The first six months after having a baby can be a scary time. There is a lot to think about, and often the information that is given to you at the hospital is far too much to take in. In addition to nurses and doctors, you might meet speech therapists, occupational therapists and other professionals who all want to give you just a bit of information. It can be overwhelming to grapple with, especially for families with premature babies, or babies who need special care after birth.
Today I want to share some of the things you can look forward to in the first six months of your baby's life.
Birth - 3 months:
In the first three months of life, you will see your baby start to smile or quieten with the sound of your voice. This is an early part of your special bond with your baby. Babies develop the ability to differentiate the voices of their parents or caregivers from the voices of others - your baby loves you!
Babies don't talk, but that doesn't mean they don't communicate. There are subtle changes in the sounds of your baby's cries depending on what they are trying to communicate. You may not be able to understand these differences, and that is totally normal. You should also start to hear some cooing noises from your baby - this is good practice for making speech sounds one day! Cooing sounds usually sound a bit gurgly and don't contain many speech sounds.
4 - 6 months:
In the following three months you may notice your baby responding to sounds in a more developed way. Babies at this age may be able to notice changes in the tone of your voice, and might move their eyes to look in the direction of a sound. They may start to take some interest in music and noisy toys.
Their communication also develops during this time. You may notice your baby giggling and making sounds to indicate that they are happy. Babies also start to make babbling noises which is also good practice for speech. Babbling might include sounds like 'ba', 'pa', 'ga'.
How to stimulate your baby's communication development in the first six months:
1. Talk to your baby often. Tell your baby what is happening around them, what you are doing that day, who is coming to visit etc.
2. Respond to your baby's sounds and facial expressions, and imitate them to make 'conversation'
3. If you notice that your child is not responding to sounds, you may want to have their hearing tested. If there is something affecting their hearing, then identifying and treating it as soon as possible means that they won't miss out on important development!
If you want to chat about your baby's development, or need more information about future developmental milestones, you can always contact me.
Megan
Source: ASHA public portal
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