Help your child learn well.
Babies learn by looking at and touching the things around them. Show your baby how to look, listen, touch, or smell something new or different. Hold your baby up so he or she can see. Give her things to hold, like her socks or a rattle. Give her safe things to touch, shake, and put in her mouth as she grows.
- Talk to your child and sing to them. Even before she can talk, this helps her learn how to use language. Talking to babies helps them learn the most.
- Keep your child safe from harsh criticism, teasing, or punishment. A child is too young to know right from wrong. She doesn't know what she should avoid doing because it could hurt her. Keep an eye on her to protect her. Take her away from places where she could get hurt.
- Teach your baby something. She (or he) will watch how you handle situations. When you are excited about a toy or other object, she will be too. Show her how things work as she gets older, like how doors open and close. Describe what you're doing. "I'm putting the food in the pot to cook it," for example.
- When a baby is learning something new, doing it over and over helps her learn it. This can be fun with your help and support, and your baby will enjoy trying new things.
- Start reading to your baby as soon as she is born and keep doing it as she gets older.
Babies are also good with people.
Your baby is interested in your face from the start. She notices how you look and how you talk. She responds to how you feel. For example, if you say something softly and lovingly, she will feel more at ease and safe.
Scientists have found that babies can show feelings as early as one month old. Scientists have also learned that babies learn better when they are happy.
Why? Babies who are happy are more alert, aware, and responsive. When babies are happy and at ease, they remember things better. How you hold your baby and talk to her can make her feel happy.
Babies are more likely to look at things, explore, and play when they are awake and feeling good. They'll pay more attention. For example, they will try to make new things happen with toys or make noises with people. This helps them learn new things and keep them in mind.
There will be short times of trouble or stress. A child won't get hurt by these. Your baby can learn from short periods of sadness or anger. Do something right away to make her feel better. This will show her that you care about what she's trying to say. When you feel bad for a long time, like when you cry, it can hurt you.
In the first month, the bad feeling is usually worry or a reaction to pain. She will show sadness and anger in the future. Then there's fear. We all have these feelings to keep ourselves safe. Help your child get used to feeling things. Respond to how she feels in a loving and warm way.
You can tell how your baby feels by watching how her face changes. You can also tell how she feels from the way she stands, moves, and speaks.
How to Talk to People
Your child won't say her first word for months. But babies start to learn language a lot sooner.
Your baby is learning language even in the first few weeks after birth. Babies can tell the difference between speech and other sounds when they are very young. They know the difference between a man's voice and a woman's voice. They even know how their own moms sound. A baby can tell the difference between the voices of her mother and other women. Researchers think this is possible because of how certain parts of babies' brains work.
Babies can also talk to each other even before they can talk. They show you what they want or don't want by moving and making sounds. People sometimes call these things a baby's "signals."
Your baby can tell you what she wants or needs right now by fussing or crying. She can also show you by the way she looks if she likes something or someone. Babies learn how to tell their parents what they like and don't like best when they start to see that their parents respond well to them.
You need to talk to your baby even before she can talk. Even though everyone is different, babies who are talked to by their parents talk sooner. They also know a lot more words. Talking to babies helps them learn language skills that will make school easier for them. Babies don't learn language very well from hearing words on the radio or TV. Your baby benefits from being close to you while you laugh, talk, and sing.
Lots of things make babies cry.
Newborns talk to each other by crying. Your baby cries to tell you what she needs or wants.
When she cries, the first thing to try is to feed her. By paying attention to when she wants to be fed and when she doesn't, you'll learn which cries mean she's hungry, uncomfortable, or wants attention. She will sometimes want to be held. She wants a dry diaper sometimes. She gets tired or bored sometimes.
As you get to know your baby better, you may be able to tell the difference between the different kinds of crying. Then you can see what she needs and try to give it to her.
Taking care of your crying baby won't make her spoiled. It will make your child feel safe and loved.
As often as you can, smile, touch, and talk to your child. Do this when you give her a bath, feed her, or change her diaper. Your baby will learn to trust that you will take care of her.
How to Calm Your Baby
Even when they've been fed, changed, and are healthy, babies sometimes cry. There are many things you can do if your baby is crying because she needs comfort. All babies are different.
Here are some things you can try to see what soothes your baby.
- Rock your baby in your arms or in a chair that rocks back and forth.
- Very gently stroke your baby's head or pat her back or chest.
- Make soft noises to let your baby know you are there and that you care.
- Talk to your baby.
- Play soft music or soft songs for your baby.
- Put a baby blanket around her (but not too tightly).
Stay calm if your baby keeps crying even after you've tried everything. Babies can tell when you're sad. Don't shake your baby, no matter how stressed you are. If you shake your baby, it could go blind, get brain damage, or even die.
If you need a break, ask a family member, neighbour, or friend to help you out. Every baby cries. You won't always be able to comfort your child. That doesn't mean you're a bad parent. Try your best to calm and comfort your child.
Here's an easy way to help your baby stop crying: carry her. Researchers have found that babies who are carried more often don't cry as much as other babies.
