy being bounced on your knee, which is an excellent way for your baby to begin to develop balance.  By the time they are around eight months old they will start learning how to stand up on their own and will try to pull themselves upright by holding on to objects with your help.  

Typically, a baby will start walking between nine and fifteen months, with the majority of babies walking just after the age of one (around thirteen to fourteen months).  If your baby cannot walk but has no problem crawling, standing, or sitting upright, this is completely normal.  Some babies skip the crawling phase entirely and can start walking as late as seventeen to nineteen months.

There are things you can do as a parent to stimulate your baby to begin the process of learning to walk.  Although many parents believe that they need to get their babies expensive toys and walking aids to facilitate early development, this is completely untrue.  What you need to do most is interact with your child as much as possible; this is to facilitate brain development. Babies love to hear stories.  This is not just recreational or for entertainment, but very important for helping along your baby’s brain development.  Instead of telling your baby a story and making it up as you go along, try reading it aloud to them from a book.  This will help them develop their vocabulary. Play with them, talk to them, sing to them.  The reason younger children in a family develop at a faster rate than their older siblings is that they have someone to interact with constantly (not just mom and dad, but big brother or big sister as well).  As far as toys and walking aids, walkers are definitely NOT recommended, because babies tend to rely on them too much.  As a result of using walkers their upper leg muscles will not develop as well as they should and this could lead to a delay in the development of motor skills necessary for walking.  Furthermore, each year there are around 200,000 injuries sustained to babies due to walker use.  Around 30,000 of these injuries are severe and include fractures, dislocations, and broken bones.  Canada has banned the use of walkers and the American Medical Association, as well as various other organizations, has proposed a ban on walkers in the United States.  Do not get a walker for your baby.

There are some things you can do to help your baby along in the process of developing the motor skills necessary for walking on their own.  Here are a few tips:

·        Don’t let your baby wear shoes indoors. It is much easier for a baby to learn to walk barefoot. 

·        When you are holding your baby while trying to assist them in walking don’t hold their legs or hands. You can hold them by the torso. 

·        Try to encourage your baby to develop walking motor skills by calling them to come to you or by placing a favorite toy just out of reach so that they crawl towards it.  This will help them engage in these actions on their own volition and will expedite the development of several necessary skills for independence. 

·        Make sure the floor is not too slippery; your baby may not find it easy to balance on a slippery floor and this can be dangerous for a baby just learning to balance.

At Baby Nursery Bedding Outlet, we consider that motor skills are not exactly the same thing as hand and eye coordination but they are pretty closely related. The development of hand-eye coordination often parallels and/or compliments the development of gross and fine motor skills. There are some activities your baby can do to increase their coordination and develop their motor skills, such as:

·        Puzzles: Get your baby started on jigsaw puzzles.  Let them start off on small puzzles of 4-5 pieces.  There are baby-styled puzzles available that have little handles on them for babies to grip.  As they get adjusted to the idea, start them off on puzzles of a higher level.  Don’t get very complicated puzzles for them as they may get frustrated if they can’t do it and this could make them develop feelings of frustration.

·        Baby-sized Lego Blocks: These types of blocks are the kind which require construction and which require pegs to be placed and fitted in certain places.  These big blocks are excellent for developing motor skills.

·        Plastic building blocks: These types of blocks allow babies to stack and build things that require balance and use a different set of hand/eye coordination skills and motor skills.

·        Peg and hole toys: These are toys that are made of plastic and have holes fitted to plastic pegs for the baby to differentiate different shapes and also to develop motor skills and hand/eye coordination.

·        Plastic “Doughnuts”:  Another popular toy for encouraging the development of motor skills is the graduated soft plastic Doughnuts that fit on a plastic center pole.  Your baby can stack these and will soon learn more about shapes, sizes and colors, and how they relate to one another.

The chart below illustrates a rough timeline for milestones you can expect your baby to cross in the first year and half:

Until next time,

Dorothy Slater

http://www.babynurserybeddingoutlet.co.uk

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Welcome to part 7 of Baby Nursery Bedding guide on parenting from birth to one year your baby will go from crying to cooing to talking.  Those are amazing milestones for your baby to accomplishment in such a short period of time as he develops his speech and language skills. This chapter takes a look at your baby’s vocal development for the first year and tells you just what you can expect to see each month.  Keep in mind that these stages of your baby’s development are broad and that no baby will fall exactly within the timeframe of these expected milestones. 

