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.
Early smiles are genuine signs of happiness and contentment
Babies in the womb have been seen to be smiling on ultrasound images and these smiles are believed to be real indicators of contentment. Your newborn baby’s first smiles are also understood to be smiles of genuine satisfaction. Your baby may pull funny faces when burping up milk or filling nappies but they are equally capable of showing genuine emotion. Just as their first cries and first tears are real and indicators of distress, similarly, very young babies can display early positive emotions.
More on massage – how your touch makes your baby feel
Your baby’s sense of touch was the first sense to develop before they were born, and helps them to learn about themselves and the world around them. Your baby might find firm but gentle touch comforting and be calm when, or shortly after, being massaged.
Settling and calming: how your baby will learn self-regulation
Your baby will have been gently rocked in the womb and have listened to the voices and sounds around them. You might now be recognising what helps your baby to settle; they will need you to support them to regulate for some time and you'll probably find that different things help to soothe them at different times.
Face to face with your baby and the importance of eye contact
Your baby’s vision when they were born was quite blurred and they focused best on objects around 20 to 30cm away. You might also have found that they've shown a preference for high contrast patterns, and have been interested in looking at faces.[1] As they are beginning to gain greater control of their head and eye movements, you might see that your baby looks at your face more intently.
