In this article we will be talking about baby’s first moments and development of the newborn from 0-3 months old.
When a newborn comes home, the safe and comfortable conditions that the baby had in the womb is replaced in one second (maybe in a few hours :)) with a completely different, foreign environment. The movements experienced during 40 weeks of pregnancy suddenly become difficult to perform and the gravity of the earth literally presses into the mattress.
The developmental roller coaster begins.
During the first months of life, the baby is completely dependent on its caregivers for its needs. He gradually learns how to hold his head to be able to observe the world, how to reach out to his mom and dad, how to get the toy he wants, and of course how to let him know that he wants to get it. At the beginning of his journey, the child accumulates a lot of experience and, as a consequence, skills that will allow the young person to get back on their feet and gradually become independent from their caregivers.
In the first month of life, the greatest challenge for a child is to adapt to new conditions – to accept unknown sounds, images, smells, and (which is directly related to motor development) to face the absolute force of gravity. Lying on its back, the newborn cannot keep its head in line with the torso, the head most often rests on one or the other cheek, it is difficult for the child to focus on the parent for a longer time. Thanks to the appropriate muscle tension, the legs are often raised above the ground, and the hands are clenched into fists. Physiotherapists dealing with children with developmental problems are often asked about these fists.
Well, fist clenching is the norm!
Pay attention to whether it is like this all the time if it only happens from time to time, especially when the infant is full of emotions and enthusiasm for action. Do the fingers always clench the same, or does it happen that the thumb is outside and inside the first?
It’s all OK! Because development must be dominated by diversity!
If your baby performs movements that you have read or heard from a friend, neighbor, aunt, that are a sign of abnormal development, check carefully whether the baby can only function in this way, whether a given movement (e.g. digging) always looks the same or it also moves and arranges in many different ways. It is precisely the variety and variability that is a sign of the proper maturation of the nervous system, experiencing different strategies of action is a science to choose the repertoire of movements that, from the point of view of the baby’s needs, will be the most effective (functional and maximally ergonomic).
What you can be sure of is the fact that your newborn is unique, one of a kind and will not develop in the same way as a friend’s or neighbor’s child or even like his dad or mom. The pattern of development is the result of many factors, such as the course of pregnancy, maturity at birth, the course of the postpartum period, care at home, temperament (parents and children), family life and many other factors that significantly model the psychomotor development of each infant.
In the first and second months of life, only you – mom and dad – count for a baby. Do not be surprised that during this period, your newborn will not be interested in even the most sophisticated toys.
It’s you – the guardians – who are at the center of his interest!
Every day the child will be looking at you with greater attention, for longer moments, learning your facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice, trying to make contact with people from the closest environment more and more clearly.
At the end of the second month of life, the so-called “Social smile” (meaning a conscious smile to another person) and a whole range of sounds.
You will notice the interest of your baby in toys (click) at around 3 months of age. At this time, the child can lie steadily on the stomach and on the back, the head is in the extension of the body and the hands are ready to grasp the toys. When lying on the stomach, the child is steadily supported on the forearms – the elbows are in line with the shoulders, the legs rest on the ground, the toddler carefully observes the surroundings.
Lying on the back, the child joins his arms above his chest, puts his hands in his mouth, looks in a 180-degree arc, carefully observing the surroundings. During this time, there will certainly be moments when the infant will lie with its head turned to one side. It is important, however, that it is not always the same side and that the child is able to keep his head in the centerline of the body, “straight-ahead”, for a long time.
If you are wondering if your child has a positional asymmetry, which you have heard or read about more than once, or maybe even have been scared by it, it is in the third month of life that it is worth consulting a specialist dealing with infants’ developmental problems – a doctor or physiotherapist. This time is a significant diagnostic moment in terms of shaping the midline of the body, developing symmetry and alternation of movements and the ability to work against the force of gravity.
Before you start worrying unnecessarily, take a look at the back of your baby – if the hair is rubbing evenly on both sides of the head and the skull is the correct shape (not flattened more on one side) most likely everything is fine and there’s no cause for concern.
As you can see, the child’s development in the first months of life is a constant experience of movement.
It is the science that leads to the achievement of greater and greater efficiency and independence.
For this science to be effective, several conditions should be met:
First, the child must want.
However, in order to want to, the baby must realize that there is something to want, that the world is not boring, and there are many fascinating things around. And it is not about throwing a child with a thousand toys, but finding a few that will attract his attention and “force him to act”.
Secondly, in order to move, you need to have adequate space.
If your baby does not have serious allergic problems and there is no fear of being “trampled” by older siblings or a giant dog, the best place to play – is on the floor.
From the third month of life, a hard, but shock-absorbing mat is ideal (no soft blanket or quilt) and when the baby masters the ability to escape from the playground you have prepared, it’s just a clean floor. If you have any doubts whether your toddler can be laid on the floor, consult your child’s doctor.
Third, fourth and fifth – security.
Remember that the toys that you give your child do not have elements that are easy to tear off and swallow, that they are not too heavy, that there are no dangerous objects within the child’s reach (flowers in pots, unsecured contacts, a TV set on a low cabinet, cables, etc.).
To read about all the toys that can be used from the first month, click on this post (click).
I hope you found this information useful as we are all learning constantly about our baby’s development. We want for the infant the best home environment that will suit your growing baby. I will prepare many ideas and tips for you to take inspiration from, so stay posted.
Please, let me know in comments, about your experiences and how your baby develops in these first 3 months of life.
Ps. This article was written with a consultation of a certified physiologist.
Warm regards,
Joanna
xxx
