Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Your Baby This Week

Just when you were getting used to your baby only taking a couple of small naps during the day, he may decide to keep you on your toes and stop going down for his afternoon nap. Many babies cut out their morning nap at this point and while this may not be enough for YOU, it is probably plenty for him. The good news is that when he cuts out the morning nap he will usually sleep longer during his afternoon nap. After all, he has been up playing hard for 5 hours or so. Use the extended nap time to get extra little things taken care of around the house that you may not have had time for before. As Tyler's hand-eye coordination improves, fill-and-empty games and stacking games will begin emerging as his favorites. Measuring cups, measuring spoons, and plastic storage containers will be big hits because they nest inside one another. Recognizing how one object relates to, or differs from, another is what some of our earliest school lessons are about. You can help Tyler get a head start by offering toys and games that will help him learn this. Right now he just beats everything on the floor, or on his head! *LOL*
Tyler is creating more complex memories from his experiences. For instance, he might see a ball, remember how it moves, and push it. He's even able to set goals for himself, such as making noise from a pan by crawling to it and banging it with a spoon. Give Tyler plastic bowls, pans, and other utensils and he will happily (and loudly) "perform" for you. Tyler is beginning to recognize names, basic words like "no" and "bye-bye," and familiar sounds. He will look when you point out objects and he may also point at things when you name them. This is called receptive language and precedes the ability to speak. Since he now remembers daily rituals, try greeting Tyler each morning with the same phrase. Good Morning Sunshine is how I wake up both of my children. Tyler wakes up every morning with a big ole' smile on his face! He'll look forward to it.

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