Baby Development and You- What You Can Do to Help Things Along

Like every newbie parent, you’ve probably been following every minute of your baby development with a camcorder. After all, something exciting, surprising, or just downright hilarious seems to be happening every minute! One of the most exciting parts of watching baby development week after week is the physical milestones. Junior’s first wobbly crawl across the floor or his first steps can seem like a monumental event! Check out what you can do to help this kind of physical development along.

Hit the Stairs!
You know that exercising on the stairs can give you one helluva workout. But did you realise that they are a great place to help with your baby development too? Once your kid becomes a pro crawler, they will start tackling anything that they can clamber up and over! The stairs are the perfect place to help the strappy young one develop the strength in his arms and legs. Let junior scramble up and down the stairs as much as he likes, making sure he is supervised at all times. Even when your whippersnapper takes the stairs like a pro, never leave him unattended.

Give Her a Hand
One thing you’ll notice during the baby development stages is that your little angel will try to stand on her own. She may even try and take a few wobbly side steps while hanging on to the side of her crib. When you see your angel trying to take a few steps, hop over and give her a hand. She may just lean on you for a bit as she gets used to the weight on her tiny feet. She may also just lift one leg off the ground, hold it there and put it back down. All of these are important developmental steps to taking that first real step. Don’t forget that giving her a hand will also mean you’ll be bent over for a while, so be prepared to get a crick or two in your back!

Pick ‘em Up, Put ‘em Back
Apart from walking, your tot will be developing the strength in his hands as well. As he grows, he’ll learn how to use his thumb and forefinger to hold things. You can help develop this skill with a simple game. Put some blocks in a plastic container and dump them out. Your tot will have a blast picking them up, and putting them back in the container. This game also helps develop hand-eye coordination.

Remember that each child will hit those physical development milestones at different times. If your toddler seems to be a bit behind when compared to others, don’t worry. Most kids will start crawling and walking when they are good and ready!