Development Archives - Page 6 of 7 - People's Community Clinic

Tips for your 3-4 month old baby

HELP ME BE HEALTHY.

At this checkup, the doctor will:

Weigh and measure me.
Check me from head to toe to see:
- How I move.
- How well I hear.
- How well I see.
Give me a few vaccines. Remember to write them in my health journal.

FEED ME AND TAKE CARE OF MY TEETH AND GUMS.

Ask the doctor or WIC nutritionist about eating cereal at 4 months. Rice cereal is the first cereal I should try. Please feed me my cereal from a spoon. Don’t put it in a bottle.
Hold me while I drink my bottle. It makes me feel safe and loved.
Don’t put me in my crib and prop the bottle up for me. I could spit up and choke.
Don’t put me to bed at night with a bottle. If I have a bottle in my mouth all night, the milk or juice could decay my new teeth.
Holding me at feeding time makes me feel secure and loved.
Clean my mouth with a soft, moist washcloth – even before I get my first teeth.
Once my teeth start coming in, use a very soft, infant-sized toothbrush to brush my teeth.

KEEP ME SAFE.

It’s time to make our house safe for babies. Look at it from my eye level. Crawl on your hands and knees and look around. Take away or move anything that I can reach or that could hurt me when I crawl around. Keep me away from cords of all kinds: telephone cords, drapery cords, and electric cords. Cover the electric outlets and put safety latches on the doors.
Keep me away from cigarette and cigar smoke. It makes it harder for me to breathe.
Make sure that the toys, pacifiers, and other things you give me are safe for me. They should not have any sharp edges or loose pieces. Toys should be big enough that I cannot fit them into my mouth.
Use the safety strap and keep the baby seat on the floor and away from steps or other dangers. I’m now strong enough to wiggle out of the baby seat or tip it over.
Never leave me alone on a bed, sofa or changing table, or in a walker or cub.
Keep me away from hot liquids like coffee, tea, and soup. When you’re holding me, don’t try to drink anything hot. A hot liquid could spill on me and burn me badly.
Keep balloons away from me. If a balloon covers my mouth, I can’t breathe.

PLAY WITH ME, IT HELPS ME LEARN.

Baby on blanket with mobile

Play “Talking back and forth.” First, I make a noise and you listen. Then, you make the same noise and I listen. We can do this many times.
Put me on my back and let me reach for toys hanging from the sides of my crib or playpen. Make sure these are tied tight so they won’t hurt me.
Read to me. I like rhyming words and stories that are short.
Play Peek-a-boo with your hands or a blanket.
Hold a rattle or toy in front of me. Move it to get my attention. Then let me try to keep my eyes on it while you move it from one side to the other, up and down, and in circles. This helps me use both eyes.
Let me babble to you.

WATCH HOW I GROW.

New things are happening to me.

When something new happens to me, I might fuss. Change is hard for me. You could get confused and angry with me. What I really need is for you:

To be patient.
To show me new things, new people, and new situations very slowly.
To let me try three or four times to get used to something new. I might like it better the second or third time I try it.

Each child grows and changes at a different rate.

Help me learn new skills by playing with me. Most babies have the following skills at the end of 4 months. If you are worried, talk to my doctor or nurse. To find a nearby Early Childhood Intervention program, call the DARS Help Line toll-free at 1-800-628-5115.

Watch for me to:

Smile at you.
Hold up my head without bobbing it around when I sit in your lap.
Hold a small toy, like a rattle, for a few seconds in my hand if you place it in my hand.
Laugh out loud.
Say “oo,” “aah,” and other vowel sounds. Sometimes I say these sounds fast.
Sometimes I say them slow and kind of sing them.
Hold my head all the way up and rest on my arms when I’m on my stomach.
Recognize sounds I hear a lot, like your voice, the sound of a favorite toy, or running water.
Let you know I recognize you as a special person. I get excited when I see people I know or my bottle.

View Brochure

Cereal for Infants

Your baby is ready for infant cereal when he:

sits with help
turns his head away when full
can swallow cereal and not choke
doesn’t push food out of his mouth with his tongue
is between 4 and 6 months of age

Tips for feeding cereal:

Start your baby on plain rice cereal.
Feed cereal from a bowl with a small spoon.
Don’t put cereal in a bottle, unless told to do so by your doctor
Never add honey to cereal. It can make your baby very sick.

