Day 364 - Can You Do This? Month 12

Today's First Time Parenting Tip - Track your baby's milestones to make sure they're developing correctly

Its important to make sure that your infant doesn't have any developmental problems, but if he or she seems slow in one area, don't worry about it too much unless they're way behind or your pediatrician seems concerned. Everyone loves to compare their accomplishments to others, but the fact is some babies are fast in verbal development, but slow in the physical department, or vice versa. If you're worried about it, ask your pediatrician. At the end of the twelth month, your infant should be able to:

• Pull up to a standing position from sitting
• Drink independently
  
• Stand alone
  
• Give a high five or play ball
  
• Walk for a step or maybe two
• Put objects into a container

Probably will be able to:

• Say a word other than mama or dada
• Stand well by themselves
  
• Walk for more than a few steps
• Understand and respond to the word no sometimes
• Gesture for an object that they want without crying
  

Taken from What to Expect the First Year

Parenting, Verbal, Physical, Development, Emotional

Day 334 - Can You Do This? Month 11

Today's First Time Parenting Tip - Track your baby's milestones to make sure they're developing correctly

Its important to make sure that your infant doesn't have any developmental problems, but if he or she seems slow in one area, don't worry about it too much unless they're way behind or your pediatrician seems concerned. Everyone loves to compare their accomplishments to others, but the fact is some babies are fast in verbal development, but slow in the physical department, or vice versa. If you're worried about it, ask your pediatrician. At the end of the eleventh month, your infant should be able to:

• Walk or "cruise" on furniture
• Correctly identify "mama" and "dada"
• Respond to their name

Probably will be able to:

• Pull up to a standing position from sitting
• Drink independently
  
• Stand alone
  
• Give a high five or play ball
  
• Walk for a step or maybe two
• Put objects into a container
  

They might also be able to say a word other than mama or dada, stand well by themselves, walk for more than a few steps, understand and respond to the word no sometimes or gesture for an object that they want without crying.
Taken from What to Expect the First Year

Parenting, Verbal, Physical, Development, Emotional

Day 325 - Sing in the Car

Today's first time parenting tip - Use 'silent' moments with your baby as an opportunity to sing and learn

How many times have you been driving in the car, stuck in traffic, with your baby in the back seat and the only sound in the car is the radio?

Turn this 'silent' time where you're seemingly separated and unable to interact with your infant into a fun learning time by singing. Any time there's a commercial on the radio, I sing the alphabet song to my son.

Whenever we're stuck in traffic, I count in a sing song voice until we start moving again. One of these days he'll start singing back and I won't get so many weird looks from my fellow commuters.

As an added bonus, if your baby is upset or cranky in the car, the sound of your singing voice (however off-key) just might catch their attention and soothe them.

Parenting, Verbal, Sing, Development, Learn

Day 305 - Can You Do This? Month 10

Today's First Time Parenting Tip - Track your baby's milestones to make sure they're developing correctly

Its important to make sure that your infant doesn't have any developmental problems, but if he or she seems slow in one area, don't worry about it too much unless they're way behind or your pediatrician seems concerned. Everyone loves to compare their accomplishments to others, but the fact is some babies are fast in verbal development, but slow in the physical department, or vice versa. If you're worried about it, ask your pediatrician. At the end of the tenth month, your infant should be able to:

• Stand while holding onto something
• Wave good-bye
• Pick a small object up between their thumb and forefinger
  

Probably will be able to:

• Walk or "cruise" on furniture
• Pull up to a standing position from sitting
• Correctly identify "mama" and "dada"
• Respond to their name
  

They might also be able to drink independently, stand alone, play ball or give a high five, walk for a step or maybe two, say a word other than mama or dada or put objects into a container.

Taken from What to Expect the First Year


Parenting, Verbal, Physical, Development, Emotional

Day 303 - Fun Games to Teach Your Baby About Color

Today's first time parenting tip - Name and call out colors for your baby 24/7

As early on as 1 month old, your infant can tell the difference between colors. And since the world is filled with lots of different hues, its a very easy thing to teach your baby about the world around them.

