A baby has appeared in your family – it’s wonderful! But young mothers often do not understand a lot: whether the child is developing correctly, whether he has health problems, how to help him master the world. Woman’s Day will tell you about the peculiarities of the child’s development from the first month to one year, and our expert, pediatrician Elena Startseva, will clarify which symptoms of the baby are best shown to the doctor.
First month: what a child should be able to do
So far, the baby has not skills, but reflexes that are given to him from birth. They help him feed, protect him from the dangers of this world, and at the same time help to explore him. There are 10 most important of them.
- Sucking and swallowing reflexes. They help find and suckle the breast. Tickle your baby’s nose or chin with your nipple and he will turn his head and open his mouth. True, for a week or two he will not yet understand what to do with the breast in order to get enough. And you yourself have to put the nipple in his mouth. This reflex disappears by four months.
- Gag reflex. He saves the child from the danger of choking, forcing him to push any object out of his mouth with the help of his tongue. This reflex remains with us for life, but the language is involved in it only up to 6 months. After that, the child can learn to swallow solid food.
- Withdrawal reflex. The toddler pulls back a leg or a handle if they are pricked or hurt.
4. Breath holding reflex. It protects the baby while swimming: if the baby slides into the water, it stops breathing for a few seconds so as not to choke. As soon as you lift it out of the water, breathing will resume. This reflex disappears by three months. That is why the followers of early swimming recommend teaching babies to dive before this period – after all, if you stimulate the holding of breath reflex, it will turn from innate into an acquired one.
5. Crawl reflex. If you put the baby on his tummy and put his hands on his soles, he will start to push off from them, as if crawling away. The reflex will disappear by the third month of the baby’s life.
6. Reflex to maintain the correct head position. It helps your baby to keep his head, legs and torso in a position that is as safe as possible for breathing. For example, if you put a newborn on its stomach, it will turn its head to the side to breathe. And if you put a diaper on the baby lying on his back, he will begin to turn his head and wave his arms, as if trying to throw it off.
7. Grasping reflex. The baby clenches its fists when objects, mom’s fingers or hair fall into them. Later, with the help of this reflex, he will learn to grab toys, and then make more complex movements. The grasping reflex weakens by three months, and will disappear by six months.
8. The swordsman’s reflex. If a newborn, lying on its back, turns its head to the side, an arm and a leg will turn after it – and the baby assumes the so-called fencer’s pose. By three or four months, the reflex disappears.
9. Reflexes of the foot. If you press the baby’s foot at the base of the toes, they will shrink, and if you slide along the outer edge of the foot, they will straighten.
10. Walking reflex. If the newborn is held above the surface so that he rests on it with his legs, he will begin to step over them – squeeze one, straighten the other, as if walking. The reflex will disappear by the third month.
Height and weight: weight – from 2,8 kg to 4 kg, height – from 46 cm to 56 cm.
Features during this period: the baby’s senses are not yet developed, so we can say that he sees poorly, hears poorly and does not coordinate his movements.
A newborn may have a convergent squint (it will go away in about two to two and a half months), nystagmus (twitching of the eyeballs). But by the end of the month, as a rule, babies learn to fix their eyesight on an object – most often this is their mother’s face. Nature is designed so that the baby sees exactly him during breastfeeding, so the newborn sees more or less well what is located 20 centimeters from him.
The child’s hearing is also reduced in the first two weeks, since the tympanic cavity is filled with fluid. But by the end of the month, he begins to perceive voices, music and distinguish his mother’s and father’s speech from others.
During this period, the baby is not aware of his body as something separate, for him the whole world around him and he himself are one. His movements are chaotic. Moreover, he does not own his arms and legs, does not understand that they belong to him. That is why newborns are swaddled when they are put to bed – the baby can sharply wave the handle and get scared himself.
For a newborn, muscle hypertonicity is characteristic: his arms are constantly bent at the elbows, his legs are at the knees, the arms are clenched into fists. In a developed child up to a month, this is a physiological norm.
How to develop a child: during this period, development should be aimed at improving the baby’s vision, hearing and muscle sense. The first two senses are trained with toys, the third – with massage and gymnastics.
1. Rattle games. You can start practicing as early as the second week of your baby’s life. Show your baby a bright rattle at a distance of 40 centimeters to the baby lying on his back. Then, shaking it, slowly move to the right, then to the left. Bring it 20 centimeters closer, then move it back. This is how the child learns to fix his gaze and follow the toy. The older the baby, the longer the game can last and the faster and more varied its pace will be.
Let the kid take a good look at your face – it is more entertaining for him than any toy!
Also, hearing develops with the help of rattles, a tambourine or a metallophone. At a distance of 30-40 centimeters from the child, rattle or knock them, but so that he does not see the toy yet. When, after several repetitions, the baby begins to look for the source of the sound with his eyes, he needs to show the rattle.
Now there are many books for newborns on sale – large pictures are installed against the walls of the crib, and the child, lying on its side (this is the best position for a baby of this age!), Examines them. It is best if the pictures are in black and white – bright colors frighten the baby for now. And with great pleasure he will look at your black and white photos with your husband!
2. Gymnastics. The most effective exercise for a baby in the first months of life is to lay on his stomach on a hard surface (for example, on a changing table covered with a sheet) in the frog position, with the head on one side. You need to do it at least 30 minutes after eating! Firstly, this is how the abdominal muscles are strengthened, which means less problems with the tummy – less gas, constipation, and a decrease in the risk of an umbilical hernia. Secondly, muscle tone is removed from the legs. Thirdly, it is in this position that newborns learn to raise and hold their head. And finally, fourthly, it is in the prone position that the baby will later learn to roll over and crawl.