How to make infant cereal:

1. Measure 1 tablespoon of cereal into bowl.

2. Add about 4 tablespoons of breastmilk or formula.

3. Stir.

Too thin? Add more cereal.

Too thick? Add more breastmilk or formula.

Give your baby thin cereal at first. Thicken the cereal as your baby gets older and becomes better at eating.

Your baby will eat the amount of cereal he needs.
Don’t force him to eat more than he wants.

At first, offer your baby 1 tablespoon of cereal once or twice a day.
At 6-8 months, offer your baby 2-3 tablespoons of cereal about two times a day.

The Magic of Everyday Moments (4-6 Months)

Remember, everyday moments are rich bonding and learning opportunities. Enjoy the magic of these moments with your child.

These booklets brought to you by:

Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute, L.L.C., is a company solely
dedicated to improving maternal and children’s healthcare through the advancement of continued learning and research in pediatrics, child development, parenting and maternity care. Through partnerships with leading healthcare professionals, developmental specialists and international organizations, Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute, L.L.C., identifies, develops and implements initiatives and programs that help shape the future of children’s health around the world.

ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit organization of renowned pediatricians, educators, researchers, and other child development experts who specialize in the first years of life.

You’ve survived those first 3 months, giving everything you’ve got to help your baby adjust to his new world—no small feat. And your hard work has paid off. Now you know his signals. You know the special voice that he finds comforting, how to rub his back when he needs to burp, and how to make him laugh. He’s awake much more during the day, and he’s more eager than ever to be engaged with you.

For many of you, it is at this time that your parental leave comes to an end and you must return to your paid job—just when the fun is starting. This transition can be very distressing to moms and dads: “Can I find someone who will take care of my baby as well as I do; who’ll keep him safe and help him grow? Will I still be the most special person to him?”

Rest assured, your baby will always know you’re his mom and dad and you will always be the most special people to him. If you’re working, you don’t have to quit your job to nurture your child’s healthy development. As you read about how feeding and playing with your baby are wonderful opportunities to bond with and teach your baby so many important things, think of all the other moments you share each day that enrich your child’s life.

Download The Magic of Everyday Moments™ (4-6 Months)

The 5 FIND Elements of Serve and Return

The early years of a child’s life are important because their brains are growing. The experiences that a child has affects how their brain grows. One of the most important things adults do to support healthy brain development is called Serve and Return. Children serve when they do something, say something, or look at something. Adults return the serve when they respond. It’s these everyday moments that promote healthy brain development in young children.

Woman and child playing with a dandelion

Sharing a Child's Focus

This happens when you notice a child’s serve, and get interested in what they are doing, seeing, or feeling.

Noticing serves helps you identify a child’s interests and needs, and gives you an opportunity to respond.

Mother and father helping baby eat a banana

Supporting and Encouraging

You give support when you comfort a child, provide them with something they want or need, or help them do or understand something.

You encourage a child when you praise them, play with them, or acknowledge them.

Returning serves with support and encouragement strengthens your relationship with a child.

Naming

Naming happens when you provide a word or label for what a child is doing, seeing, or feeling.

Returning serves with naming helps build language. Naming feelings helps children learn about their emotions and how to cope with them.

Man holding out a blue ball to young child

Back and Forth

Once you return a serve with support, encouragement, or naming, interactions often go Back and Forth. Waiting for a child to respond gives them time to come up with their own ideas and responses.

These longer interactions build thinking, language, and social skills.

Baby crawling on ground with woman behind him encouraing

Endings and Beginnings

This happens when a child shows you they are all done with one activity, they serve by showing interest in something new, and you join them in the new activity.

Child led Endings and Beginnings encourages a child to explore their environment, and can help transitions go more smoothly.

Logo for People's Community Clinic

Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND) is a strengths-based, video coaching program for parents and other caregivers of young children.

To participate in FIND offered at PCC, contact: Celina Nance 512-684-1749

Helping Your Baby Sleep

Being tired can be a big part of life with a new baby.

