The prone position (laying on stomach); your baby will use straight arms to help her lift her head and chest of the ground. Usually by 5 months she is able to roll from front onto her back and then after a while of doing this she will learn to roll back onto her front, when she has learnt this you will have to be very careful because it will be very easy for her to roll of a bed.
Learning to walk; your baby can now support herself on her legs with some support, and she will thoroughly enjoy bouncing up and down.
Using hands; your baby can now grasp objects with a full hand and without her having to be giving it. She will be able to pick up everything that is in her reach, pass it from hand to hand, turn it around and will put it in her mouth.
Emotional: emotional development is affected by strong feelings of affection your baby has for the people who cares for them the most. Being held close to another person gives your baby feelings of comfort and security. You can strengthen these feelings with: skin-to-skin contact; which is achieved by breast feeding, eye-to-eye contact; when you spend time with your baby and he gazes into the parents eyes, familiar smells; your baby will learnt o recognise the smell of his mothers breast within a few days of birth, familiar sounds; your baby will also learn to recognise the sound of his mothers voice and responds to it rather than anybody else’s.
Social: babies are not born with social skills, they learn them as they grow up and depending on the people who surround him will affect his social life, as he gets older. When an adult speaks to the baby he will respond by making baby sounds, but in the baby’s eyes he is making conversation. By now your baby understands that he can attract attention by making a simple noise, i.e. a cough, a small whinge.
Don’t forget that all babies will develop at different periods. Don’t panic if your baby hasn’t reached some of the milestones mentioned above.
Ways to stimulate your baby
Why is stimulation important?
Stimulation is important for a baby, as it will help the baby for when they grow. If they didn’t develop hand-eye co-ordination they wouldn’t be able to do a simple thing such as pointing to something they are interested in or want. If parents didn’t spend time with their baby, it would grow up feeling insecure all the time
Caring for your baby
We will be coving these needs of a baby: food and drink, sleep, clothing, hygiene and health.
Food and drink
What a Child needs
All babies need feeding, whether it is breastfeeding or bottle-feeding; both contain nearly all of your baby’s nutritional needs for his first year of life.
Breastfeeding: breast milk is good for your baby in many ways. It contains antibodies, which protect the baby from certain germs it contains certain constituents that help to develop the brain and nervous system. Babies that are being breastfed are also less likely to suffer from gastrointestinal or middle ear problems.
Breastfeeding is also the simplest way to feed your baby it doesn’t need to
