Week 34

If your baby loves to play outdoors, make him or her a smaller version of a sandbox with a large, plastic storage container and oatmeal. Just fill the container half-full of dry oatmeal and throw in some toys. Your baby will love to feel the oatmeal between his or her fingers and any oatmeal tossed out of the container can be left as a treat for the birds to eat, or vacuumed up if you’re inside the house. When playtime is over, just snap on the lid until next time.

If your baby is playing outside and you’re worried about scraped knees from crawling on cement, take a tip from another mom and use a pair of your old tube-style sport socks. They’re tall enough to cover his or her knees and thick enough to provide a soft cushion against scrapes.

Your New Baby

Try not to get upset when your baby throws things – it’s just a stage in his or her muscular development. It’s important for him or her to experiment with hand-arm movements and to see the results of his or her actions. It will take a while for your baby to actually be able to let go at the proper moment to propel an object across the room. But who knows? You could have a star pitcher on your hands in a few years! Give your little slugger soft toys that won’t damage your home or hurt a sibling if hurled from a distance. Damage control is sometimes the name of the game.

Encourage your baby to stand by placing one of his or her favorite toys on the seat of a sturdy chair. Show him or her that the toy is there, and cheer him or her on to get up and grab it.

Have you noticed your baby displaying a fear of strangers yet? Your once-outgoing baby who would allow anyone and everyone to pick him or her up may appear anxious when a stranger enters the room and decide to hide his or her head in your shoulder or cling to your legs. Your baby may also be increasingly afraid when you are not around and may continue to cry when you drop him or her off at day care or leave for the evening. Help your baby adjust by staying nearby as he or she learns to accept a new person and give him or her extra attention and one-on-one time before you leave and when you return. Playing games like peek-a-boo will help reinforce the idea that you’re not gone forever and that you will return soon.

A Quote Worth Repeating

“Children are apt to live up to what you believe of them.”
~ Lady Bird Johnson

A Tip from the Trenches

Many active babies could not care less if their diaper is clean – as important as it may be to Mom. They don’t want to sit still long enough for their diaper to be changed, and can get cranky. Try the following tips to help end the diaper changing battle:

• Distract your baby. Keep a flashlight or other special toy with your changing supplies and let him or her play with it while you change him or her. Call this the “diaper toy” and put it away when the change is complete. If you reserve these toys only for diaper time, they will retain their novelty for a long time.
• Have some fun. This is a great time to sing songs, blow tummy raspberries, or tickle and play.
• It’s easy for diaper changes to become routine or even a dreaded wrestling match given the sheer number of changes you go through each day. If you’re not having fun, neither will your baby. Try to make this activity a special moment in your day to slow the hectic pace and reconnect with him or her.

BabyWeekly ™ NewsLetter