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On arrival, who is most surprised? For the newborn who arrives in a totally unknown world, as for his parents who know almost nothing about the little being around whom their whole life will revolve, the adventure promises to be very thrilling! On one side as on the other, the discovery will be made in the same way: by observation.
Good senses at birth
You have, of course, the advantage. First of all because your baby, who sleeps a large part of his time, leaves you free to observe him on the sly. Then, because the imperfection of its “tools” temporarily limits its investigations. And yet, on the side of the senses, he is already well provided for.
He has fine hearing. In the mother’s womb, he was already perceiving sounds; he recognizes the most familiar from birth. Of course, it does not identify noises, but it does differentiate them. Very quickly (the first week), he will react by blinking his eyelids. While a soft sound – human voice, music – soothes him, a sudden outburst – cry, door slam… – makes him jump.
His very sharp sense of touch offers him strong sensations, obtained in particular by your caresses, but also by the movements of his own body.
If his vision is less focused, however, he distinguishes light from darkness, a bright light turns his head and he perceives shapes. It will improve over the first few days.
He can also smell and taste. A newborn baby identifies the four basic flavors: sweet, salty, sour, bitter. And guess for which he already shows a very clear predilection?
All in reflexes
From a motor point of view, on the other hand, a baby is very limited. Its muscle tone is concentrated in its limbs (which explains their almost permanent flexion), while it is very weak in the head and trunk. Because he cannot control his neck muscles, he cannot hold his head upright. And since it is the same with the vertebral and lumbar muscles, he can even less sit still. Lying down, he resumes the fetal position, legs bent; on his stomach, he lifts his little butt up in the air. All its movements are involuntary, governed by so-called archaic or primary reflexes, acquired gradually during gestation. We usually know the four or five main reflexes, but at birth, a baby has many more. The principle of these automatic movements: the body reacts on its own to stimulation, without the newborn being able to control it. little glimpse of the most astonishing.
Easy to observe, the sucking reflex is triggered by simply placing a finger on the infant’s mouth. His lips part automatically to suck on the finger. This reflex complements that of the “cardinal points”: when we touch the corners of the lips or the cheek, his head turns towards the stimulated area, and he tries to suck … This allows him to orient himself to find the back. maternal breast nipple. On the taste side, we discovered the preference of infants for the sweet flavor thanks to the gusto-facial reflex: it is this which makes them express pleasure or displeasure by a little mimicry.
Nicely nicknamed, the “fencer reflex”, the tonic neck reflex appears when the newborn, when lying on his back, turns his head: the arm and leg on the side of the head stretch out, while those on the opposite side bend back.
The kissing reflex (or Moro reflex) is caused by a stressful situation: the forearms and back tighten, the arms and fingers spread, then the arms close and flex. This defense reflex thus appears when the baby is lifted and he feels his head, deprived of support, go back. He usually manifests his annoyance with a cry or an expression of anxiety.
Annoying, the grabbing reflex (or “grasping reflex”) makes the baby’s hand close tightly at the slightest touch of the palm. Which prevents him from grabbing anything.
Automatic walking promises you some pleasant moments of observation: held in an upright position, the toddler sketches steps – on the soles of the feet when he is born at term, on the tip if he is born prematurely. It also has the automatic swimming reflex (small movements in the water and breathing blocked in immersion). Finally, if you stroke her arch when her leg is extended, the cross extension reflex causes the other leg to bend and move towards the source of stimulation.
The pediatrician carefully monitors the presence and proper functioning of the main archaic reflexes, guarantees of satisfactory development. During the first six months, most of them will turn into voluntary movements. This does not mean that the child will no longer have instinctive reflexes, but only that he will be able to control his movements better and better.
Body contact with his parents is essential for the baby. It forms the basis of your first games with it. By manipulating your infant, you help him discover and become aware of his body. But above all, you give him that warmth, that confidence that he so badly needs. If you overdo it, his grimaces and squints will warn you!
The evolution will take place in stages, as the cerebral system matures, the muscular tone of the limbs passes towards the axis of the body, and the strengthening of its muscles. And that will open up many horizons for him!
The first two months, messy but progress
No reflex has changed yet. His movements remain disorderly.
Unable to change his position, the infant remains as it was placed. Lying on his back, he maintains an asymmetrical attitude of the body and limbs. You absolutely have to support her head by lifting it, because she is nodding. However, lying on his stomach, he raises her fleetingly.
His vision has made notable progress. We notice that it follows eyes, in particular the displacement of a face. From the first months, the newborn shows a preference for human faces. Likewise, he adores most of all the sound of the human voice. So much so that, around 5 months, he knows how to differentiate the intonations.
In the second month, the parents attend, under the spell, an event: the first real smile, less poetically called the “social smile” by professionals.
This is the start of a mutual communication aware of these exchanges which will contribute so much to its development. The toddler tries to catch the eye. He is no longer content to hear the sound of the human voice: he listens to it. And he himself emits more and more diverse sounds.