Entrust the therapeutic massage to professionals, but you can do some exercises from it yourself already in the third week of your baby’s life. Start gymnastics by stroking the arms, legs, tummy (clockwise), back.
1. Stimulate the reflexes of the foot – press on the foot at the base of the toes so that they contract, and then slide with pressure along the outer edge of the foot – they will open.
2. Put the baby on the back, fold the arms crosswise on the chest, pull the bent legs to the stomach, and tilt the head slightly towards the chest. It is in this position that the baby has been in your stomach for all 9 months, and it will now help relieve the increased tone. Wiggle back and forth, the exercise develops the vestibular apparatus of the child.
3. In the “frog” pose, it is convenient to do one more exercise – crawling. Grasp the baby’s shins and touch with pressure to his soles. The child will reflexively straighten the legs and push off from your hands.
4. At the end of the month, you can gently begin exercises on a large inflatable ball. Lay the newborn on it in the same frog position, gently swing the ball back and forth in a circle.
Mom should be alerted by the child’s prolonged crying during the day – more than 30 minutes. She fed, changed the diaper, put it down – the baby does not calm down. This may be a manifestation of neurology – a newborn has a headache. At the same time, the child begins to have colic – abdominal pain due to increased gas production. How not to confuse neurology with colic? The latter is related to food. Mom fed the child – after 30-40 minutes colic occurs. And if it’s neurology, it has nothing to do with food.
Other manifestations of neurology: chin shaking while crying. Marbling of the skin is not good, especially if the child is clean, does not freeze. Another point: normally, the child should spit up after each feeding – that’s all. If it spits up more often, it is also a reason to see a doctor.
It should also be alerted if by the end of the first month the baby does not follow the rattle with his eyes. In this case, it is worth checking his eyesight.
What can a child: the first – the most difficult – the period for mom and baby ends. They are almost used to each other and the changed world around them. By the second month, the child already knows how to fix his eyes on an object or face. He follows a moving object and briefly examines a stationary one. The newborn has learned to listen to sounds. And now he separates from the chaos of the world around him the familiar mother’s face, her voice and begins to smile at her! You will immediately distinguish this conscious happy smile from that unconscious blissful smile that could flicker before on his well-fed face after eating.
This month, the child begins to walk, however, his first “agu” is just an exercise of the mouth.
In the middle and towards the end of the second month, most children begin to raise and hold their head, lying on their stomach, for a very short time – for 1–1,5 minutes. To support your baby, continue to do gymnastics with him.
Height and weight: weight – from 3,5 kg to 5 kg, height – from 51 cm to 57 cm.
Features during this period: the hypertonicity gradually begins to decrease – the fists begin to unclench, the legs are straightened more easily.
How to develop a child: continue the games and exercises that you did before. And add some new ones that train the muscles of the neck and arms. It is not necessary to do all the activities every day – you can alternate them. Pay attention to which of them are unpleasant for the child – if he is capricious, put them aside for a while, come back later.
Also, in the 2nd month of life, it is good to conduct the first course of professional massage.
1. Start playing Crow Magpie – This is an excellent massage for the baby’s palms. Stroke first one, then the other in a circular motion with pressure, saying:
The crow-magpie cooked porridge,
She cooked porridge, fed the children.
Now gently massage each finger, pulling it out slightly:
This I gave, this I gave, this I gave, this I gave,
But she did not give it.
Kids usually perceive this game very positively.
2. Another exercise that relieves hypertonicity, and allows the kid to learn new things about this world. Put fabrics and objects of different textures in his cam – fur, suede, silk, wood, wool. Pull gently when the child grips the object.
3. You can start doing exercise “Airplane”… Lie on your back and lay the baby on you – belly to belly. Slowly, holding him by his sides, raise him above you, telling him that he is an airplane and is now taking off. Hold in the air, shake slightly to the right and left (if he does not protest) and lower it back. Repeat until the baby gets bored.
4. Rolling – a very important exercise that will need to be repeated until the baby learns to roll over (this will happen at four to five months). Lay the child on his back, let him grab your index finger on his left hand with his right hand. Pull gently on the right handle so that he rolls first to his left side and then to his stomach. Now let him grab your right index finger with his left hand and pull so that he rolls onto his right side and then onto his back. Please note: when rolling onto the back, you need to help him press his left hand!
By the end of the second month, the hypertonicity gradually decreases – the child opens his fists, stretches his arms. If the tone remains at the same level as in the first month, this should alert.
If by the end of the second month the baby does not hold his head, lying on his stomach, for at least a few seconds, it is worth considering. In most children, this happens, which means that the muscular skeleton is well formed. The limits of the norm for this skill are from one and a half months to two and a half.
If every month a child lags behind the norm in all physical parameters, develops “along the lower corridor”, but there are no other pathologies, this is not a reason to panic. Gradually he will catch up with his peers. However, there is a pattern, however, not medically proven: if the child later turned over, later sat down, later got up, in the future, speech delay is often observed.
In the second month, mothers often have a lack of milk. Check it out if your baby is gaining less weight. At two months old, you can start giving your baby some water.
What can a child: he slept less – now your baby has enough 4-5 hours to sleep during the day. The main achievement is that at this age children begin to confidently hold their heads and lie on their stomachs, leaning on their forearms! Of course, this posture contributes to development, because now the newborn sees and analyzes much more! Most children like this position: by about four months, colic ends, and it becomes comfortable and interesting for babies to lie on their tummy. Therefore, they will try to roll over from their supine position to their stomachs, and some will already be able to turn onto their side! From this age on, do not leave your baby alone on an unfenced surface, especially if he is lying high.
Height and weight: weight – from 5,3 kg to 6,9 kg, height – from 58 cm to 64 cm.
