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Your Baby's First Year
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Birth to 3 months
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The first three months of a baby's life are a time of tremendous growth and development.
You can help your child develop certain skills, even at this young age. Remember, every child develops at a different pace. Let your infant set the pace.
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Activities |
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- Place your baby on his or her tummy to develop muscles needed to lift the head.
- Your baby will learn to watch moving objects by following your face, or a bright object, as you slowly move it from side to side.
- Let your child explore surroundings.
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Communication |
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- Help your child learn listening skills by talking often. Talk to your child during feeding, diaper changes, cuddling and play.
- Help your child learn different sounds. For example, you may use rattles, squeeze toys and music to teach your child various sounds.
- Imitate sounds your child makes, such as cooing or babbling.
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Interpersonal and Social Skills |
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- Your baby communicates by crying, cooing and gurgling. Your baby cries to communicate about such things as hunger, a tummy ache or a dirty diaper.
- Hold your baby while walking and talk in a soothing voice.
- Babies need to be cuddled. Rock your baby often while talking in a soothing voice and softly touching the child.
- Teach your baby to smile. Smile often, especially if your baby smiles at you.
- Share quiet time with your baby at bedtime.
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3 to 6 months
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Remember, every child develops at a different pace. Let your infant set the pace. |
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Activities |
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- At this age, your child is more aware of surroundings. When lying on the tummy, your baby will look up and should push up on his or her arms.
- Rolling from the stomach to the back and then back to the stomach begins at this age.
- Help your baby learn to sit up in the corner of a chair or couch. Make certain you sit beside the child.
- Help your baby learn to bear weight. Hold your infant under the arms and slowly lower the child until the feet are touching
- Use faces and bright objects to capture your baby's attention.
- Teach your child to grasp small objects, such as rattles.
- Help your child learn to use both hands. Offer the baby two objects at once.
- Teach your child to reach for a favorite toy or object by holding it just out of reach.
- Play "peek-a-boo" with your baby.
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Communication |
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- Talk to your baby often. Repeat some sounds and encourage your child to repeat those sounds.
- Encourage your child to turn toward a sound.
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Interpersonal and Social Skills |
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- Respond quickly when your baby cries. And soothe your baby when fussy.
- Continue cuddling and rocking your child.
- Smile in return when your baby smiles at you.
- Help your child to relax by gently stroking the back, arms or legs.
- Babies enjoy bath time. Allow your infant to splash, kick and play in the water. Always make sure the water temperature is comfortable. Never leave a child alone when in or near water.
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6 to 9 months
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Remember, every child develops at a different pace. Let your infant set the pace. |
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Activities |
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- Help your child sit up and bear weight while standing. Hold your child under the arms and gently bounce the baby up and down.
- Your child may begin to pull up into a seated or standing position while in the crib.
- Help your baby learn to crawl by placing a favorite toy out of reach.
- Let your child play with floating bath toys in the bathtub. Remember, never leave your child alone when in or near water.
- Teach your baby to drop objects - such as blocks or clothes pins - into a container.
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Communication |
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- Continue talking to your child often. Repeat some sounds and encourage your child to repeat those sounds. Encourage your child to turn toward a sound.
- Point to bright pictures in books or magazines and name the objects.
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Interpersonal and Social Skills |
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- Continue cuddling and rocking your baby. Smile at the baby often. Respond when your child cries or is fussy.
- Continue playing "peek-a-boo" and other playful activities. For example, teach your baby to play "Pat-a-Cake" or "the baby is so big."
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9 to 12 months
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Remember, every child develops at a different pace. Let your baby set the pace. |
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Activities |
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- Continue helping your child to walk, with or without support. Do not force the child to walk without support.
- Continue helping your child to crawl.
- Your child may begin to stoop from a standing position to pick up a toy.
- Teach your child how to stack large blocks or other items.
- Babies love to explore cupboards while you are working in the kitchen. Keep one lower cupboard filled with safe objects for play, such as plastic containers and lids, and wooden utensils. (Make sure any unsafe items are in higher cupboards or that lower cupboards with unsafe items cannot be opened.)
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Communication |
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- Continue talking to your child often. Show picture books, magazines or catalogs and name the items pictured.
- Help your child to begin talking. You may want to pretend a doll or a puppet is talking to your child.
- Children enjoy hearing songs and nursery rhymes at this age.
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Interpersonal and Social Skills |
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- Continue cuddling and rocking your baby. Smile often. Respond when your baby cries or is fussy. Play games.
- Your child can sit near the family at meal time. Teach your baby to hold a cup and drink from it. Use a small plastic cup and a small amount of liquid.
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Immunization - First Year
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The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the following immunizations between birth and 6 months: |
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- To prevent hepatitis B - the Hep B vaccine between birth and 2 months, 1 month and 4 months and 6 months to 18 months. There must be at least a one-month gap between the first and second vaccine.
- To prevent diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis - the DTaP vaccine at 2 months, 4 months and 6 months.
- To prevent H. influenzae type b infection - the Hib vaccine at 2 months, 4 months and 6 months.
- To prevent polio - the IPV vaccine at 2 months and 4 months and between 6 months and 18 months.
- To prevent pneumococcal bacteria infections - the PCV vaccine at 2 months, 4 months and 6 months.
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Guidelines for when a child should be immunized for different diseases change from time to time. Talk to your pediatrician about an immunization schedule for your child. | |
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