One month.  Your baby will understand speech long before he begins to speak.  From birth they will look at your face and listen to your voice.  They will make a small range of noises that will start to mean something to you, such as their way of exhibiting hunger or pain.  These noises will include crying and certain sounds that your baby makes while they are breathing.  When your baby is feeding they will make sucking noises and sounds of contentment.

Your baby’s cry is an important way for them to communicate.  Crying lays the foundation for speech as your baby learns to control the air that comes from their lungs and learns how to use their vocal cords.  Crying is your baby’s way of telling you that they  are hungry, upset, or cold.  By listening carefully to your baby and responding to their cries you are letting them know that they are important to you.  This is how your baby first learns to communicate with you.

Two months.  Your two-month old baby is starting to pay more and more attention to their world.  They will be fascinated by the sound of your voice and will follow it around the room with great concentration.  The different tones of your voice will keep them interested for short periods of time.  Your baby will respond with a variety of cooing sounds, vowel-like sounds, and sometimes some consonant sounds such as a “k”.  You will find that your baby has quite a collection of cooing sounds that they use to communicate with you as well as discover how to use the sound of their own voice. 

At Baby Nursery Bedding, we recommend that you talk to your baby as much as possible to encourage their cooing response.  Look directly into your baby’s eyes to show that you are listening.  This helps to establish signals of communication between the two of you.

Three months.  Your baby will recognize your voice and will turn towards you when they hear you talking.  They will be starting to laugh out loud and will often startle themselves until they learn that they are the one making the sound.  Your baby will be making sounds such as “ahhhh gooo”. They will squeal when they are happy and content, again often startling themselves as they learn their own abilities.

Continue to talk to your baby as much as possible, as well as singing to them and reading them stories.  At Baby Nursery Bedding, we think the more you communicate with your baby and let them know that you are listening, the more they will attempt to communicate with you.

Four months.  Your baby is learning more and more ways to communicate with you.  They will be smiling spontaneously at everything around them.  Their soft babbling will have an almost singsong sound to it, often ranging into a high pitch that delights them as they learn to like the sound of their own voice.  There will be lots of repetition to the sounds that your baby makes.

Make sure that you respond to your baby’s “oohs” and “ahhs” with your own voice tones.  This is your “chat time” with your baby and you should take advantage of these chatty times as they learn what conversation is all about.  Your baby may also be starting to let you know when they are not in the mood for talking with you. They will turn their head in the other direction and may put their arm over their face. Theye may be showing signs of anger or frustration by crying out, especially if something is taken away from them.

Five months.  Your baby is becoming better at communicating.  They may start to mimic sounds and gestures which will allow them to express their needs.  They’ll be able to let you know if their happy or sad.  When your baby wants attention they’ll start to babble until you respond to them.  If you respond to their cooing and laughing sounds they’ll repeat these noises often because they know that they can get your attention this way.

Your baby will now be watching your mouth when you talk.  If you talk to them from across the room they’ll be able to locate you easily.  They are learning to control their vocal sounds and watch for your response to their sounds.

Six months. Your baby is now using consonant-vowel combinations.  They have discovered their image in the mirror and are probably having conversations with their new “playmate”.  Your baby’s language is becoming much more precise.  There are several ways that you can help them to continue to develop their language skills by:

• Speaking clearly, slowly, and accurately.
• Identify objects as you say their names.
• Using short sentences.
• Using repetition when singing songs and nursery rhymes; the repetition will help them to learn.
• Read as often as you can to your baby, asking questions about the pictures in the books so that your baby is interacting with you.
• Never talk “at” your baby, let them respond in his own way.
  

Seven months.  Your baby continues to learn how to use their language skills.  They have learned how to wave goodbye and may accompany this wave with babbling sounds.  They can say “mama” or “dada”.

Eight months.  Your baby is playing games such as pat a cake and peek-a-boo.  Even though they can’t speak the words that belong to these games, they can babble and talk to themselves.  Your baby understands the word “no” means, even though they doesn’t like hearing it.

Nine months.  Continue to play lots of games with your baby, especially those games that involve singing.  Your baby is responding to small sentences, such as “Take mommy’s hand.”

Ten months.  Your baby’s language skills continue to develop.  They are using their own gibberish language to interact with you and have a conversation.

Eleven months.  Your baby can now say short, one syllable words such as “bye” and continues to talk in this conversational gibberish language.  There are several ways that you can help your baby as they learn and practice their language skills:

• Talk often to your baby using simple words to identify objects in their life.  Name trees, numbers, colors, and animals as you take your baby for a walk.  Use your baby’s name as often as you can so they start to recognize it.
• Be patient and listen when your baby talks to you.  Respond to their talking in a positive way, often repeating one or two of the words they have used correctly.
• Introduce concepts to your baby, such as the “big” dog or the “little” mouse.
• Give your baby time to get their words out; don’t be tempted to complete sentences for them.
• Continue to read to your baby as much as possible.  Reading should be part of your daily routine.
  