Features during this period: another great achievement – the kid paid attention to his hands. He has not yet learned how to control them, but he can look at the fists for a long time.
How to develop a child: now it is worth moving on to exercises and games that stimulate the prone position while holding the head. Also continue to exercise from the past months.
1. Place the baby on your stomach. Choose a bright sounding toy – a rattle or a tambourine – and shake it, prompting the child to look up to see where the sound is coming from. After he lifts his head several times and looks at the toy, turn the baby over on his stomach and let him examine the rattle carefully.
2. Find some balls with a diameter 2–2,5 centimeters with different texture – hard, soft, rough, smooth. You can buy specials at a toy store or pick up your own. Place the ball in the middle of the child’s palm (he will wrap four fingers around them), help to hold it. The child should hold the object for 3 to 10 seconds). Change the handle. In one lesson, you can “feel” 3-5 objects.
3. It’s time to hang the baby over the crib garland rattle… Again, you can buy it in the store or make it yourself. Exercise mats with pendants are great. Hang the toy so that your baby can reach it with his hand while lying down. Show the kid several times how to knock on the garland with your hand, and let him repeat. If the child is still afraid of the sounds that he makes himself, come back to this game later.
4. Useful walk with a newborn around the apartment, holding him in an upright position with his face away from himself, introducing him to the dwelling. Choose a large bright interior detail – you can put a toy or a rattle on the shelf, stop in front of it. Show the child, name it, shake the toy, say: “Look!” – and let me consider.
5. At three months, babies like to crumple in their fists various rustlers: now there are rustling books on sale, rustling details on rattles.
In the third month, most babies, lying on their stomachs, hold their heads and lean on their forearms. By the end of the month, the baby turns over at least one barrel. According to the norms, he should even roll over on his tummy. But now there are few such children. Pathology, if in the third month the child does not raise his head at all.
It is bad if the child does not follow a bright toy. He should already reach the suspension with the handle, and if he does not pay attention to the rattle, this is a possible vision problem.
The kid already knows his name when they turn to him. The newborn giggles, well, at least “a” says. If this is not the case, mom should check his hearing: call the child by name, he should turn his head. Or rattle a tambourine on one side, then on the other – each time he must look for the source of the sound with his gaze.
What can a child: baby, lying on his stomach, rests on the arms. And the further you go, the more confident! The newborn actively masters rolling from back to tummy and vice versa. Some babies do it faster, others a little later. It also depends on the physical development of the baby – after all, all the muscles of the body are involved in this exercise! If the case drags on, conduct a course of therapeutic massage.
The kid actively walks, smiles, curiously examines the faces of loved ones, especially his mother. If you often called him by name before, then by the age of four months the child had time to learn it. And after a while he will begin to turn to you when you call him. Call out loud more often — slowly and stretching the words a little — the names of family members, animals, and favorite toys.
By the age of four months, the baby confidently rests on the arms
Height and weight: weight – from 5,8 kg to 7,7 kg, height – from 60 cm to 66 cm.
Features during this period: the kid is finally developing the ability to focus his gaze on an object – now he can estimate its volume, distance to it. It is at this time that he begins to learn to take subjects. This is a long and painstaking process. Help the newborn: grab his attention with a rattle. But do not rush the baby and give him the opportunity to try to reach her himself. It is unlikely that the first time he will be able to grab her, and even more so to hold her. Then place the rattle in his palm and help squeeze.
Another feature that clearly begins to manifest itself during this period is chewing and licking everything that the child can reach. Don’t be discouraged: licking, like feeling, is essential for the development of your baby’s brain and skills. The main thing is to make sure that he comes across clean and safe (at least 4 cm in diameter!) Objects.
How to develop a child: Our old rattle exercises need to be made more difficult – after all, the baby’s capabilities have grown! Now we develop the ability to grab objects, recognize faces, and also train muscles with gymnastics.
1. A wonderful game that you can play for a long time – “Ku-ku”… Sit with your child on their back so that they can see your face. Cover your face with a handkerchief or diaper, and then open it with the words: “Where is mom? Ku-ku! I’m here!” At first, the child will be dumbfounded, but gradually the game will delight. The next stage is to hide and find the face of the baby himself under the scarf.
2. “Horned goat” – another fun that will amuse a child at this age. Do not forget about the old exercise “Magpie-crow”.
3. Rattling activities vary slightly. You show your child a familiar rattle that is 60-80 centimeters away from him, moving it left and right so that the baby follows it with his eyes. The rattle then hovers over the baby so that he can focus his gaze on it. As soon as the child’s attention is distracted from the toy (and this will happen quickly), you set it in motion again. This is how he learns to focus on the subject. Now bring the toy closer to the child so that he reaches out to her hand. If the baby is inactive, put the rattle in his hand yourself. Then repeat the exercise with a new toy. At the end of the lesson, demonstrate once again the familiar and new rattles to the baby. Do not forget to talk to the newborn, comment on his actions and call him by name.
4. Find the source of the sound. Take a tambourine or a bell, but so that the child cannot see. Rumble / ring until the newborn turns its head towards the sound. Then show him the toy, bring it closer to the baby and let him examine, let him take it with your hand. Then hide again and repeat on the other side.
5. It’s time to study the tambourine. Show your baby several times how to bang on him with his palm or fist, and after a while he will begin to repeat.
We are introducing new gymnastic exercises. In them, we will also use the kid’s new ability to grab objects. In this case, he will hold his mother’s thumbs in his fists.
6. Exercise “Criss-cross”. Place the newborn’s thumbs in the fists for the newborn to grip. Smoothly spread the baby’s arms to the sides, and then cross them alternately on the chest. If the handles are tense due to the tone, shake them gently. If the child does not like the exercise, do what he is already used to, and return to the new a little later.
