The first year of a child's life is full of amazing changes. As the months go by, our babies grow into agile, chatty, and intelligent little toddlers with their own personal goals and unique personalities. What are the main milestones of this year? What is the connection between the various areas of development and what is our role as parents throughout this impressive process?
0+ months
Let's start from the very beginning. When our baby is born, we can still notice the physiological flexibility left over from our time in the womb. During this period, the movements of the child are spontaneous and a little funny. They involve his entire body and are a continuation of the movements in the womb. His head rotates from side to side. Make sure the surface you place it on is comfortable. At this stage, the child is driven by primary reactions. His eyesight is not yet fully developed, and he can see mostly bright, contrasting colors. Bring your face closer to the distance of 25-30 cm from the child's face, gently talk to him or sing. Babies have a preference for certain faces and remember voices from the time they were in the womb.
2+ months
Over time and with the stimulation offered (touch, sounds, observation) the child's development will continue. The child is already 2 months old. He already has better head control and can hold it stably. The back and pelvis become longer and straighten out on the surface, increasing the area of the body that the child can feel. By this time, the child already knows how to focus his eyes and deliberately smile in response to your smile. Try the following. Lie on your stomach on the play mat, put your baby on their back and play with the colorful toy. You can gently place the toy in your child's hand and see how he can hold it for a few seconds.
4+ months
As the child grows and develops, his large muscles (back, abdomen and buttocks) and small muscles (fingers, eyes, feet) become stronger. He begins to reach for various objects (note that the child can reach with his foot - place toys that can be kicked or those that make a sound when touched at arm's length). These initial grab attempts may not be very accurate, but with time and practice, accuracy will improve. This is one way to teach a child about cause and effect, as well as control over his environment. During this period, the child may inadvertently roll over from his stomach to his back. The baby's head is heavy in relation to the body, and when he turns his head, the body can pull on it, causing it to roll over. Often this unintentional movement is accompanied by surprise or crying. Over time, the child will begin to do this on his own initiative. Lying on his back, the child trains the abdominal muscles by raising his legs and pressing his chin to his chest. Hang toys at various points. He will stretch his arms in different directions, strengthening various muscles. The greater the range of activities, the more effective the training will be. At this stage, the line of the middle of the body becomes very clear, when the child stretches the limbs and brings the legs together.
6+ months
Approaching the six-month mark, the child begins to revolve around himself. The strength of the chest and arms allows him to support the weight on his outstretched arms. He can now grasp any object with accuracy while lying on his back or on his stomach. Place the toy at an angle to encourage the child to turn in that direction. Now the child can separate the movement of the pelvis and shoulders, which allows him to do half a turn with his body. He can control the rollover from back to tummy and likes to play longer on his tummy. When he lies on his back, we can see the coordination of the arms and legs. He grabs his knees or ankles, straightens his legs and pulls them back to his body. It's fine! So he explores his body, stretches his muscles and gets to know his legs with his hands and mouth. Shortly after this, you will be able to see the first attempts to crawl, in which the child may initially move backward, lying on his chest (in a plastunny way). As with any physical learning process, the beginning can be difficult and inconsistent. Practice, providing an open and supportive environment, placing the toy slightly out of the child's reach, and active encouragement will help speed up the learning of new skills. Now the child can reach further, explore the environment and test boundaries. Your presence is essential. Be careful. He seeks your approval, cooperation and guidance.
8+ months
At about 8 months, the muscles are already strong enough to stand on all fours. The child can rock back and forth in this position. This is a natural way of training to prepare for crawling on all fours and for standing in the next step. This rocking stimulates the vestibular apparatus (body sensation) and helps strengthen the bones and joints of the limbs. Sometimes at this stage, the child may begin to sit up. From a position on his side, he can lean on his hands and sit down. Now you can place the toys where the child can reach them while sitting. He is strong enough to straighten his back and keep his balance. He is able to support himself and not fall forward, and later he will also learn not to fall sideways. After that, he will develop the skill not to fall back. Remember that when organizing a safe play environment for a seated child, attention should be paid to what is on the sides and behind him. Sitting supports the development of vocal abilities, creates a new field of vision and frees up the hands for more complex play. The muscles of the back and shoulders are strong enough to hold the torso in a stable position, and the arms and fingers are strong enough to play more advanced and intentional games - the child deliberately reaches, holds, releases, pulls, turns and plays using both hands. Play games with your child that illustrate cause and effect relationships - hide and show objects or roll a ball. Raise the toys up to the level of the child's shoulders to exercise the ability to sit with a straight back.
10+ months
From a stable sitting position, the child will move on to crawling, sometimes combining crawling on all fours with crawling on the bellies. Development is dynamic and occurs simultaneously. It `s naturally. When the baby is 10 months old, he will begin to pull himself up to a standing position and stay in it, leaning on furniture or toys. He will be clumsy at first, but this skill will improve with practice. Pulling up to a standing position is a skill that gives the legs a new and very responsible role - to carry the weight of the entire body. At this stage, new tasks appear: to learn to balance on a narrow basis and get used to a new height. Fortunately, the reward is not long in coming: the standing position opens up a new view, stimulates the acquisition of new motor skills and, of course, is the starting point for walking. After the child gains confidence in the new position, he will begin to walk around the furniture and toys. Make sure that the child's play environment is safe for this developmental stage - first he will walk sideways, and then forward and turn his torso. After a while, the baby will let go of his hands and move on to standing without support. Now he is ready for the next stage of an important development - walking.
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