Twelve months. At the one year mark your baby’s language skills are continuing to progress as they discover more and more about the world around them.  Before you know it your baby will be talking non-stop as they master their language and vocal skills.

Dorothy

http://www.babynurserybeddingoutlet.co.uk

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“Celebrating Motherhood – A Tribute to Mothers” by Wendy Jensen, this is a lovely FREE e-book that I thought you might enjoy. To download this book, go to “Celebrating Motherhood – A Tribute To Mothers”

Regards

Dorothy Slater

Baby Nursery Bedding Outlet

Thinking of keeping your baby in a place near you? It seems like the only option that you have is a Moses basket.

Moses baskets are the easiest way and the most convenient method to do so. These may seem like a small space, but it is quite spacious and enough for your baby. Moses baskets are designed with a soft padding supported by a firm foam safety mattress which is comfortable.  It not only provides comfort, but support as well while your baby sleeps. Most of the modern day Moses baskets have a fully  adjustable canopy which protects your baby from the bright light allowing him/her to sleep without the glare of the lights.

A lot of moses baskets come with a unisex theme which can work for both baby boys and baby girls. There are also different choices for boys or girls. At Baby Nursery Bedding we recommend that the moses baskets really need to have a special Moses basket stand, these are usually an extra cost, but shouldn’t be expensive.  The stand is necessary so that your baby is elevated off the floor making it easier to keep a watchful eye on your precious child.

The phot above is from the Izziwotnot Cream Gift range which is available at baby nursery bedding outlet.

Welcome to the blog for Baby Nursery Bedding! We aim to find the best products for your baby, in the nursery or for anywhere in and around the home. We will advise you on style, colour and all our advice is free, so if you have any questions that you would like us to help you with, contact us on support@babynurserybeddingoutlet.co.uk and we will do our best to help you. We will never recommend any products that do not meet with the British Safety Standards. All our products are U.K. sourced and we love every one of them!

Dorothy Slater

https://www.babynurserybeddingoutlet.co.uk

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http://www.babynurserybeddingoutlet.co.uk
Before you do anything you should go into the nursery and have a look around. What are the things that you will need to make your nursery complete? There is a very good chance that you will not be able to decide on a theme for the nursery until you literally go out and start shopping. This is absolutely normal. In this case, make a list of all the supplies you will be getting for the room.

Duration : 2 min 58 sec

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For the younger mums amongst us women and mothers, many of you might not have heard of “baby nursery bedding bales”. These consist of a number of necessary bedding items for your baby. Usually they contain the cot bumper, quilt, fitted bottom sheet, flat sheet and a blanket for extra warmth.

To purchase your bedding in this way is always more economical than buying them individually. Another plus is that they come as a matching or co-ordinating set, which will enhance the overall look of your nursery or whichever room the cot might be placed in. Let’s be honest, we all like to have matching bedding on our beds, it does look good, not always possible I know, but when it is, it really does look good, so why not start at the beginning and organise you baby’s first sleeping place with a really lovely matching bed set, or more commonly known as a nursery bedding bale

The photograph is of a range named “Cream Gift” by Izziwotnot and this baby nursery bedding bale is suitable for either boy or girl. The Cream Gift range also has a beautiful wicker moses basket in either natural or dark wicker to compliment the bedding bale. It is 100% pure cotton covers with a polyester filling enabling them to be washed whenever necessary, which as a mum you will love so that you can keep baby fresh and clean. Just as we adults like to sleep in clean bedding (and we all do) so does baby. Also because of the fabrics used there is little or no chance an allergic reaction in your baby.

All Izziwotnots products adhere to the strictest British Safety Standards and higher ensuring your baby sleeps peacefully and safely every time.

Visit us at https://www.babynurserybeddingoutlet.co.uk

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Growth charts are tools your pediatrician can use to keep track of your child’s physical growth.  During each checkup, the doctor will measure your baby’s length, weight, and head circumference.  The doctor can then compare the measurements for your baby to a chart of national averages for infants of the same age and sex.  The result is that the doctor will be able to tell you what percentile your baby is in when compared to averages for babies around the nation.  For example, if your doctor tells you your 4-month-old is in the 86th percentile for weight, that means 86 percent of the two-month-olds in your country weigh less, and that 14 percent weigh more.  A baby that is at the 50^th percentile in either height or weight is right at the national average.