7. Exercise “Boxing”. Place the thumbs of the child’s hands in the palms of the child, with the rest of the fingers lightly hold his hands. Bend and unbend the baby’s arms alternately; when unbending, she should move straight and forward, imitating the punches of a boxer. Do not jerk violently.
8. Pulling up. Let your baby grasp the thumbs of your hands, hold his wrists with your other fingers. Gently straighten his arms and encourage him to raise his head and upper body. Allow him to sit at 45 degrees, no more, then carefully lay him back.
9. Rollover. The exercise stimulates the baby’s independent flips from back to stomach and vice versa. Place your index finger in the child’s hand, with the rest of your fingers grasp his hand. With the index and thumb of the other hand, grasp one leg of the baby in the lower part of the lower leg, with the rest of your fingers grasp the other leg at the same level. Such a grip is called a “fork”. Holding the baby’s legs with a fork and slightly straightening them, turn the baby’s pelvis forward. The baby will turn his head and upper body in the same direction. Hold him on his side for a few seconds – this is how he trains the muscles of the neck. Pull the handle forward and the baby will roll over on its own. Another version of this overturn: grab his right leg and, bending slightly at the knee, lead it from right to left until the child touches the surface with his knee. The kid will turn his shoulders and head himself, you just have to pull the arms out from under the chest.
The flip from the stomach to the back is performed as follows: take the baby by the leg and gently turn the lower part of the body, the shoulders and head will turn by themselves. At first, hold the back of the child’s head.
Make turns 2-3 times in each direction. When the baby has mastered them, you can roll it left and right all over the sofa. Sometimes it happens that turning one way is easier than the other. In this case, the “hard” side needs to be stimulated – to turn over there more often.
A possible problem can be noticed during the pull-up exercise: when the mother lets the baby grab the thumbs, he holds on and pulls himself up. If everything is in order, the child can be lifted almost to a sitting position. If the grasping reflex in the arms is poorly developed, the baby cannot grasp, falls. This is neurology – urgently see a doctor.
By the end of the fourth month, most babies are able to roll over on their stomach – at least one way. As a rule, they first turn not in both directions, but choose one – to the right or to the left, which is much easier. If the baby cannot do this, see a doctor. Typically, at this stage, a massage is enough to get the baby to roll over.
This is also the month when, according to the new calendar, they begin to introduce complementary foods – children’s apple juice. If the baby is gaining weight and height well, then you can give it, or you can postpone it until the sixth month. If there is a shortage of weight, then you need to start introducing complementary foods. And if there is a big lack of weight, then enter not juice, but porridge.
What can a child: Over the past month, your little one has learned two important things – rolling from back to stomach and vice versa, and grabbing objects. And now he is perfecting these skills.
Some children, physically well developed, try to get up on their knees and even sit down from this position. But so far they have been able to do this for only a few seconds – the back is still weak, and the head is too heavy. Even if the baby sits down, he will immediately fall on the barrel. It is too early to seat a child forcibly at this age – there may be a curvature of the spine.
Other children, getting up on their knees, try to crawl, but the arms are still weak for real movement, so while the little ones are doing it as a “caterpillar”.
Now the child has learned to take objects himself, while it is the capture of a monkey, he still does not know how to grab toys with his fingers.
Height and weight: weight – from 6,2 kg to 8,4 kg, height – from 62 cm to 69 cm.
Features during this period: but the kid still does not know how to put the toy after taking it. She simply falls out of his hands when he is distracted by something.
At this age (some a little earlier, others later), the gums begin to itch – just about the child’s first pair of teeth will climb (as a rule, these are the lower incisors). Therefore, he drags all objects that he can reach into his mouth. Rattles with special inserts or teethers will help here.
How to develop a child: continue the exercises of the previous months, you can add new ones.
1. Check it out and understand! The baby lies on its back, you hide the rattle on the side of it and shake it until it turns its head. Then show him the toy and bring it to the baby’s hand, but do not give it until he, reaching for it, turns over onto his stomach. Then give the newborn a rattle in your hands. Turn the other way next time.
2. Do the sit down exercise… Then take the baby’s arms with your left hand, connecting them in front and at the top. Slide the index and middle fingers along the child’s spine – he reflexively straightens, straightens the back. The exercise prepares the baby for independent sitting. But do not let him sit for a long time – until he learns to do it himself.
3. We are on all fours. When the child lies on his stomach, lifting the front part of the body on the arms, holding it under the stomach, bend your knees and fix in this position. Rock back and forth gently. Then try to remove your hands – let them stand on all fours on your own.
4. Hold your baby upright under the arms, facing you. The kid will “Dance”. Encourage him to stand on full feet, although he will try to stand on his toes because of his tone.
By this time, the child should have a well-developed grasping reflex: if he does not hold the toy in his hand, this is a deviation.
The support on the legs has already been formed: that is, if the child is placed on a hard surface, holding it under the armpits, the foot should stand level, he should not fall in different directions, bend his legs. Otherwise, it is weakness of the leg muscles. We need a massage – after all, the baby will soon be sitting and crawling. If left out, things will be delayed.
What can a child: toddler on the way to sitting and crawling. At the end of the sixth month, especially advanced ones can sit with a straight back, but more often they still lean on the handles. Remember: you cannot put a child in pillows before he learns to sit with his back up! Do not panic, if the baby does not sit down, it means that the muscles of the back and abdomen are not ready yet.
By the end of the sixth month, the child also begins to crawl on his bellies, and every day he will move faster and faster. However, if the child does not crawl, do not worry: some children do not crawl at all, but they master walking earlier than their peers: first they get up with support from a sitting position, then take the first steps.
