21 Fun Things to Do With a Baby That Will Help Them Grow | LoveToKnow (2023)

FAQs

How can I make my baby grow faster? ›

Many key nutrients need to be increased during pregnancy, and it's especially important to get enough calcium, iron, iodine, choline, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folic acid, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Smile, stick out your tongue, and make other expressions for your infant to study, learn, and imitate. Use a favorite toy for your newborn to focus on and follow, or shake a rattle for your infant to find. Let your baby spend some awake time lying on the tummy to help strengthen the neck and shoulders.

Genetic factors and maternal conditions such as obesity or diabetes can cause fetal macrosomia. Rarely, a baby might have a medical condition that makes him or her grow faster and larger. Sometimes it's unknown what causes a baby to be larger than average.

As they turn 6 months old, many babies are gaining about 10 grams or less a day. Height. From birth to about age 6 months, babies tend to grow about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) a month. From ages 7 to 12 months, a baby might grow about half an inch (1.3 centimeters) each month.

Toddlers should have opportunities to play every day, the AAP says. Many experts recommend giving toddlers at least an hour per day of free, unstructured (but still supervised) play where children can explore what interests them, along with at least 30 minutes of active, adult-led, structured play.

Play ideas for encouraging newborn cognitive development

Talk to your baby often, hold your baby, and make eye contact. Read with your baby, recite nursery rhymes, or sing songs. Repeating the same song, rhyme or story is great for babies, because repetition is one of the ways they learn. Make faces with your baby.

How many ounces should a 4 month old eat? ›

At 4 months, babies usually take 4 to 6 ounces per feeding. At 6 months, babies may be taking up to 8 ounces every 4 to 5 hours.

According to the WHO, the average birth weight of a full-term male baby is 7 pounds (lb) 6 ounces (oz) , or 3.3 kilograms (kg). The average birth weight of a full-term female is 7 lb 2 oz , or 3.2 kg. The average weight of a baby born at 37–40 weeks ranges from 5 lb 8 oz to 8 lb 13 oz. This is 2.5 to 4 kg.

What is low birthweight? Low birthweight is when a baby is born weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces. Some babies with low birthweight are healthy, even though they're small. But having a low weight at birth can cause serious health problems for some babies.

You are more likely to have a baby that is growth restricted if you are over 40 or have high blood pressure, kidney problems or diabetes complications. Having lost a baby late in pregnancy or having had a small baby in the past also increases your risk.

3-month-olds will generally drink 4 to 6 ounces of formula around every four hours. That adds up to 24 to 32 ounces of formula in around six feedings total in a 24-hour period. 4-month-olds will often drink 5 to 7 ounces of formula every four to five hours.

Give healthy solid food.

Once your baby is ready, give fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fish, and lean meats. Babies will try anything. Use this time before they become picky to build their tastes for foods you want them to eat forever. While iron-fortified baby cereals can be healthy, don't overdo them.

Between 1-3 months of age, babies begin the transformation from being a totally dependent newborn to becoming an active and responsive infant. Many of the newborn reflexes are lost by this age. At this age, a baby's vision changes dramatically; he becomes more aware and interested in his/her surroundings.

Pegboard puzzles, nesting cups or blocks, and buckets with holes for different shaped blocks challenge hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills. Mechanical toys. Pop-up toys and "busy" boxes with knobs, buttons, and levers encourage fine motor skills and problem solving, and teach cause-and-effect.

Creating a warm, loving environment helps your baby feel safe and loved. This promotes brain development. Everyday moments, such as having a bath and eating, are great opportunities for you to get to know each other and build your relationship. It's these moments that help your baby's brain form new connections.

What makes a baby smarter? ›

Better sleep may boost that baby IQ too. According to the Academy of Sleep Medicine, good nighttime sleep—versus daytime naps—may speed an infant's brain development and increase executive functioning, which enables skills like attentiveness, self-discipline and memorization.

STEP 1: Instead of entering the nursery, look at your clock and/or start a timer (mentally or actually set one) for 15 minutes. This means you do NOT go into the nursery when the crying first starts. Start the timer instead, when you hear that first bout of crying.

And with the bedtime fading technique, you put your baby to bed a little later each night, shifting bedtime back by 10 to 15 minutes, until your little one is tired enough to fall asleep on their own, even with a bit of crying. Once you hit that sweet spot, you label it as your baby's official bedtime!

According to the BRAC, baby should go back for a nap a mere 90 minutes after waking up—that's right: 90 minutes. The program is called N.A.P.S. —Note time when baby wakes up, Add 90 minutes, Play, feed, or pursue other activities, then, at the end of the 90 minutes, Soothe baby back to sleep.

Provide finger foods as the infant learns to self-feed. Encourage movement throughout the day. Being active as an infant means lifting the head, kicking, and reaching during tummy time; reaching for or grasping toys or other objects; playing and rolling on the floor; and, crawling around the environment.

The current consensus is that infants are thinking all the time, busy trying to make sense of the world around them from the moment they emerge from the womb. "Babies are little experimenters," says Susan Hespos, Ph. D., a cognitive psychologist at Northwestern University, in Evanston, Illinois.

You can't spoil a baby. Contrary to popular myth, it's impossible for parents to hold or respond to a baby too much, child development experts say. Infants need constant attention to give them the foundation to grow emotionally, physically and intellectually.

Baby's mind and body are constantly developing in the most amazing ways right now, and we get your enthusiasm about maximizing every moment of this key period. But the truth is, you don't need to do a heck of a lot to entertain a newborn.