At Baby Nursery Bedding, we find that typically, parents seem to worry quite a bit about these percentages, and that worrying is usually needlessly blown out of proportion.  There are many factors that come into play when determining where your baby’s statistics will fall in the percentile chart.  It is very important to remember that no two babies are the same and that every child, due to body chemistry, heredity, diet, and many other factors will grow at their own pace.  Some babies will have growth spurts right from the start and others will take a bit longer to begin major growth periods.  These measurements, charts, and percentile points are merely guides for a doctor to help in assessing your baby’s growth.

In addition to the measurements that your pediatrician will take during regularly scheduled doctor visits, you may also want to track your baby’s growth at home.  Keep in mind that the measurements you take at home may or may not be as accurate as the measurements your doctor takes, but they can provide a certain degree of insight into the growth of your baby and many new parents have found it to be a fascinating way to participate in the parenting process.

Here are some tips that Baby Nursery Bedding think can be of help to you, as inquisitive parents, track your baby’s growth at home using commercially available scales and other measuring devices.

If baby is too small to stand upright on the scale, you can try using this procedure:

·        With your baby in your arms, step onto a standard bathroom scale.

·        Make note of the weight displayed on the scale and write it down on a piece of paper.

·        Put your baby down and step onto the scale alone this time.

·        Make note of the weight displayed and subtract this number from the combined weight of you and your baby.  The resulting number is your baby’s weight.

To measure your baby’s length all you need to do is lay her down on a flat surface (her changing table is a great place for this task) and stretch a measuring tape from head to toes.  

For the measuring of head circumference all you need to do is wrap the measuring tape around your baby’s head.  You should wrap the measuring tape just above your baby’s eyebrows, so the tape falls right at the top of the ears.  What you are trying to measure is the point around his head that has the largest circumference.

 When taking your baby to the doctor your pediatrician will perform more accurate measurements.  Pediatricians do the “baby measuring thing” on a daily basis and will be able to achieve a much more accurate result than you will at home.  This is due to the fact that they are accustomed to the things babies do that can result in an inaccurate measurement and they have very accurate measuring tools made specifically for the purpose of measuring the characteristics of babies, such as proper baby scales equipped with cradles.  Your doctor will most likely take measurements several times during one visit and average the results together to ensure accuracy and to compensate for any discrepancies that may arise.  It is crucial for the doctor’s measurements to be as accurate as possible because a discrepancy of as little as a few millimeters in length or a few grams in weight can make a difference where your baby falls on the charts.  Since the results of these measurements may determine changes to your baby’s diet, and other possible changes to how your baby is fed and treated during her first year, it is important that these results are as accurate as possible.

Your pediatrician will measure the following characteristics of your baby:

Weight: After calibrating the scale the doctor or nurse will place your completely naked baby on a baby scale.  There are electronic and traditional beam-type versions of the baby scale, but most will typically have the same type of baby holding stainless steel cradle.  After your child is able to stand on her own, your pediatrician will most likely use a standard upright scale.

Length: Like weighing, until your baby is able to stand up on his own, your doctor will perform the height/length measurements with your baby lying down.  Your doctor may use a tape measure, much like you use at home, or may utilize a special “baby-measuring device”, which consists of a headboard and movable footboard to obtain the most accurate results possible

Head circumference: This measurement will be taken in almost the same way you did at home.  The doctor will take the measurement at the point where the head is at its largest circumference, right above the ears and around to the back of the head where the neck meets the cranium.  Usually the pediatrician will record this measurement to the nearest 0.3 cm (1/8^th of an inch).

The head is different from other parts of the body in that the brain is not fully formed at the time of birth and therefore the head will continue to grow during baby’s first year.  Baby’s head is a particular point of concern for the doctor because a head that is growing too rapidly can be a sign of hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and a head that is growing too slowly can be indicative of nutritional or developmental problems.  Regardless, our opinion at Baby Nursery Bedding is that you shouldn’t be too concerned if your baby’s head appears a bit disproportional compared to the rest of her body, as this is completely normal for the first year of life.

Dorothy Slater

http://www.babynurserybeddingoutlet.co.uk

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One of the more complex questions that you will ask yourself during your baby’s first year is: What do I feed her? And when do I feed it? Your baby starts out with the simple requirement of either breast milk or formula. But what happens after the milk? This chapter will help you learn what types of foods to introduce into your baby’s diet at a certain stages of their development. The information here from Baby Nursery Bedding Outlet should only be used as a guideline. Your doctor may provide you with other advice and your baby may have ideas of her own.