Height and weight: weight – from 7 kg to 9 kg, height – 64 cm to 70 cm.
Features during this period: if the baby sits down, then only in Turkish: the legs are not yet fully straightened due to the tone.
At this age, the child begins to distinguish between friends and foes. If a stranger picks him up, he strains slightly, and may even cry.
At five and a half to six months, the first complementary foods are usually introduced. Doctors advise some children to introduce special cereals for a start, others – vegetables. Usually, the first experience is a lumpy one: the baby is just musing complementary foods, trying. Do not push forcibly, gradually he will learn to take food in his mouth.
Most often, the first lower teeth erupt at six to seven months. For some it happens more painfully – with sleepless nights, fever, diarrhea, for others it is easier. Be patient!
How to develop a child: stimulating new skills – sitting and crawling! To do this, continue the exercises from the fifth month and introduce new ones.
1. When the baby tries to crawl (and he will do this almost constantly), stimulate his efforts with a bright, moving toy that must be placed in front of him at a short distance.
2. Exercise “Airplane” – his kids love him very much. Lie on your back with your knees pressed to your chest. On top of them, lay the baby with his stomach, holding his hands. And gently swing on bent legs, saying: “Here the airplane flew!” When he gets used to it, lift him higher and higher.
3. Shaking on the leg. Sit cross-legged, place the child on the foot, belly on the shin. Swing your leg, holding his hands and saying: “Over bumps, over bumps, along small paths, into a hole – bang, crushed forty flies.” When the baby learns to sit, sit him on your lap and toss him with the same saying.
It is completely pathology, if by the sixth month the child does not turn over.
Few more can sit even by the end of the month. But if the baby tries to sit down earlier, in the fifth month (there are also such rushes), this may be fraught with curvature of the spine – the child’s body is not yet ready for such a load. Do not let him sit down – put him in child seats, where he will be in a reclining position.
At the sixth month, the newborn will be interested in a mirror: the baby already understands that it is him, and can admire himself for an hour. If it’s hard to stand with a baby in your arms, you can buy a toy with a mirror.
If complementary foods are introduced this month, and this is porridge, then it is better to choose buckwheat – it is hypoallergenic, well absorbed. And with vegetables those children who are slightly more in weight than their peers begin.
What can a child: improves the ability to crawl on their bellies, and then on all fours. Sits with a straight back and does not fall if he needs to bend forward.
The kid shifts the rattle from hand to hand, knocks the toy on the toy.
An important skill of this month is in speech development: the child switches from humming to babbling: he begins to repeat syllables, a state from a vowel and a consonant: “Yes, yes, yes,” “Ba-ba-ba”. Of course, you will also hear “ma-ma”, but so far this is an unconscious word. Babbling suggests that the baby hears and distinguishes adult speech well.
You can start looking at books with large pictures.
Height and weight: weight – from 7,2 kg to 10,1 kg, height – from 65 cm to 72 cm.
Features during this period: some parents of a toddler who is actively exploring the apartment on a crawl place him at this age in the playpen: needless to say, he now requires a lot of attention and patience! But, firstly, some children actively protest crying. And secondly, it will slow down the speed of comprehending the science of crawling, and then walking. In addition, expanding the space for the child (after all, he crawls throughout the apartment!) Will definitely give an impetus to the development of the brain. Therefore, the best place for a child of seven months is the floor (of course, clean and free of dangerous objects). The sofa does not fit because it is more difficult to move on a soft surface.
At this age, the baby is able to play with only one toy, while he quickly gets bored with it. Just replace it with a new one. But he himself is not yet capable of giving up the object: if you try to take it away by force, there will be a scandal. Just offer him a toy in return, and he will immediately forget about the old one.
How to develop a child: we introduce exercises that will help the baby to crawl on all fours. We develop speech skills.
1. Encourage your toddler to talk you can in one way – talk to him. Name the food he eats, utensils, items of clothing, and body parts. On a walk, show and name the animals, cars, plants encountered, draw his attention to other children. Read simple books by age with big, bright pictures. Describe his actions to the child (“Petya took the toy”), ask him to turn on his tummy and back. Of course, now he will not answer you and is unlikely to be able to fulfill the request, but gradually he will remember your words.
2. We train the muscles of the arms. Place a toy in front of your child. Raise it horizontally above the table so that it rests on outstretched arms. Support your stomach with one hand and your legs with the other. Gently nudge the child’s hands, encouraging them to “walk” towards the toy. If he moves on his cams (tone!), Pull him back so that your palms are straightened.
3. We sit down by one handle… The baby lies on his back, you hold his legs. We put the thumb of the hand in his handle, straighten it and slightly pull it up, prompting the child to sit down. In doing so, he will rest on the table with the other handle. When he sits down, slide your fingers along his spine to straighten his back. Repeat for the other handle. It not only teaches you to sit down, but also strengthens the abdominal muscles.
4. The baby is lying on its stomach, you are standing behind… Let him grab the thumbs, spread the baby’s straight arms to the sides and lift up. The child will raise his head, bend back and rest his feet on your belly. Lift him up gently until he is on his knees.
By the end of the seventh month, as a rule, the children are already sitting: someone else is leaning on the handles, but they are holding the body on their own. If not sitting, then weak back muscles – massage is needed. Many begin to stand at the support: of course, they cannot get up on their own, but if you put the baby against the wall in the bed, then it will hold on for a while.
If the child is not yet babbling “ma-ma-ma”, this is not a pathology, he will speak later.
What can a child: the baby begins to stand on his feet at the support. And in a week or two, most likely, he will take the first steps along his crib or sofa.
