I made that happen! Your baby's understanding of cause and effect
Your baby has been exploring movement for a long time before their arrival, and learning about the world using all their senses. Their touch, sight, smell, hearing, balance and proprioception (sense of their body) started to develop before they were born, and touch was your baby's first sense to develop.
Mouth and mind: how your baby explores objects to understand
Your baby has been finding out about the world using their senses and movement. They will have kicked their legs and realised that as they kick, sometimes they touch things! This awareness will grow as they move their hand towards objects, and you may see that now, when holding an object, they try to move it towards their mouth to explore.
Touching faces to make sense of themselves and other people
Your baby will have been bringing their hands towards their face for a while as they explored movement. Now, they will be developing more control of their movements and as their hands are open and move often, you'll see them touching their face and features.
Why you may now see fewer tears and more settling
Your baby has used crying to communicate their needs and might have cried sometimes for no reason that you can identify. Now, they are beginning to find other ways to interact with you and the people around them, and you might notice that they cry a bit less.
Hello, you! Spotting their reflection in a mirror
The more your baby has been moving their arms and legs, the more they have started to understand where their body begins and ends. This understanding of themselves is further enhanced through their interactions with other people, so through being held, comforted and entertained by those around them.[1] Your baby will now be starting to explore toys and objects and will notice their reflection in a mirror; at this stage they won't realise that the baby that they see in the mirror is themselves.
Early empathy? Your baby's awareness of other people's emotions
Since they were born, your baby will have responded to their own discomfort by crying,[1] but as they become more aware of other people you might see them begin to respond to the emotions of others.
Is your baby turning to look for sounds?
Your baby has been listening to sounds since before they were born and is keenly interested in voices. Now, you will notice them listening and showing more awareness of other sounds – look to see if they stop moving or are quiet when they hear a voice or other sound.[1]
Seeing their world come into focus
Your baby’s blurred vision at birth meant that they will only have been able to focus on objects that were close to them. Now, they will be starting to see more clearly and will begin to look at objects and toys that are hanging close to their face.
Your baby's use of vision to find their feed
When your baby was born, their reflexes will have ensured that they were able to feed, so they will have turned their head and opened their mouth when their cheek was gently stroked. As their vision develops, when they see a bottle or breast they will turn towards it ready to feed.
Your two-way interactions – what your baby learns
Your baby has been watching you when you speak to them and might have started to make some sounds back. Now they are exploring different ways to respond to you and will make eye contact, smile, move and make noises during your ‘conversations’.