For the first four to six months of your baby’s first year all they will need is breast milk or formula. During this time he/she should start to be introduced to solids when they are ready. It is important to know that not all babies will be ready for solids at the same time. So how do you know when they are ready? There are a few simple guidelines that you can follow that will give you the information that you need to start your baby on solid food. You should check with your doctor as well for his/her professional advice. Here are the guidelines for clues as to whether your baby is ready for solids or not:

• Your baby has doubled their birth weight.
• Your baby shows an interest in the foods that you are eating and may try to grab the food from you.
• Your baby consumes 32 oz or more each day of breast milk or formula.
• Your baby often puts things into their mouth.
• Your baby can sit up with some support and can turn his or her head when they are full.

If your baby can do all of the above they are probably ready to be introduced to solid foods. Another indicating factor is that your baby always seems to be hungry. You do not want to introduce solids too early into your baby’s diet. If solids are introduced too early there is an increased risk that they will develop a food allergy. Another reason for waiting for four to six months before introducing solids is because your baby needs to be able to properly chew and swallow before they can start eating food safely. Your baby’s digestive system has to mature a bit so that they can handle the new foods in their diet.

The first six months. During the first six months of your baby’s life breast milk or formula will be all that they will need for nourishment. If you are breastfeeding you will be using cues from your baby as to when they are full or hungry. If you are using formula you will likely have been following the guidelines for how much formula to feed your baby, as well as taking cues from your baby as to when they are full and when they are hungry. The following chart is a guideline for formula feeding:

A note on giving up night feedings: By the time your baby is six months old you will want to think about giving up those night feedings if you haven’t already done so. You should start by offering your baby less and less breast milk or formula during night feedings. Eventually they will stop waking as their body adjusts to not eating during the night. If you are bottle-feeding you can substitute water in your baby’s bottle in place of milk or formula. Your baby is almost ready to start eating solids and once they do, they shouldn’t be as hungry at night.

Four to six months: Introduction to solid food. You should try to wait until your baby is at least four months old before introducing them to anything other than breast milk or formula. You should start by offering your baby tiny amounts of baby cereal thinned with breast milk or formula. You can introduce your baby to fruit juices that are thinned with water. You may want to hold off introducing orange juice for another month or two since orange juice may be too acidic.

Six to seven months: Adding fruits and vegetables. Once your baby has been introduced to cereal you will want to add mashed/strained fruits and vegetables. Start with small amounts (one teaspoonful), increasing gradually as your baby gets used to the new food. You should only introduce one new food at a time and wait 2 to 4 days before introducing something new. This is so that if your baby has an allergic reaction you will be able to pinpoint which food is the culprit.

Make mealtime a happy time with your baby. Make sure that you only put milk or water into baby bottles and juice into a cup or glass. Putting juice into your baby’s bottle can lead to dental problems later down the road due to the sugar content of juices.

Seven to eight months: Adding protein. From seven to eight months you will want to think about adding protein foods to your baby’s diet. Protein foods include strained meats, cottage cheese, egg yolk, yogurt, and dried beans. As with the fruits and vegetables, you will want to introduce one new food at a time and wait 2 to 4 days before introducing a new food, starting with a small helping (one teaspoonful) and gradually increasing.

Eight to twelve months: Adding other foods. By now your baby will be ready to start eating what the rest of the family is eating. Start by adding soft table foods to your baby’s diet such as mashed potatoes, squash, soft meats, and soups. As your baby gets more teeth they will be able to add more foods to their diet.

Here at Baby Nursery Bedding Outlet, we think there are some things that you should keep in mind as your baby tries more and more types of foods.

Your baby does not need to have sugar, salt, desserts, pop, or sweets in their food.

1. Talk to your doctor about the right time to add pasteurized cow’s milk into your baby’s diet.
2. Avoid feeding your baby nuts, seeds, popcorn, raw carrots, and other hard foods.
3. Be sure to feed your baby a variety of good, healthy food so that you are promoting healthy eating habits.
4. It is very important to let your baby feed themselves. As messy as this process may get it is a very important step towards your baby’s independence and motor skills. – Take photos of them messy, they are lovely to look back on (and to embarrass them when they are teenagers!)

As you gradually introduce your baby to food during the first year you should keep in mind that every baby is different and therefore the process of integrating solid food may or may not follow the “usual” course of action. You will find that your baby soon has their favorite foods that they look forward to eating as well as food that they will refuse to eat. Try to listen to what your baby is telling you while remaining within the guidelines outlined here.

Dorothy Slater

http://www.babynursrybeddingoutlet.co.uk

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