How can you encourage your baby’s learning?

• Display delight, encouragement and enthusiasm for their achievements
• Make and play with sounds together
• Get into a routine – eat, sleep, play, repeat
• Make positive eye contact as often as possible
• Talk and sing to them
• Play simple games e.g. peek-a-boo
• Smile back when he or she smiles at you

What are some of the different developmental milestones you can observe?

Physical

• moves whole body
• squirms, waves arms, moves legs up and down
• the emergence of eating and sleeping patterns
• responds to being placed on a flat surface
• reacts to sudden loud noises
• head turns to side when cheek touched
• sucking motions with mouth (seeking nipple)
• responds to gentle touching, cuddling, rocking
• shuts eyes tight in bright sunlight
• able to lift head and chest when laying on stomach
• begins to roll from side to side
• starts reaching to swipe at dangling objects
• able to grasp object that is put into hands

Social

• smiles and laughs
• makes eye contact when held about 20cm from face of adult looking at them
• may sleep most of the time
• alert and preoccupied with faces
• moves head to sound of voices

Emotional

• bonding
• cries (peaks at about six to eight weeks and levels off at about 12-14 weeks)
• cries when hungry or uncomfortable and usually stops when held
• shows excitement as parent prepares for feeding

Cognitive

• smiles and laughs
• looks toward direction of sound
• eyes track slow moving targets for brief periods e.g. follows your finger
• looks at edges, patterns with light/dark contrast and faces
• mimics adult tongue movements when being held and talked to
• learns through sensory experiences
• repeats actions but unaware of ability to cause actions

Language

• cries
• when content makes small throaty noises e.g. coos and gurgles (makes ‘goo’ and ‘gah’ sounds)
• soothed by sound of voice or by low rhythmic sounds
• mimics adult tongue movements when being held and talked to
• may start to copy sounds
• expresses needs i.e. by making sounds or actions

Please seek advice from your local community health worker or doctor if your baby is:

• floppy or stiff
• crying a lot
• arching his/her back
• not responding to sounds
• not showing interest or responding when played with
• not feeding as expected
• not starting to make sounds
• not responding to familiar faces

To know more about childcare & early learning near Moscot and North Sydney, Call Us Today!