Smile, stick out your tongue, and make other expressions for your infant to study, learn, and imitate. Use a favorite toy for your newborn to focus on and follow, or shake a rattle for your infant to find. Let your baby spend some awake time lying on the tummy to help strengthen the neck and shoulders.
When should you start having playtime with your newborn? From the first moment you hold your newborn you are engaging their senses. They peer up at your face, hear your voice, and feel the warmth of your skin. These simple connections are the very beginning of what can count as “play” in the early newborn days.
Although a very young baby can't hold toys or take part in games, even the newest of newborns will get bored and lonely if his caregivers don't interact with him during most of his wakeful periods.
At two weeks, your baby's natural reflexes are all-important. She's growing stronger every day, exercising her little muscles by sucking, grasping, rooting (when she searches for your nipple), and blinking. Sometimes, she'll catch your eye and look at you.
Newborn babies can't see well, can't sit unsupported, and can't grab objects. But they still like being entertained and appreciate toys pitched at their developmental level. The key is to buy toys that can be used by babies at their current age and stage while encouraging further exploration and skill sharpening.
When your baby is awake, give him or her supervised time on his or her tummy so he or she can develop upper body muscles. Focus and begin to make eye contact with you. Blink in reaction to bright light. Respond to sound and recognize your voice, so be sure and talk to your baby often.
Normal Breathing Noises
Some common baby sounds you might hear include: Gurgling (caused by saliva pooling at the back of the mouth) Hiccups (babies are prone to hiccups, which often begin while they are still in the womb)2 Snorts (especially when your newborn is in deep sleep)
Interact with your baby often.
Your baby loves the sound of your voice. So talk, read, sing, and coo away during these first few months. Respond enthusiastically to your baby's sounds and smiles.
But many first-time parents find that after the first month of parenthood, it can actually get more difficult. This surprising truth is one reason many experts refer to a baby's first three months of life as the “fourth trimester.” If months two, three, and beyond are tougher than you expected, you're not alone.
However, while they may not think like an older person, babies think from the time they are born. These first thoughts, called protothoughts, are based on sensations, as children this young are not capable of specifying everything they perceive with words or images.
Sometimes, or a lot of the time, they want that same close, warm, safe feeling they had when they were in the womb. Being held is as close as they can get to the comfort they're familiar with. Additionally, research shows that physical touch is calming for babies and facilitates the parent-child bond.
Gently rub their back. If your baby goes to sleep, remember to always lay her down in her crib on her back. Turn on a calming sound. Sounds that remind babies of being inside the womb may be calming, such as a white noise device, the humming sound of a fan, or the recording of a heartbeat.
Even young infants just a few days old should get two or three tummy time play sessions per day, each lasting three to five minutes. Playing doesn't have to mean entertaining your baby with toys all day long.
The longer you hold your baby, the better. Any amount of time is good, but it is best to try for at least 1 to 2 hours each day.
Most people find the first six to eight weeks to be the hardest with a new baby, and whilst people may not openly discuss many of the challenges in these early weeks of parenthood (if at all), there are a number of common hurdles you may face at this time.
Sleepless nights are common in new parenthood, but they do not last forever. Most babies will begin to sleep for longer periods at night from the age of 6 months old. Newborn babies need to feed every few hours until the age of 3 months. After this, it is normal for infants to feed once or twice during the night.
Smiles: Babies who are well nourished and tenderly cared for will grin, smile, and light up for their special caregivers. Appetite: If he feels relaxed and comfortable and plays vigorously with crib or floor toys, your baby will nurse and eat with pleasure. Voice: Happy babies vocalize a lot. They squeal.
Your baby sees things best from 8 to 12 inches away. This is the perfect distance for gazing up into the eyes of mom or dad (a favorite thing to do!). Any farther than that, and newborns see mostly blurry shapes because they're nearsighted.
Your newborn might go straight back to sleep after feeding or they might stay awake long enough for a short play. Some newborns get tired after being awake for 1-1½ hours. Some stay awake and alert longer. Newborns sleep during the day and night.
Consequences of Not Talking to Your Baby
For starters, babies will learn to speak more slowly than if you did talk to them. Not speaking with your children means their vocabularies will be smaller. Not conversing with your children also means that you're spending less time paying attention to and interacting with them.
Most babies will begin laughing around month three or four.
This is how your baby's brain grows. There is a lot of activity happening in their brain during light sleep, and their body often reacts to this stimulation by moving, twitching, making lots of noises and facial expressions including smiles.