Baby development Week By Week - Birth To 1 1/2 Months

"A teacher can only take you to the threshold of your mind."

Kahlil Gibran

Shakespeare spoke of the 'seven ages of man'. The young and the old stand on the threshold of the unknown. The old we can only comfort but the young we can guide.

In the first three years of that journey we have the privilege of being able to help our children every step of the way towards becoming the unique individual they were created to be.

Let's take a look at the characteristics of each stage of this relatively brief but immensely significant journey:

Baby development Week By Week: Birth to 1½ months

- Just like the elderly your baby will sleep most of each day but for short periods of time.

- Hands will be kept clenched in fists

· Your baby will watch and listen to people and things around him/her

· He/she will cry as a signal they are uncomfortable maybe because of hunger, boredom, as a release of energy and tension or a diaper change signal.

· Being held or cuddled is important to your baby. TIME-TOUCH-TALK is things every relationship will always need.

· He/she will need to suck his/her hand or thumb - some babies never stop till late teens!

· He/she will utter simple sounds.

· Sudden changes like loud sounds or bright lights will startle your baby and often cause him/her to cry

· When laying on his/her back your baby will turn his/her head from side to side

· He she is able to see most clearly objects placed 20-38 cm from his/her face.

Baby development Week By Week: Language Development

What You Can Do:

Your child is beginning to notice the difference between voices and other sounds -

Get you baby to become familiar with your voice by talking and singing to him/her.

You will notice him/her turning to the sound of your voice - get close and make eye contact so he/she will associate your face with the sound of your voice.

Pitch your voice higher and speak slowly using shorter sentences.

He/she is beginning to respond to sounds - create an environment filled with soft music, gentle conversation etc. Try and provide times of quiet. Noise from the TV and radio shouldn't be loud enough to startle him/her. Try talking and singing in a soothing voice.

Different cries can mean different things- you will soon be able to differentiate the different sounds your baby makes when he/she cries. Crying is the way he/she will express impatience, lack of attention/affection/ stimulus overload (don't pack the cot with gizmos!), tiredness etc.

There are lots of ways you can soothe your baby like holding him over your shoulder (when he's crying) or cuddling, rocking, singing and letting him suck on a dummy.

Baby development Week By Week: Intellectual Development

What you can do:

Hold rock and smile at your baby. He now needs continuous feelings of love and security.

Move him through the air with gentle rocking and sweeping motions.

He/she is beginning to focus on black and white contrasting patterns as his retina and pupils continue to mature. The easiest things for him to see are black and white patterns like stripes and checks not pastel shades that we traditionally associate with babies.

He/she is now becoming more aware of his/her environment so put him/her in an infant seat you can move to different locations around the house. Place the seat in different positions to provide different views.

You will need to keep the room dimly lit as your baby is now sensitive to bright lights. This will enable him/her to keep his/her eyes open longer. At night a darkened room is best.

He/she will now begin to stare at faces. Make sure he can see your face when you feed or talk to him.

This is the time play the imitation game where you imitate your baby's expressions and keep the game going as long as he/she is interested.

If your baby tries to bring his fist to his/her mouth then help him as this is the first sign of co-ordination.

Baby development Week By Week: Emotional Development

It is vital you respond to your baby when he/she cries as this creates the sense of security he/she needs as a new baby. You are building your child's trust.

Too much stimulation will show if your baby turns her face away from you becomes sleepy, fails to respond. Try and recognise these signs and keep his/her environment as calm and pleasant as possible making sure baby has quiet times.

Your baby will prefer looking at people's faces to any other kind of stimuli as he/she is showing the first signs of socialization. Make sure you respond to her/him when she is alert and make sure you cuddle your baby making frequent eye contact.

Your baby will now smile when she sees you and, occasionally, stop crying when held. Smile and talk gently to him/her and if she cries pick her up and comfort her.

Let your baby grasp your fingers as she/he is now responding to touch.

Your baby will be sensitive to your moods. Make your enjoyment obvious when you are with him/her.

Baby development Week By Week: Motor Development

By placing your baby on his stomach at least once a day for a short time you will help him strengthen his neck and upper body. His head will continue to need support through this period.

He/she will now begin to follow you with their eyes. Try moving an object in front of him so he is encouraged to follow it.

Make sure that after the first few weeks you don't wrap his blanket too tight to allow for movement.

I remember when I removed the dummies from my twins because I thought they were becoming too dependant. They still haven't forgiven me! Sucking gives your baby great comfort so allow him to use his thumb or dummy.

Try and avoid sudden noises, bright lights and changes of position. The best way to calm and comfort your baby in the first few weeks is do what my grandmother did - wrap him Welsh fashion (swaddle).

Children develop at their own pace. This never changes. Later in life they will adopt their own particular learning style.

If you are worried seek medical advice, but remember, apparently Einstein didn't speak until he was three years old and he did ok...eventually.