But parents can help babies learn good sleeping habits right away.

FOR THE FIRST TWO MONTHS:

1. Make up your own get-ready-to sleep steps.

For example:
- Read a short book
- Sing a lullaby
- Give good-night
- Kisses and turn out the lights

2. Put your baby in the crib while still awake but sleepy.

After you put your baby down, it may take 20 minutes for them to fall asleep.
If they cry, check diaper, burps, and rock or cuddle
Lastly, put them back down to finish falling asleep.

3. Do the same get-ready-to-sleep steps every night in the same order.

4. Make middle of the night feedings brief and boring.

5. Keep daytime naps to no more than 3 hours per nap.

6. Try to make your babies go-to-bed time the same as the last feeding of the day.

FOR 2-4 MONTHS:

1. Keep up the same get-ready-to-sleep steps, but add a new step:

Brush your baby’s gums/teeth with water and a washcloth.

2. Have your baby sleep in a separate room. Or:

Use a screen or furniture so the baby cannot see you from the crib.
Do not use a blanket over the side side of the crib as it could cause suffocation.

3. Delay middle of the night feedings.

Try only one or two feedings a night.
Do not lay your baby down with a bottle.

4. If your baby wake more often:

Try to quiet them with some gentle cuddling in the dark room.
Check diapers.
Burp your baby.
Check that your baby is not too hot or cold.

5. If your baby still will not settle down:

Feed your baby with less milk than what you gave during the day.

It takes patience, but you will get to sleep soon!

Adapted From:
Instructions for Pediatric Patients, WB Saunders Co. 1999, Barton Schmitt, MD

Let’s Eat!

General Guidelines and feeding tips for baby’s first year!

BIRTH TO 6 MONTHS

Man bottle-feeding baby

What baby does?

Sucks and swallows breastmilk and formula
Pushes tongue out of the mouth when they swallow

New Foods:

Feed only breastmilk or formula with iron

What to do?

Be patient
Feed when your baby is hungry
Learn your baby’s hunger and fullness cues

AROUND 6 MONTHS

Baby being fed with a spoon

What baby does?

Sits with help
Supports and controls head
Can grasp an object and put it in mouth
Opens mouth for a spoon
Can keep most of the food in their mouth
Removes food from a spoon with a sucking action
Turns head away when full

New foods:

Try jarred or home-prepared single-ingredient foods like:
- Pureed fruits, vegetables, or meats
- Infant cereal

What to do?

Continue breastfeeding or giving formula with iron
Feed with a spoon
Start with a smooth and thin texture
Never put cereal in the baby’s bottle
Follow baby’s lead. Let your baby show you when they are full.
Wait two to three days between feeding new foods.

7 – 9 MONTHS

Baby drinking out of a cup

What baby does?

Sits without help
Moves food from front to back of the mouth
Begins side to side movement of the tongue
Begins to grasp objects with the whole hand and transfer from one hand to another
Starts to mash food with gums
Brings head towards the spoon
Drinks from cup with lots of spilling

New foods:

Plain, cooked, home-prepared foods, strained or mashed with a fork.
- Try fruits, vegetables, and meats.
Yogurt, cottage cheese
Very small pieces of hard cheese.

What to do?

Continue to breastfeed or give formula with iron.
As baby gets better at eating, mix food to a thicker texture
Offer breastmilk or formula in small amounts from a cup

10 – 12 MONTHS

Baby in highchair eating broccoli

What baby does?

Picks up food with thumb and forefinger
Rotary or grinding chewing begins
Drinks from cup with less spilling

New foods:

Small pieces of bread, cheese, noodles, crackers, soft tortilla
Small pieces of cooked, tender, lean meat
Soft cooked pieces of beans and vegetables
Pieces of raw, soft, ripe fruits

What to do?