Here are some fun activities you can try to teach your baby the difference between red and blue:

• Play catch with different colored balls. Call out their colors as you roll them toward your infant


• Play peek-a-boo behind different colored sheets. Say "Peek-a-boo purple!" when you pop out from behind it


• Spend an afternoon watching cars go by and saying the color each time


• Have a coloring session where you only use one color to make a picture


• When you're reading picture books, be sure to say the color of the things you see too. It's not just a duck, its a yellow duck


• At the grocery store, as you put different items in hold them in front of your baby and say the color first

What color games do you play with your baby?

Parenting, Color, Learning, Development

Day 300 - Improve Baby's Right and Left Brain

Today's first time parenting tip - Cross your baby's arms to improve cognitive development

This one comes from my mom, a preschool teacher. As a person responsible for getting young minds ready for school, she's got a whole repertoire of activities designed to help kids socialize, develop, etc.

One easy one she told me last weekend was how she and her teaching partner work in different activities where their kids are touching the right side of their body with their left hand and vice versa. It's supposed to increase the communication between left brain and right brain, which in turn helps reading.

She also said if we play games with out 11 month old son and we cross his arms over, it'll help him out with his early brain development.

Interesting...I wonder if it works on adults too...


Parenting, Brain, Reading, Development, Learning

Day 299 - How to Keep Your Baby Interested

Today's first time parenting tip - Rotate the toys your baby plays with to keep them interested.

I knew my son was getting bored with the toys he was playing with when he'd refuse to pick them up and instead tried to play with the computer, push over the boxes holding our clothes (we're still moving), rip pages out of magazines and cause general mischief.

Then he got some new blocks and we uncovered some books he hasn't ever read. Now he couldn't care less about the other things and loves to dump the blocks out and wants to play with the books all the time.

Babies are like adults. They want variety and excitement in their life. By rotating the toys they play with, even if its the same five toys, you can keep their play fresh. And, as an extra bonus, it helps them grow and learn much better than if they played with one toy for a long while and never really gravitated towards something else.

So every few days or so, bring out something that your baby hasn't played with in a while. See if that cures some of their boredom.

Parenting, Toy, Play, Development, Boredom

Day 296 - Tag, You're It

Today's first time parenting tip - Play tag with your baby

Looking for a fun game you can play just about anywhere with your baby? They'll usually love tag, or any type of game where you come to get them. My son likes to hide behind the bedroom door, peek around and then run away once he knows I've seen him.

Games like this are great for social and physical development, and they usually get a big laugh and smile too. The best games are often simple, easy and don't have too many rules.

A fun variation on tag is to put soft obstacles like pillows around the room, and then to chase each other around them. As an added bonus, make them colored pillows and call out the color as you go by them.

Parenting, Game, Tag, Fun, Development

Day 281 - Correct Pronunciation

Today's first time parenting tip - Pronounce words correctly and praise your baby, even when he gets it wrong.

Our son is starting to learn his first words, between "uh-oh" and "da-da" you'd think there wasn't anything else to say. He can try other words, but he doesn't quite get them right. Things like a ball are "gall" and kitty ends up more like "tee-tee."

As parents and adults, I think the natural instinct is to say something like "No, it's ball." A better way to say it might be "That's right! It's a ball."

Your child's vocal chords and ability to make different noises is still in the early stages right now. By saying "no" to them, you're implying that they got something wrong in saying a ball was a "gall."

But in fact, he got it 100% right! He doesn't call anything else a "gall", and he always says it when he's bouncing it around. He understands the concept of a ball, but he just can't say the right word

By saying "That's right! It's a ball!" You're praising him for correctly identifying something, and at the same time correcting his pronunciation. As he learns how to make different noises, he'll start to make the correct sounds as you keep teaching him the "right" way to say things without confusing him and his ability to correctly identify concepts.

At the same time, you don't want to say "That's right! It's a 'gall'". This merely reinforces the incorrect pronunciation and you're essentially teaching him that the word for a spherical object is "gall".

