Talk to Your Baby as You Care for Him

• Imitate the sounds your baby makes.

• Use complete sentences. “It’s time for your bath.“ “Now, I’m going to wash your face; scrub-a-dub-dub.” “Won’t it feel good to be clean?”

• Your child will talk back to you by smiling, crying, making soft sounds, and making arm and leg movements.

• Most of your child’s vocabulary will consist of “oo” sounds.

• Try to figure out what your baby is trying to tell you and respond to it.

• Get down on your baby’s level and look into his eyes when you are “talking” to each other.

Your Baby Learns by Seeing and Hearing

At first, your baby stares at objects. If an object is just 7 to 8 inches away, she can focus on it pretty well. Later, she begins to watch and follow objects with her eyes.

To help your baby learn to lift her head, lie on your back and put your baby on your tummy. Call her name and encourage her to lift her head to see you.

Encourage your baby to track your face. As you move from left to right, see if she will follow you with her eyes and turn her head.

Talk to your baby from different places in the room. As she searches for you with her eyes, she will start to learn how to coordinate sight and sound.

Hang a mobile over your baby’s crib. Select one without string or elastic that could entangle her. Place the mobile on one side of the crib for a few days, and then move it to the other side. This will help your baby look in both directions.

Say simple nursery rhymes to your baby. Se will enjoy the sound of your voice and the repetition of the words.

Your Baby Wants You to Know When to Change Diapers

It seems as if new babies wet their diapers every time you turn around. Your baby will probably need about 90 diapers each week.

Bowel movements are less predictable. No specific number of bowel movements is considered normal. Some babies go every other day while others go five times a day. Babies who breastfeed usually have bowel movements more often than bottle-fed babies.

Bowel movements are often runny. The color of the stool may be yellow, green, or brown. All of these are normal.