His movements become less jerky, more flexible. Lying on his back, his limbs are always flexed or semi-flexed. But his hands remain open more often.
A more toned head: lying on his stomach, he keeps it at 45 ° in the extension of the back. Made possible by the increased tone of the neck, the transition from a nodding head to an upright head occurs gradually over the first few months. It will be necessary to support the neck for up to 6 months.
The third month, a little more toned
With cerebral maturation, certain archaic reflexes disappear, in particular that of gripping: his hands no longer close at the slightest touch on the palm.
He can’t grab an object yet. Too bad for him, because he observes them, follows them with envy, especially if they are colored or if they make noise. He reaches out to them when he’s on his back. For the moment, he only enjoys what is called “contact grip”: when you place a rattle in contact with his hand, he opens it and closes it on him. But he only holds it back for a few seconds. His body also interests him keenly and he looks at his hands.
If we keep him seated, he keeps his head straight, but the lumbar region remaining weak, his back is rounded. We can’t leave him in that position yet.
Laying down on the chest, he now lifts the top of the trunk, leaning on his forearms. On his back, he moves his legs happily, alternating flexion and extension …
Its visual and sound universe expands. He distinguishes colors. He turns his head towards the source of a noise. And his vocal broadcasts have grown considerably: first cries of joy, first “areu”, or chirping, more scientifically called “prolonged vocalizations”.
The fourth month, the tongue and the body loosen
After the shouts of joy, the bursts of laughter! The infant, who now reacts to his first name, is decidedly becoming more and more talkative. The sounds it produces are no longer “reactionary”, in response to good or bad sensations. A real dialogue is established between him and his parents. However, he does not fully control his voice broadcasts… of which he is sometimes the first to be surprised!
He continues to explore his body by touching his stomach and knees, lying on his back. Using his brand new control of the abdominal muscles, he produces pelvic movements that cause him to roll onto his side.
He lost the first reflex of automatic swimming, but it “swims” in the prone position. Its members then go to full extension.
If you put an object in your hand, he grabs it, shakes it in all directions but often loses it! His hands alone serve him as toys, now that he can bring them together.
The fifth month, everything to the mouth
With the appearance of voluntary prehension, the toddler will be able to better satisfy his lust for objects. Finally, he grabs a toy on his own – provided it is large enough. Still awkwardly, it must be admitted, because he only uses the palm and the last three fingers of the hand. And immediately, he brings it to his mouth!
If he is lying down and is drawn to him, he participates and can even remain seated, provided the back is supported. He makes the most of his deckchair, before being too restless to stay there without risk. For his greatest happiness, because he only sleeps “only” fifteen hours on average (against seventeen to twenty when he was born), he can thus take a better part in family life. From this vantage point, he receives valuable auditory and visual information.
Pedaling becomes one of his favorite activities when he’s on his back. Like when he is held in an upright position, and he alone supports a large part of his body weight.
He tries to go from the stomach to the back, and will soon achieve it. He is already well supported on his forearms, palms flat; and even on the bust, arms extended to the side, like a small plane.
He smiles in his image by discovering it in front of a mirror, and emits these little noises of which he now has the secret.
The sixth month, a new palette of skills and emotions
That’s it ! He turns from his stomach to his back, and even from his back to his stomach. What he does not yet manage to do, despite his best efforts, is to sit up on his own when he is on his back – a position in which he shows a keen interest in his feet, an inexhaustible source of fun.
He can now play on his stomach, getting up on his hands and letting go to rest on the trunk.
With a good voluntary grip, he catches, alone, the toys placed within his reach, holds them firmly and passes them from one hand to the other. He can even afford the luxury of handling a toy, while lusting for another object with his gaze. He begins to understand that the object exists even when he does not see it. However, if he looks around for his toy when he has dropped it, it will be about 9 months before he tries to find the toys if he can no longer see them.
Held upright, he enjoys hopping, making his legs support almost all the weight of his body. Sitting down, he manages to join his feet.
His sound production is diversifying: he cooed, howled, shouted, growled… He varied the pitch, intensity, duration and intonation of the sounds. And this, under control, with interruption at will.
He expresses his feelings, pleasure or discontent. Try, just to see, to steal a toy from him! When he wants a little hug, he stretches out his arms to you bluntly… What is the point of resisting?
First discovery toys: the essentials
The giraffe Sophie. Easy to grip and to keep, light and flexible, this toy classic has never met a competitor to its height.
The rattle. First agitated by the parents, it captivates the infant, who seizes it as soon as it can. Vary the pleasures with models with different textures and sounds, but avoiding hard plastics.
The portico. It attracts both the eye and the ear. The baby can also handle the elements on his own, without fear of them escaping him. However, as precisely, the swing requires a lot of concentration and tires quickly, you must avoid leaving your child (from three months) in front of or below for more than ten minutes in a row.
The awakening mat. From 3-4 months, lying on your stomach for brief awakening sessions, then in a sitting position at 8-9 months, it is an inexhaustible source of discoveries.