Your Baby Week 7
Milestones to look for this week:
- Your baby may be able to lift his head while lying on his stomach
- His eyes may focus on your face
- His eyes may also follow an object that is moved about 6 inches above his face. Bold shapes and patterns, mostly black and white, will attract his attention.
- He may also know your voice and will likely respond to it by either becoming quieter or making more noise.
- You may also notice that he likes the sound of music and he may find it relaxing.
Your little one is probably still sleeping the day away. Most likely, he is averaging 15-18 hours of sleep per day. Though you may wish this included continuous sleep throughout the night, it probably doesn’t. To encourage your baby to sleep through the night, some professionals suggest waking them up if they sleep for more than three or four hours at a time during the day. Often these awakenings will coincide with your feeding schedule.
You may have also noticed that your baby is starting to anticipate mealtime. You should continue to feed your baby every 2-4 hours, whether or not they are breast or bottle fed. Gradually, the time between feedings and the amount they consume at each feed will increase. However, during daytime hours, you should be feeding at least every 4 hours. For now, a good way to tell if your baby has had enough to eat is to see if he seems satisfied and continues to have wet diapers. If you have any concerns about your child’s eating habits, please check with her pediatrician.
Is baby talk okay?
Your little one has probably begun to coo at you and you may be tempted to speak back with baby talk. Baby talk is an easy habit, and certainly won’t do any damage. However some studies suggest that the best thing for you to do is speak normally to your child. These studies have shown that babies who are exposed to “normal language” instead of baby talk acquire language faster.
Baby sign language is becoming more and more common among new parents. Though your child will most likely not be able to sign back to you until they are 8-10 months old, some experts agree that it certainly won’t hurt to start exposing newborns to simple signs. Most parents choose to start with signs that involve eating, such as milk, eat or drink. These types of signs are need based, and when the time comes, will allow your child to request the things he or she may need.
Is your baby fussy?
You may want to try...
- Rocking them in a rhythmic motion
- Soothing sounds
- Visual delights and distractions
- Close physical contact and touching
