How your baby picks up on language around them
Your baby’s hearing developed before they were born and they will have been able to hear muffled conversations in the womb.[1] You'll have seen them responding when you speak, perhaps pausing for a moment or making sounds. Now, you might notice that your baby listens to conversations when the people around them talk – again, they might be quiet for a moment or respond with movement.
Smiling and making sounds is your baby getting sociable
Your baby has been listening to the voices of the people around them since before they were born, and they will have started to explore the sounds that they can make. They will also be learning about interacting with other people as they respond to you as you speak to, look and smile at them.
The smooth movement of hands to mouth (with objects now in tow!)
Your baby is likely to have been putting their hand in their mouth since they were born, but you might notice now that they can do this more accurately, bringing their hand up quite smoothly. When they are holding a toy, they may also try to put it into their mouth; of course they won't be able to get this right every time and might sometimes bump their chin rather than reaching their intended destination.[1]
Developing control
Your baby’s fine motor and gross motor skills are closely linked as initially they will use movements of their arm to position their hand to grasp and explore items.[1]
Touchy feely fingers – discovering new surfaces and sensations
The palmar grasp reflex will have led to your baby’s hand often being closed when touching objects (this reflex will gradually be becoming integrated). You might have noticed that your baby’s hands are open, move often and that they have explored moving in different ways. Now it's time to start noticing their fingers when their hands are on a surface – you might see this during tummy time or when you're holding them.
Different positions to observe your baby's pushing feet
Your baby has been moving their arms and legs in random, jerky movements, but now you might begin to notice that they push when their feet touch something firm. They might push against your stomach when lying on your knee or push down when you hold them upright with their feet on your lap. Trying different positions and giving your baby freedom to move (safely) will help to boost these vital movements.
Head control: how it develops and what else it supports
When your baby was born, they couldn't support their head, and when they held their head briefly in the centre this was linked to movements of their arms and legs. Now, they are beginning to develop more control of their head and when lying on their back they can turn their head to look at objects or events that interest them. This is a fascinating launchpad for so many things and has links across all of the other streams!
Tummy time, head control and upper body benefits
While it's known that putting your baby on their back for every sleep at night and during the day reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome,[1] spending short amounts of safe time playing on their tummy helps babies to develop upper body strength and gives them a different view of the world.
As their vision gets clearer, so too does their understanding
Your baby’s vision starts to develop before they are born, but at birth, sight is one of their less developed senses. When they were born, their vision was blurred and they were best able to focus on things that were close to them. The clarity of their vision will develop gradually over the first few months, but there is more to vision than the clarity of sight. Your baby’s brain has to develop in order to understand what they see and to begin to link this with their other senses.
Your baby's moving arms and legs are signs of anticipation... and fun!
Your baby has been exploring their movements and these are gradually becoming more controlled. These early movements have been linked to them developing their awareness of their body, strength and control of their movements.
Looking into each other's eyes for calm and connection
Your baby has been listening to you since before they were born and has been eager to interact with you! You will probably have noticed this interest as they look at and move in response to the people around them, and now you might notice that they look at you and make eye contact when you hold them for a feed. Your baby may look at you before or just after a feed, but while they are feeding they might also close their eyes or turn towards the breast or bottle.
