Your Baby this Week

Your baby can probably focus on and track moving objects now. Try to give the new skills a workout by slowly passing a toy in front of his face, or having a “staring contest” while you are walking slowly back and forth in front of him. Look at the way his eyes lock with yours. This skill is a building block for hand-eye co-ordination, which will come up later on. Interpreting your baby’s cries will take some trial and error. Babies usually cry when they are hungry, ill, sleepy, or feeling uncomortable. Make sure that your baby is not too hot or too cold. A good rule of thumb is to dress the baby in one more layer than you’re wearing yourself, and then take off a layer if he feels hot. If the room is too noisy, the lights are too bright, or too many people handle your baby, he can react to over-stimulation by looking away, and fidgeting. Look for yawning, crying and rubbing of the eye, which signals fatigue. Try rocking or nursing him to sleep.