Your Baby Week 6
Did you just hear that? By week 6, your baby may begin to make sounds other than crying! Infants often begin to make cooing noises during their second or third month. Tummy time may also have some surprising developments this week because for the first time, your baby may be pushing herself up with her arms.
If you are breastfeeding your baby, you may be concerned about your baby being comfortable taking a bottle from your partner, grandparents, or eventual babysitters. Week 6 is good time to begin introducing a bottle to your little one (if you haven’t already). It may ease the transition if you start with a small amount of expressed breast milk. Surprisingly enough, you may find that your baby is more likely to take a bottle from someone else other than you. Take advantage of this! Use bottle time to sneak away for a bath or chat with friends!
Also, don’t feel pressured to introduce a bottle. You can choose to breastfeed throughout your child’s entire infancy without ever introducing a bottle!
When is my child old enough for childcare?
Unfortunately, your maternity leave may be running out. Though separating from your infant may be difficult, the good news is that most daycare facilities accept healthy and full-term infants who are at least 6 weeks of age. If you are considering sending your baby to a daycare, it’s important that the staff be able to answer all of your questions. Below you will find a list of questions that may be helpful when trying to choose a daycare center.
- What are the qualifications of the staff?
- What is the structure of the day?
- How many children are at the daycare each day?
- How many staff members are on hand each day?
- Can you take a tour of the facility?
- What kind of curriculum do they use?
- What is the ratio of kids to teachers?
- What is the cost?
- What are their hours?
- What days are the facilities closed, for example, are you open on holidays?
- What kind of cleaning products do you use?
- Is it peanut free, nut free or latex free, if your child is sensitive to these things?
- Will you accommodate my baby's feeding schedule?
- What items do I need to bring with my child for the day?
If daycare isn’t for you, you could also consider in-home care. Nannies or other professional caregivers (like nurses) might be a better fit for you until your baby is older. Be sure to check references and ask as many questions as you can think of. When it comes to deciding on who will care for your child there is no such thing as a stupid question!