Continue to breastfeed or give formula with iron
Offer finger foods
Watch baby closely while eating
Keep baby seated in a chair, high chair, or carrier

KEEP IN MIND

Be patient. It may take more than one time for your baby to like a new taste or texture.
Begin with small amounts of foods. Offer seconds if needed.
Do not force your baby to eat or finish all of their food. Turning their head, closing their mouth, shaking their head, or leaning back are signs your baby is full.
Continue to breastfeed or give formula after solid foods are introduced.
Be sure your baby is drinking enough breastmilk or formula.
If your baby is ready for table food, spoon out the amount they will eat before adding salt, sugar, fats, or other seasonings to the food for your family.
Set a good example. Older babies will want to eat what you eat.
If you have a family history of allergies, there may be foods you want to avoid giving your baby. Check with your doctor or clinic. Signs of an allergic reaction include skin rash, vomiting, diarrhea, irritability, or wheezing.

Baby crying next to image of a honey dripper

BE AWARE

NEVER give honey to your baby. Honey may have botulism, a germ that can be deadly for your baby.
Do NOT put your baby to bed with a bottle.
These foods may be choking hazards in babies and children younger than 4 years old:
- Whole hotdogs
- Whole grapes
- Popcorn
- Chunks of peanut butter
- Peanuts and other nuts
- Raw hard vegetables
- Round, hard or sticky candies

Signs your Baby May Be Hungry:

Signs of hunger in young babies

Getting hungry:
- Stretching
- Physical Movement
- Hand to Mouth
Feed Me:
- Crying
- Agitated
- Turning Red

Choking Hazards for Children Under One Year:

Choking Food Hazards for Children Under One Year

Thickly spread nut butters
Whole nuts and seeds
Popcorn
Raw carrots and other hard raw veggies
Whole grapes
Tortilla and other hard chips

What Your Baby Sees

Baby's vision at birth

FACES AND OTHER OBJECTS

When born, a baby can see faces at arm’s length but are attracted to high contrast edges like hairline or jawline. The image to the right depicts a newborn’s sight: no color, blurry, clear edges like hair and jaw.

Mostly opaque woman in view of 2 week old baby

Baby's vision at 2-6 weeks

COLOR

Babies start to see limited color around this time. Their eyes might be attracted to brightness, darkness, or contrast. Babies can tell white from black.

Woman slightly clearer to 2 month old baby

Baby's vision at 2-3 months

OBJECT IN FOCUS

Babies can now focus on different objects instead of seeing a blurred image of them.

Baby's vision at 4 months

MOVING OBJECTS

Babies can now follow moving objects with their eyes and can reach for them. Their color detection improves and their eye movements become steady and even.

Clear and saturated view of woman to 3 to 5 month old baby

Baby's vision at 3-5 months

DEPTH – CLOSE AND FAR

Babies have developed depth perception- the ability to see objects close and far away. They can now see in 3D.

Tips for Your 1-2 Month Baby

HELP ME BE HEALTHY

At this checkup:

I will be weighed and measured.
I will get a few vaccines. These vaccines help my body fight disease.
The doctor will ask you if I have had a follow-up hearing test. If I don’t pass this hearing test, I need to see an audiologist. The audiologist will give me a diagnostic hearing test. The doctor will also send us to the nearby Early Childhood Intervention program.

Keep a special notebook for my health journal.
Write about my doctor visits and the times when I’m sick. Take my health journal to my doctor visits so you can write the date that I got my vaccines.

FEED ME OFTEN, I EAT DAY AND NIGHT

Some babies, especially breastfed babies, eat more often on some days.

Follow these tips:

Holding me while I eat makes me feel safe and loved.
Breast milk or iron-fortified formula should still be my only food now. Don’t put cereal or other solid food in my formula. My body isn’t ready for solid foods until I’m 4 to 6 months old. Feeding me solids too early might make me have allergies or eat too much.
If I’m nursing or was born early, my doctor might say I need vitamin drops. Talk to the doctor about this.

How do you know when I’m hungry?
If I’m fussy, it’s okay to try to feed me. I want to nurse or drink iron-fortified formula.

KEEP ME SAFE

Handle me gently. Don’t pick me up by my arms or swing me by my arms or legs. Don’t shake me or throw me in the air.
Protect me from falls. Be careful not to fall with me in your arms. Don’t leave me alone on a changing table, bed, or other high place, I could fall.
If you give me medicine at night, turn on the light and read the label every time to make sure you are giving me the right medicine and the right amount of medicine.

