Your Baby Week 26
Infants at this age continue to bloom in their ability to interact with the world. At this point, your little one might be responding to her name, reaching for objects she desires, sitting up, crawling or scooting around the room, and “talking” up a storm with one and two-syllable sounds. If she hasn’t reached all of these milestones yet, don’t worry. She will make lots of progress in the next few months.
Your infant has grown quickly over the past months. It is quite common around the sixth month for this rate of growth to slow down slightly. She will probably be averaging about a pound of growth a month until her first birthday, when her growth will slow down yet again.
Remember, all infants are different and the difference in height and weight between children becomes more apparent the older they get. Ever since your child was born, her doctor has been keeping a record of her height and weight. These figures are tracked on standard growth charts, and more important than the individual numbers on those charts is your child’s overall rate of growth.
If you have any concerns about your child’s height or weight, your pediatrician is the best person to ask. He or she will refer to your child’s growth chart to be the sure their rate of growth follows a healthy growth curve. Try not to compare your child to other children, as your child’s growth depends on a number of factors, such as their genes, the amount and quality of food that they are eating and their hormones.
When reviewing your child’s growth chart, your pediatrician will probably ask some of the following questions…
- What does your child’s diet consist of?
- How often and how much does she eat?
- How much juice does she consume during the day?
- How frequent are your baby’s bowel movements? What do they look like?
- How frequently does she urinate?
Keep in mind that premature babies may still be behind their peers in terms of overall size, but even premature babies should be growing at their own, steady rate!
Play Dates
Infants at this age enjoy a lot of stimulation. After all, interacting with their world and with other humans is how they learn! If you haven’t already, it might be a great time to reach out to other moms or dads for play dates. It is a great excuse to meet other parents and your child will really enjoy interacting with other children her age. If there aren’t other moms or dads in your neighborhood or in your family or friendship group, you can always research community organizations. Try contacting your local library for story time or even your local YMCA or gym for activities specifically designed for babies.