Parenting, Development, Vocal, Language, Learning

Day 280 - Reading a book at their own pace

Today's first time parenting tip - Let your baby read and explore his books at his own pace

As adults, our tendency is to read a book, left to right, beginning to end, cover to cover. Infants have no such tendencies. In fact, they no nothing about the "proper" way to read books.

But most adults (myself included) want to take over when babies want to skip ahead, close the book, or just merely turn the pages.

And at this point in their lives, that's more than fine. You should be letting them lead the reading if they want to, enthusiastically jumping around with them, discovering the different images and words of the book.

The most important benefits of reading at this age are the bonding that occurs between the two of you, the daily routine, the different words, images and sensations that come along with reading. The actual "reading", i.e. left to right, front page to back, etc. Are probably one of the least important aspects.

As your child gets older and his tastes get more sophisticated, he'll grow to love actual stories, one's that have beginnings, middles and endings. But until then, let your preconceptions go and rediscover books all over again with your baby.

Parenting, Reading, Learning, Development, Fun

Day 275 - Shoeless

Today's first time parenting tip - Take shoes off your baby while they are learning to walk.

Baby shoes could possibly be everyone's favorite part of a baby's outfit. Everyone oohs and ahhs over how small they are, how feet could possibly be so tiny, etc. etc.

But putting shoes on your baby while they're learning to walk can make it harder for them to get the hang of taking steps.

Usually, shoes have rubber soles that have no slip or give. That means that an unstable baby who may be shuffling his feet or sliding them around won't have that necessary give he needs to stay up. And that means he's going to bite the dust.

Shoes can also be big and clunky on your baby's feet, making it easier for them to trip themselves up.

So if your infant is walking around inside or doesn't need to be wearing shoes for appearances, make sure you take them off as often as possible. An alternative would be to opt for shoes with a leather sole, so they've got a little slip to them and won't trip up your baby.

Parenting, Shoes, Walk, Development, Learn

Day 261 - Watch Your Language

Today's first time parenting tip - Stop using words that you don't want your child to use before they start speaking.

Remember in the movie "Meet the Fockers", where Robert DeNiro is dead set on helping the little kid learn his first words, and Ben Stiller inadvertently gets him to swear his first syllables?

Kids are more perceptive than you might think. I have a feeling quite a feel people talk or act in a way they wouldn't want their child to act well after they're old enough to at least observe what's going on.

Even though your baby might not have said his first word yet, he's listening. He's learning. And whatever you say, he's thinking and babbling all in an attempt to say the same things you are.

So double check yourself and make sure you want the little ears in the room to hear what's going on. It might not necessarily be profanity. You might be calling another driver stupid for cutting you off.

Picture everything you say coming out of your child's mouth. Would you tell them not to say it? Then you probably shouldn't say it either. Whether or not what your saying is right or wrong, they'll imitate it.

Parenting, First, Words, Language, Speech, Development

Day 258 - First Steps

Today's first time parenting tip - Encourage your baby to walk by finding the thing he loves most

Most parents try to get their baby to walk by holding him up or crouching in front of him as he's cruising. Then, some type of dialog starts that basically repeats "Walk to mommy/daddy!" over and over again. Maybe your baby takes some steps, maybe he doesn't.

The point here is to think about this a tad differently. Rather than only offering him yourself or his other parent as incentive, think of the thing that interests him the most. This could be your smiling, laughing face.

Or it could be the dog. A ball. Or in our case, the cat.

Our son loves petting and watching the cat walk around. A lot of the time he'll crawl over to him or try to work himself out of our arms when the cat is underfoot. So it seemed pretty natural that his first steps were to get closer to the cat.

Your baby is going to try, fail, try, fail, try, fail at a lot of things, because that's how they learn. The most important thing is to offer a supportive environment that encourages experimentation, and to also help your baby accomplish all the new things he's trying to learn. Offering something he's naturally interested in rather than trying to force something is a great way to help him have the best chance to learn.

Parenting, Physical, Development, First, Steps