PLAY WITH ME, IT HELPS ME LEARN

Let me feel different objects by rubbing them against my hands. let me feel some soft and some bumpy materials. I like to feel the different clothes you wear.
Tell me how special I am. Smile and talk to me a lot.
Show me bright colors. I can easily see the difference between black and white or red and yellow.
Put me in a baby carrier or carry me and hold me while you move around the house. Talk to me about what you are doing. I like to see what is happening.
Look at me when you talk to me. I want to copy your mouth.
Repeat the sounds I make. I like the game of making sounds.
Read to me. I like to hear the sound of your voice.

READ ABOUT BEING A PARENT

Go to your local library for books, magazines, newsletters, and leaflets on parenthood. Use the library’s computers.
The Mental Health America of Texas website has help for parents at www.parentinginformation.org. Read the section “How to Help Your Crying Baby” or the childcare checklist in the downloadable version of this guide.
Ask someone you trust to come watch me so you can have a break. Join a group of parents that talks about ways to help children grow. To find parent educators near you, go to the Texas Registry of Parent Educators Resources (ROPER) at www.unt.edu/cpe.
When you feel stressed, talk to your partner, a family member, or a good friend about your feelings. It helps to talk with someone who is close to you.

WATCH HOW I GROW

Illustration of happy baby on blanket with toys

Wave, kick, and squirm when lying on my back.
Make sounds like “uh,” “eh” and “oh.”
Look and stare at things. I look at you a lot.
Lift my head up and turn it side ways when I’m on my stomach.
Turn to you and smile at you when I see or hear you.
Quiet down, move my eyes, or change my expression when I hear, your voice or some other noise.

You might notice that I also:

Cross my eyes sometimes. This is normal. I will do this until my eye muscles get stronger.
Gurgle, smile, and laugh when I’m happy.
Have tears when I cry. My tear ducts are starting to work now.
Like to suck my thumb or pacifier. Sucking is a way that I learn about my world. It is also one way that I calm myself down.

Children are very different from one another.
If I was born early or have special needs, it might take me a little longer to do some things. You can help me learn. If you are worried, talk to my doctor or nurse. To find a nearby Early Childhood Intervention program, call the DARS Help Line toll-free at 1-800-628-5115.

View Brochure

Whooping Cough and Flu

Protect your baby from Whooping Cough and Flu!

Whooping cough is a bad bacterial illness easily passed from person to person. Flu is a virus that is also easily passed from person to person.

Whooping cough and flu are life threatening to babies. What can you do about it?

Surround your baby with protection.

Tell the people who have contact with your baby to get the whooping cough shot (Tdap) and the flu shot!
They can get the shots from their doctor.
Or they can call the “BIG SHOTS” program at 512-972-5520.
Get the Flu shot every year during flu season.
The Tdap shot is for people 11 years old and older.

Safe Sleep and Your Baby

A safe sleep space for baby will help prevent suffocation.

The ABCDs of safe sleep:
Alone, Back, Crib, Dangers

Baby should sleep...

Alone

Your baby should sleep without pillows, blankets, bumpers, toys, people, pets, or other soft objects.

On his or her Back

Your baby should sleep on their back on a firm, flat surface for every sleep.

In a Crib

Your baby should sleep in a crib, bassinet, play yard, or baby box in the same room as the caregiver.

Room sharing is recommended for the first year.

Without Dangers

Avoid smoking, drinking alcohol, or using drugs when pregnant or caring for baby.

Sleep in a smoke-free environment.

Avoid overheating by dressing baby lightly.

Stop swaddling when baby starts trying to roll.

SLEEPING IN THE SAME BED AS BABY IS NOT RECOMMENDED AND IS MORE RISKY IF:

Baby is less than 4 months old.
Baby was born prematurely or with a low birth weight.
The baby’s mother smoked during pregnancy.
The person bed-sharing is a smoker.
The person bed-sharing used drugs or drank any amount of alcohol.
The person bed-sharing is not one of the baby’s parents.
The surface the baby is sleeping on is soft, such as a couch, armchair, or adult mattress.
Baby is sleeping with soft bedding such as pillows and blankets.

Source: AAP Safe Sleep Policy Statement, 2016