Your Baby Week 41
Your house is probably full of the sounds of babbling and baby talk. You might find that your little one likes to experiment with volume. Shrieking, and piercing screams may not be much fun for parents, but they are a learning experience for your child. If you want her to lower the volume to a less painful pitch, try whispering to her. She may quiet down so that she can hear you or try to mimic the noises that you make.
Biting Behavior
Most babies try biting their caregivers at some point. To curb this biting behavior, you don't want to yell loudly or bite them back. Yelling or any other loud reaction may only serve to reinforce this behavior, increasing the likelihood that it will keep occurring, and biting them back doesn't teach them the behavior is unacceptable.
It's best to calmly but firmly say, "No biting" and then move on to another topic. If you do this every time she bites, eventually, the behavior will stop. Once the biting phase begins, you may want to instruct family members and friends about how you would like them to handle this behavior. Even if you try your best not to reinforce this behavior, laughter from a sibling when it occurs or a loud reprimand from a grandparent might keep this behavior around for longer than you would like. Consistency is key to helping your child understand, but don’t get too frustrated by setbacks. Just try again next time!
Messy Meal Time
These days, it may seem like your baby is wearing more of their food than they are eating. Remember, babies learn by interacting with their environment, so playing with their food is a way for them to learn about texture, temperatures and even the law of gravity. Though it can be frustrating, keep in mind that this is a phase that they will grow out of like all the rest. Just be sure not to encourage their behavior by positively reinforcing it with laughter.
It might be hard not to laugh when they dump a plate of food on their head, but doing so will only encourage the behavior. The same is true of yelling at them for being messy; it might just make matters worse. Instead, try ignoring their messy behavior and praising appropriate behavior, like nice neat bites. And while you are waiting for this phase to pass, you might want to keep a wet washcloth handy and cover the ground under their highchair with a disposable drop cloth, like magazine pages or the morning's newspaper.