A very important stage in the development of fine motor skills is the grasping of the object not with the whole five fingers, but with the thumb and forefinger (tweezers). Also, the hand becomes more flexible: by the eighth month, the child can learn to wave (“bye-bye”) and beat his hands.
There is also progress in speech development: he begins to combine syllables, and not only repeat the same ones (for example, “ah-ah”). And also always reacts when you call him by name.
As the sucking reflex weakens slightly, the baby learns to drink from a cup or a special sippy cup. Give him a sip with a cup or sippy cup in hand.
Cubes, pyramid, lids – favorite toys of this time
Height and weight: weight – from 7,2 kg to 10,4 kg, height – from 68 cm to 73 cm.
Features during this period: all the achievements of the past and this month develop the child’s brain – he has the beginnings of independence. Now, if something does not work out, he will be upset or indignant.
The peculiarity of this age is anxiety: at the slightest of your absence (went to the kitchen for water), the baby begins to scream and cry. The same thing happens when a stranger picks him up. Although this feature is difficult for the mother, it is an indicator that the child is developing correctly. The reason for the anxiety is that the baby’s internal time has slowed down. Previously, he lived for seconds and simply did not notice your departure. Now he is able to distinguish between friends and foes, and time for him began to be measured in minutes: he realizes that his mother is gone, but when she returns, he cannot understand. The baby is not yet able to endure your absence – he is scared. If possible, take it everywhere with you, and if it is absolutely impossible, say: “I will be back very soon!”, And when you return: “I have returned.” Not immediately, but after a few months, but he will begin to understand.
From eight months, milk complementary foods are introduced – kefir, and then cottage cheese.
How to develop a child: you can start playing with “older” toys. But how to play with a new toy, you need to show him, teach, introduce him to it.
1. Learning to roll a ball. Roll the ball on the floor, push, catch up and push again. Explain to the kid what you are doing: “Look how the ball rolled! Let’s catch up with him? Look – he’s running away! ” The kid will certainly help you and repeat.
2. We play with cubes. Show that the cubes can be moved from hand to hand, taken out of the box, and put into it. Show next time that you can place dice on dice. It is also worth playing with toys-cups – to show how smaller ones can be invested in larger ones.
3. We study the pyramid. For a start, it is better to choose with large rings. Roll the pyramid on the floor, show how it is disassembled, and let the rings play. Then show how the rings are put on by asking, “Give me the ring.” Finally, ask your child to wear the last two. At the same time, hold the rod in your hands and help the baby. Each game can be assembled and disassembled in a different way.
4. Doll games (bears, bunnies) are also important – for both girls and boys. Introduce the kid to the toy: “Look what a bear! Where is the bear? ” After feeling and licking, he will most likely lose interest in her, then you need to show what else the doll can do. For example: “Look, the bear is leaving!”, “Look, the bear is hiding. Where is the bear? ”,“ The bear is dancing! ”. Next time the doll can be fed, put to bed, ironed. Imagine!
5. For the development of the vestibular apparatus you can do exercises. The child lies on his back on the couch or bed, you take him by the wrists, dad – by the ankles. Raise it a little and swing it in different directions. Exercise Option: You grab one wrist and ankle, the baby’s dad grabs the other wrist and ankle. You can also start throwing the child into the air and catching, but so far slowly and not at all high.
The child should sit confidently, without support. Most crawl on their bellies, some try to get down on all fours. The body, the handles have become stronger – they are about to crawl. If by the end of the eighth month the baby does not move on his bellies, it is not scary, but the mother must understand that these are weak hands – a massage is needed. If there is a cat or dog in the house, children begin to crawl much faster – they catch up with the pets they adore at this age!
The child already has an understanding of mom, dad, brother, sister. If you ask him where mom is, he will show – with a look or a hand. If there is a favorite toy, he recognizes it from a bunch of others. It would seem that children at this age seem to have a short memory, but they do not forget their favorite toy.
The child should already pronounce the syllables: “ma-ma-ma”. If he is still silent, this is no longer a variant of the norm – a push is needed for the baby to speak. In 80% of cases, it helps a child read books by syllables, examining and discussing pictures, naming the sounds of animals.
What can a child: the baby is already confidently standing at the support, and also actively “runs” along it. But one day he will let go of his hands and begin to balance. So gradually the child will learn to stand without holding. The next stage is to get up without support: from a position on all fours, he straightens his knees, lifting his ass, then lifts his palms off the floor and straightens his lower back. And from that moment, the period of falls begins, so it’s time to equip the apartment with plugs at sharp corners and make it safe: remove dangerous objects higher up, which the child can already reach.
Some advanced babies can take their first steps: when standing on the floor without support, they will begin to fall and reflexively put their foot forward. And in a few weeks such a child will go. But more often children learn to walk in the period from 10 months to a year and three months.
The kid has also already learned not only to take objects, but also to throw them, so now the process “threw the toy out of the crib – cried that the toy fell – mom returned the toy – threw the toy out of the crib …” will become familiar to you.
The child begins to imitate you: if you give him a spoon, he will interfere with tea or pick up porridge. They begin to roll the car, and put the phone to the ear. Also at this age, children feel the volume of objects. And they begin to distinguish between toys and things for their intended purpose: if you put a doll and a bear in front of a child and ask: “Show me where the bear is,” after a while he will show.
Height and weight: weight – from 8,1 kg to 11,1 kg, height – from 68 cm to 76 cm.
Features during this period: during the period when the baby is learning to keep balance, it is important for him to learn to fall. Unfortunately, he will master this skill with his own booty, and your job is to support him: if he hit it painfully, regret it and tell that everyone falls when they learn to walk. If the child falls, but does not hit hard, he will first of all turn to you, calculating by your expression – has something terrible happened or not? Try to smile and calm him down: “It’s okay, get up.”