Talk to your child a lot

Children learn to talk when parents and caregivers talk to them a lot. You don't need to make a special time for talking. Any and all talking is good for your child. This includes talking while you dress or bath your baby, talking while you play, singing songs and nursery rhymes, and reading.

What toys help with cognitive development? ›

Building and construction toys, such as blocks and sets of connecting pieces, promote cognitive development. They are considered “open-ended” toys, which means that children can use the toys to create structures or designs in many different ways.

5 to 8 months

It is not until around the fifth month that the eyes are capable of working together to form a three-dimensional view of the world and begin to see in-depth. Although an infant's color vision is not as sensitive as an adult's, it is generally believed that babies have good color vision by 5 months of age.

Avoid marbles, coins, balls, and games with balls that are 1.75 inches (4.4 centimeters) in diameter or less because they can become lodged in the throat above the windpipe and cause trouble with breathing. Battery-operated toys should have battery cases that secure with screws so that kids cannot pry them open.

Bananas are an excellent source of nutrition and make great first foods to babies. Banana puree can be introduced as solid food anywhere between the age of 4-6 months. Did you know: Bananas are often called one of nature's perfect foods because they are said to contain all essential nutrients.

Infants (0-1 year of age)

There are no set rules about how long to wait before taking a newborn out into the world or when to let people near the baby. Some doctors recommend that parents wait until their baby is a few months old before going to crowded public places (like malls, movie theaters, and airplanes).

The idea that babies have to stay inside the house for several weeks after they're born is FALSE. In fact, as long as your baby is healthy, getting some fresh air can be great for mom and baby if you take a few precautions.

Your baby will give you little clues that they're bored, such as yawning, looking away, squirming and crying. If you think your baby's bored, show them you're listening by giving them something different to do. Move them to another area of the room, pick up a different toy or just give them a little quiet time.

Get-togethers: Whether it's a family party or a playdate, the most important element of getting Baby socialized is for them to be around other people. At family functions, there are often people of a range of different ages, which is a great way for Baby to see how adults and children behave.

Studies Link Kids in Child Care With Behavioral Problems

Good news for stay-at-home moms knee-deep in diapers and temper tantrums. Two studies state you being home with your children during those early stages is better for your kids than them being in childcare full-time.

How do I mentally stimulate my 1 month old? ›

Gently clap your baby's hands together or stretch arms (crossed, out wide, or overhead). Gently move your baby's legs as if pedaling a bicycle. Use a favorite toy for your baby to focus on and follow, or shake a rattle for your infant to find. Make different facial expressions for your baby to imitate.

Major achievements—called developmental milestones—include rolling over, sitting up, standing and possibly walking. And your heart will likely melt at the sound of her first “mama” or “dada.” No two babies are exactly alike. Your baby will develop at her own pace.

Newborn activities for development are important and they can start as early as 1 week old! What is this? These early months are the building blocks of your newborn's development. It's important to stimulate them as much as possible to get their body's systems off to a running start.

Try swaddling him, to mimic the feeling of being held, and then putting him down. Stay with him and rock him, sing, or stroke his face or hand until he settles down. Babies this young simply don't have the ability to calm themselves yet, so it's important not to let him “cry it out.”

Play with your newborn: this helps your baby's brain to grow and helps them learn about the world. It also strengthens the bond between you. Give your baby tummy time: start with 1-2 minutes and build up to 10-15 minutes several times a day.

Young babies are indeed capable of seeing colors, but their brains may not perceive them as clearly or vividly as older children and adults do. The first primary color your baby can see is red, and this happens a few weeks into life.

Around 4 to 6 months, your little love bug will start mimicking your facial expressions. When they're excited and happy, they'll know to smile. And don't forget to keep an ear out for the most adorable noise of all: their intentional laugh and little giggles.

Baby's mind and body are constantly developing in the most amazing ways right now, and we get your enthusiasm about maximizing every moment of this key period. But the truth is, you don't need to do a heck of a lot to entertain a newborn.

Compared to real life, many television programs aimed at young children have rapid image and sound changes that, although they are extremely interesting for children, can over-stimulate their senses and brain.

What is the purple crying phase? ›

What Is PURPLE Crying? PURPLE crying is a stage that some babies go through when they seem to cry for long periods of time and resist soothing. Your baby may find it hard to settle or calm down no matter what you do for them. The phrase PURPLE crying was coined by the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome.

Yes, babies can absolutely become overstimulated. This happens with “they're overwhelmed with more activities, sounds and sensations than they're able to handle,” says Alexis Phillips-Walker, DO, a pediatrician at Memorial Hermann Medical Group Pediatrics in Atascocita, Texas.

Failing to provide children with adequate sensory stimulation puts them at a high risk of developmental and cognitive delays. This is known to have been recorded in young babies who grew up in orphanages, as well as in preterm babies. One such sensory pathway is touch, which facilitates normal growth and development.

Sometimes, or a lot of the time, they want that same close, warm, safe feeling they had when they were in the womb. Being held is as close as they can get to the comfort they're familiar with. Additionally, research shows that physical touch is calming for babies and facilitates the parent-child bond.

Play mirrors, high-contrast flashcards, colorful rattles and textured, cloth activity books are all standout examples of newborn toys that'll stimulate your little one's senses. Better yet, these toys promote baby's fine motor skills, social abilities, pattern recognition and visual development.

Somewhere around 2 months of age, baby will look at you and flash a full-on smile that's guaranteed to make your heart swell. Doctors call that kind of smile a “social smile” and describe it as one that's “either a reaction, or trying to elicit a reaction,” Stavinoha says. In other words, baby is interacting with you!

The cool thing about clapping, though, is that it isn't just a party trick: It's actually an important milestone for babies.