MumCentre Essentials

2 to 3 years | 3 to 4 years | 4 to 5 years | 5 to 6 years

Baby at Birth | Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3

Congratulations on bringing home the most precious of gifts — your new baby! A newborn can make even an experienced parent jittery. But relax. You’ll soon know exactly what to do!

What your child might do:

Physically and mentally
• Puffy, slightly distorted facial features
• Conical head (due to passage through birth canal in a normal delivery)
• Uneven or odd-looking hair
• Two soft areas on the crown of the head (will eventually harden as baby grows)
• Quivering limbs and tight-fisted hands
• Bowed legs, drawn against the tummy
• Splotchy skin
• Prominent belly with a vertical line running down the abdomen (this will soon fade)
• Developed senses but not to the range of an older child
• Ability to recognise mother’s voice and scent (amazing but true!)
• Inability to focus both eyes on an object
• Preference for black-and-white patterns
• Sensitivity to sounds, light and temperature

Feeding
Your baby may not be very hungry at this time, taking only small amounts of milk at every meal.

Sleep
Your baby should be sleeping for at least 16 to 18 hours a day.

Ideal toys for this age
Musical mobiles

Useful tips
Establish a close bond by touching, cuddling, talking and singing to your baby as much as possible. Speak to your baby clearly but slowly to encourage his/ her budding listening skills.

Baby’s umbilical cord stump should be falling within the next week or two. Be sure to keep the area clean every time you change baby’s diaper.

The first month is a wonderful period of discovery — discovering your baby’s likes and dislikes, your child discovering new sensations and sounds, and the both of you discovering each other.

What your child might do:

Physically and mentally
• Moves head from side to side
• Gazes at human faces
• Can focus on objects up to about 12 inches away (without seeing details)
• Blinks at bright lights
• May follow an object with gaze but loses it after a while
• Likes contrasting colours and patterns
• Has strong reflexes
• Brings hands to face
• Turns towards familiar voices and sounds
• Likes skin contact with closest caregivers
• May smile at familiar faces

Language and emotions
• Responds to loud sounds
• Cries if over or under-stimulated
• Makes small cooing noises

Feeding
• If breast-fed: Most breastfed babies feed ‘on demand’, i.e. whenever hungry
• If formula-fed: A one-month-old will usually drink about three to four ounces of milk per feeding (about 18 to 32 ounces a day)
• May pass stools at least three times a day

Sleep
Your baby may have more established sleep-wake patterns, sleeping every two to three hours, awaking to feed then going to sleep again. Remember to place baby on his/ her back for bedtime!

Your baby should be sleeping for at least 16 to 18 hours a day. However, some newborns tend to be more wakeful than others and this is perfectly normal.

Ideal toys for this age

• Child-safe music boxes
• Child-safe activity mirrors
• Stuffed toys (without sharp and/ or metal parts)

Useful tips
Give baby some tummy time so that he/ she can look at the world in a different way. Also, it’s never too early to begin reading to your child. Use a steady tone — but keep it expressive, low and comforting — to help strengthen the bond between you.

You may begin noticing more dramatic changes in your baby, especially in gross-motor skills and how he/ she responds to you. Be ready to snap those first, responsive smiles!

What your child might do:

Physically and mentally
• Briefly lifts head
• Smiles directly at familiar faces
• Imitates facial expressions
• Shows obvious liking for visual stimulation
• Kicks and waves arms when excited
• Begins unclenching fists
• Correctly locates frontal sounds
• Personality traits start becoming more obvious
• May begin learning the relationship between cause and effect
• May briefly hold a rattle

Language and emotions
• Gurgles and squeals when happy
• Shows emotions more easily
• May repeat vowel noises like “ooh” and “aah”

Feeding
• If breast-fed: May nurse at least once every three hours. Your breasts should feel softer after each feeding
• If formula-fed: From now till the next few months, baby may drink about four to six ounces of milk per feeding (about 23 to 32 ounces a day)
• May pass stools less often than during the first month

Sleep
Your baby should now be able to sleep for longer stretches in the night.

Ideal toys for this age
• Floor gyms (with kicking toys)
• Activity mats

Useful tips
If you are a working mum, allow baby to spend more time with other caregivers such as the grandparents or babysitter. This allows them to establish a bond with baby before the end of your confinement period.

Has it been three months already? Your baby is now probably much more awake and alert than he/ she has ever been before this. Now is also a great “hands-on” time for play and learning!

What your child might do:

Physically and mentally
• Raises head and chest with better control when paced on tummy
• May roll from back to side
• Is better at distinguishing visual details
• Has better hand-eye coordination
• Opens and closes hands
• Grasps and shakes toys
• Likes dangling objects such as keys
• Brings both hands together
• Kicks more energetically and able to straighten legs
• Imitates sounds
• Has an established social smile
• Clearly knows the difference between caregivers and strangers
• Has better understanding of cause and effect

Language and emotions
• Laughs
• Has distinct cries for different needs
• Makes longer vowel sounds

Feeding
A fluctuating appetite isn’t cause for great concern unless your baby is losing weight and seems dehydrated or listless. Speak to your doctor for specific advice on baby’s appropriate weight and feeding habits at this age.

Sleep
Help establish a good bedtime routine! Lay baby in the crib at the first signs of sleepiness for baby to learn to sleep on his/ her own.

Ideal toys for this age
• Floor gyms (with kicking toys)
• Activity mats
• Rattles and other hand toys such as colourful plastic keys on a ring

Useful tips
Choose toys that greatly encourage coordination and gross-motor skills. Reward baby with smiles and enthusiastic praise when he/ she shakes a rattle or kicks vigorously at a floor gym.