You will be tempted to lead your child by both and then by one hand. Do not abuse it – soon he will go on his own. But if you are leading, then follow the rule: his hands should not rise above his shoulders – that is, the child rests on your hands, and does not hang on them.
At nine months, meat complementary foods are introduced.
How to develop a child: keep playing with cubes, pyramid, cups. Develop a new ability to distinguish between the volume of objects.
1. Rings on a pyramid put on and take off as long as you have to, using your child’s hand. We also play in cups – with his hand we put the smaller ones into the larger ones. Also learn to build a pyramid from cups.
2. Put some toys in the box, close the lid. Shake them to clatter inside. Say, “There is something in the box, let’s see!” Take the toys out one at a time and pass them on to your child. Show that the box is empty. Then put all the toys back in the box and let him now get all the toys. For months to come, this game – putting everything in a box and emptying it – will become a favorite of the kid!
3. At nine months, you can master the tunnel. At first, children are afraid to climb into it, their curiosity can be stimulated by putting interesting toys inside. Look from the other side of the tunnel, call your child. An example can be shown. If he doesn’t want to, don’t insist.
4. Learn to roll the ball. Sit a meter away from the baby and roll the ball to him with the words: “Mom threw the ball to Petya! And now Petya will throw the ball to mom. ” Usually children quickly figure out what to do.
5. If the house has safe stairs, then you can master crawling on them. Teach your toddler to walk down the stairs feet first.
At the ninth month, the baby should confidently crawl on all fours. If it does not crawl, then either the muscular body is insufficiently developed, or if there are delays in other skills, this is neurology. Should stand well at the support, move along it. If not even worth it, it means weak legs.
By the end of the ninth month, many babies try to walk while falling frequently. There is a very effective way to teach your child to walk faster. An ironing board is taken, put on the floor with one end, and on the sofa with the other, resulting in a slide. Mom holds the child by the handles, dad – by the bottom or under the armpits, and the child is guided to walk up the board. And then – already a reflex: the baby raises his legs and rearranges them, and immediately getting used to doing it right. And back down. Start training your child in this way for 10 minutes 2-3 times a day, then increase the time to half an hour.
Chewing skills are well developed at nine months. You can start to give food a little thicker. At this age, teeth are being cut again. And children are very fond of chewing bread, especially crusts, as well as bagels.
What can a child: most often this month the baby takes the first steps. At first, he will balance and often fall, but after just a month he will confidently stomp around the apartment, and some children will even run. Children of average weight begin to walk faster than others: it is more difficult for fat people to raise their weight, and thin people lack muscle mass. Don’t rush the kid.
The child knows how to hold a toy in each hand, moreover, two toys in one hand at once. Knows about 10-20 subjects – gives a familiar subject at the request of an adult. Fulfills simple requests, such as “show the bear stamping his foot.” Knows the name of body parts, shows parts of another person’s face.
The child is also preparing to speak: his exercises with syllables become more and more varied, he begins to hum, stretching them. And some happy parents have already heard the cherished “ma-ma” – this time quite conscious. And also can speak simple words: “boo”, “ava”, “uh”.
If the baby at this moment has 4 teeth or more, he chews finely chopped food, and not just pureed, as before.
The child stands confidently at the support
Height and weight: weight – from 8,2 kg to 11,5 kg, height – from 69 cm to 77 cm.
Features during this period: the baby begins to understand the word “no”. But, of course, there should not be too many prohibitions: at this age, a child is able to learn one or two “no”. True, the baby is already ripe not only for understanding the prohibitions, but also for the first resistance to them.
Standing on tiptoes, and not on a full foot, is still a physiological feature – these are the remnants of tone.
How to develop a child: continue all previous games with a pyramid, cubes, glasses, ball. Start teaching your baby the concepts of “big”, “small”, “heavy”, “light”, “hard”, “soft” by experience.
1. You can start games with stringing balls on a cord or rope… But balls or cubes with holes must be large.
2. Most likely, your baby has been “Dancing” – squats rhythmically, it is worth turning on the music. Encourage him to dance consciously, for example by asking him to knock on a tambourine and dance.
3. We swing the press. The child lies on his back. Hold the stick at the level of his straightened legs and offer to reach it with your feet. If he doesn’t understand, lift his legs and touch the wand.
4. Slopes. Place the baby with his back to you, press in your stomach. With one hand, hold your knees so that they do not bend, with the other hold under your tummy. Offer to get his favorite toy on the floor in front of him. He will have to do it without squatting. Help me straighten up.
5. If the baby is standing well, do squats… Take his hands and encourage him to squat down. You can show by your own example. And then get up. Knees should be apart, feet should be on the floor.
Most children take the first 4-5 steps from the couch to the chair. So far unsuccessful, but they are so interested in everything around that they still move away from the support. It happens when he went – and fell, cried, was frightened, and after that you can’t put him on his feet. It is better in this case to quickly divert attention: “It’s okay, let’s go with my mother by the handle, take our favorite toy.” If the baby hasn’t gone yet, it’s not scary, up to a year or a year and a month is a variant of the norm.
There are, although rarely, children who do not crawl on all fours, but immediately get up at the support and walk. This is not very good: the stage of crawling cannot be ruled out – surgeons say that this is fraught with curvature of the legs or future back problems. It is better to stimulate crawling – then it will be easier for the child to walk and the back will become stronger.
At this age, children already consciously begin to say: “mom, dad” and new simple words. If not, no big deal, but read more.
