RSSCategory: Motherhood

The Importance of Reading to Baby

| February 29, 2012

Jellycat Jungly Tails Book

It’s never too early to start reading to your baby.

Reading is a wonderful way to communicate and bond, as well as being a fun activity for both you and your baby.

As you read, your baby will listen to you talking and is comforted by your voice and being held close to you.

Reading encourages your baby to understand the different sounds of speech, the use of language and non-verbal communication through facial expressions and gestures.

Children whose parents read books to them when they are young often learn to talk, read and write more easily.

Parents, grandparents, siblings and friends can all share in the pleasures of reading to baby, making reading a varied and enjoyable learning experience.

Have fun reading to baby during playtime, in the bath and before bedtime:

Part of baby’s daily activity and play teaching baby about sound, texture, visual stimulus and music.

Have fun splishing about with bath time books suitable for water and lots of splish splash sploshing!

Help baby understand the routine of sleep with relaxation before slumber.

Development of Newborn Senses

| February 27, 2012

Early Learning Activity Toys

Your baby’s development is amazing and takes place with rapid speed, but what is your baby aware of when they’re a newborn?

SIGHT

Newborn’s can only see things close up, about 20cms away from them. So when your baby’s being held they’ll be able to see your face, which makes this close contact a great way to bond.

Contrasting colours such as black and white are great for newborns to look at. At around 2 months your baby can distinguish colours and will enjoy mobiles.

At 6 months, new faces and objects are catching your baby’s attention and at 8 months your baby’s vision will be fully developed.

TASTE

It’s no wonder babies like sweet tasting foods, milk is naturally sweet. From 3 months onwards your baby will probably try to put what they can into their mouth, and when teething starts this will heighten their desire to have a good chew on things!

HEARING

Your baby listened to your voice in utero so will recognise it when they’re born and associate this with comfort. Hearing isn’t properly developed when a baby is newborn. At around 1 month old they’ll react to loud noises. Babies learn to associate certain sounds with happy events, so it’s important to make singing and music a fun and special part of the day with your baby. Music is a wonderful way to soothe your baby and develop their hearing and sense of tone.

TOUCH

Touch is essential for babies, kisses and cuddles make your baby feel secure. Babies love to explore with their hands and when weaning, will often squash food before eating it to understand what it feels like. Toys and books with texture really encourage play and development.

SMELL

Newborns have a good sense of smell and will know your natural scent from birth. Babies find your natural scent comforting, so try not to wear any perfume or scented creams for the first few months so your baby can enjoy your natural scent. By the age of 1 your baby will be able to recognise foods by their smell.

For further baby sensory development and a great way to have fun with your baby, you can join a local Baby Sensory Class.

The Moby Wrap

| February 15, 2012

Have you heard of the fourth trimester? I hadn’t but I soon found out about it when my baby was born!

The fourth trimester refers to the time from birth to approximately 4 months old. This is the time when your newborn is very vulnerable and needs constant physical contact and attention from other human beings. The fourth trimester is about recreating the womb environment whilst your baby is adjusting from womb to world.

Here are some tips for doing this:

  • Swaddling – helps to keep baby close to you and feeling secure,
    the Moby Wrapcreates an environment where your baby is wrapped tightly and kept warm.
  • Shushing Sounds – recreate the continual whooshing-like noise your baby heard constantly when in the womb.
  • Swinging – when in utero your baby was always in a rocking motion when you moved or walked, wrapped in a Moby Wrapyour baby will be in a state of gentle swinging.
  • Sucking – creates a deep calming influence on your baby, whether it’s sucking on the breast, bottle, a Pacifieror your finger.

When held close they will be very content, thus the need for a Moby Wrapwhich makes it ever so easy to achieve that closeness and bonding that your baby is craving.

My baby would get upset and didn’t sleep well unless she was snuggled next to me or my husband in the Moby Wrap. It’s really comfortable to wear and I found I could go about the house easily whilst she slept happily, as well as using it during spring and summer to go out and about.

Another benefit of the Moby Wrapis the flexibility with the positions you can have your baby in whilst in the wrap, making it easy to breastfeed on demand.

The Moby Wrap is made from 100% soft cotton and is breathable and machine washable.