What can a child: the baby begins to speak the first words. In addition to “mom”, “baba”, “dad”, this is most often “give”. He also “voices” animals, especially if there are pets at home: “me”, “ava”, “mu”, “be”. But in fact, there is no system in this matter: some children learn two or three new words a month, others are silent, and then give them five at once.
The child actively masters walking. While he is being “carried” in all directions, so try to clear an apartment for him – remove unnecessary pieces of furniture from the aisles, collect toys from the floor in time. Also, the baby can climb over objects.
It is very useful to collect water or sand with a spatula.
Height and weight: weight – from 8,9 kg to 11,5 kg, height – from 71 cm to 77 cm.
Features during this period: the baby’s personality begins to hatch more and more. He begins to insist on his own. Now it is not so easy to switch to a new toy. If the child is not satisfied with something, he will scandal and demand. And all because, after a long period of merging with his mother, he begins to realize himself as independent, different from her.
How to develop a child: stimulate speech, modernize games, and develop the vestibular apparatus.
1. Stimulate vocabulary can be done in one way – talking with the baby on all sorts of topics in a language that he understands. Speak loudly, slowly, clearly, drawing out the words. More often ask your child simple questions: “Where is the kitty?”, “Do you want to drink?”. Ask him to do something simple – bring a ball or toy, give a spoon, put the cube in place. Pay the kid’s attention to the details, similarities and differences: “Look at what a red car is going!”, “Look at the kitty’s tail. And Petya has no tail! ”,“ Look, Alyosha has a ball. And you have a ball! “
2. Can be played short skits with toys – these are the beginnings of story games.
3. If it’s summer outside, it’s time learn to use a scoop and a bucket… Show how to scoop sand with your baby’s hand. He will not be able to do this on his own soon, but all children adore digging in the sand, without exception!
4. Walking on a plank or log. You can lead your baby on a log in the yard, holding his hands, but so the vestibular apparatus is trained a little. Put a board on the floor, show your child how to walk on it, and encourage him to repeat it. You can place it along the wall so that he himself sticks with his hand. Not immediately, after a few months, but the child will be able to put his feet on the same line.
The kid learns to walk: it doesn’t matter how he does it – from support to support or without it. But if it is not at the support by eleven months, this is a delay. Be sure to go to the surgeon!
It is desirable that two or three simple words already be in the child’s vocabulary, although it’s not scary if not already. However, in the future, it will be more difficult for him with peers whose speech is better developed – both the baby and the mother are uncomfortable. You need to work hard!
At this age (and even earlier), it is possible to diagnose attention deficit disorder in a child: if he cannot concentrate on any toy or book for more than 30 seconds, this is a wake-up call.
What can a child: some children are just starting to walk a year, others are already trying to run. Both are the norm. Most often in a year, the baby already walks, can turn. He still does not know how to back up and jump. Can get up from a sitting position. Speaks from two to six words, can say “no”, imitates the sounds of animals. Assembles the pyramid, but does not yet fit the rings to fit. Builds a small tower of cubes or cups (with mom’s help). Inserts smaller cups into larger ones. Rolls the ball and can even throw it.
Congratulations! Your kid has gone a long way from a squeaky bundle to a little man!
Height and weight: weight – from 9 kg to 11,9 kg, height – from 72 cm to 79 cm.
Features during this period: your kid does not know how to play with other children yet, but he is interested in them. Most often, “godas” play side by side – in the sandbox or on the playground. Sometimes there can be clashes over toys: at this age, the sense of ownership is already developing, and the child already realizes that the toy belongs to him. But at the same time he does not understand that other people’s toys are not his.
How to develop a child: help him learn to walk. You can also enter creative activities.
1. After the baby has confidently learned to walk on a flat surface – asphalt or path, – it’s time to teach him to walk on rough terrain… Choose a lawn in a park or a less-traveled path. Also walk up and down the slope with your child. The next stage is the stairs. Hold your “year old” first by two hands, after a few months one can be released. Teach him to lean on a full foot. Stepping over objects or a threshold is also important.
2. Music lessons. In addition to a tambourine and a bell at this age, the child will be interested in a pipe, maracas and a metallophone.
3. Painting. Children love to draw with their hands. For safety, it is better to buy special finger paints. Put on the baby clothes that you do not mind. Take a large sheet of Whatman paper, open the paints, show your child how to draw … And try to relax about the fact that he is being transported. But how much delight there will be!
4. Months from ten you can start sculpting from a special salty dough (salty – so that you can drag less into your mouth). Purchase a special plasticine for babies a year – it is soft, bright, easily wrinkled. Let the child just knead it in his hands – this is very useful!
5. You can start playing games with the board and earbuds… Also show your toddler how to put the cap on the marker.
6. Physical exercises are aimed at strengthening muscles. Do squats, bends, walking on your hands, squatting, jumping on a trampoline, climbing the wall bars, somersaults, rolling.
By one year, the hypertonicity should completely pass. With what features, infant reflexes the child was born – everything over the past year should fade away.
If the child has not yet walked, there is no need to worry for a month or two. But if he doesn’t crawl on all fours, it’s very bad.
From a year, it is recommended to teach a child to communicate with other children. This will give a good impetus to both speech and physical development. Make it a rule: we go out for a walk – we get to know other children. First, explain, “Let’s go get to know the boy! Look, it’s Vanya! ” The next stage is to sit together in the sandbox, then exchange toys. Babies start babbling in their own language, and babies who previously spoke poorly progress. It is worth attending a developmental school where there are children of the same age or slightly older, but no more than six months.
If a child in busy places, where there are many other people’s children and adults, seeks to hide, is looking for a corner where he can hide, ignores other kids, this is a reason to go to a neurologist with suspicion of autism. But this is just one of the signs, and this behavior should be systematic, not attitudinal.