Let us deviate from the baby showers and talk about babies in this post, shall we?
You already know that most of a baby’s day centers on his sleeping, relieving himself and his feeding habits. Have you learned why babies’ bodies move the way they move? Have you been taught why a baby grows in certain ways at certain times? So many people do not understand the little things about why a baby grows the way it does. For others though, the subject of infant and early childhood development is something that they make the time to learn about.
Every day is a surprise when you have a baby! At least half the things you thought you knew about babies might not even be true at all! You will probably learn at least a few new things when you read this article.
Even while a baby is in the womb he or she is sensitive to light. Your eyes are very intricate organs that consist of millions of fibers and nerve endings. In order to work the right way your eye muscles need to have extremely precise coordination. Babies usually have working eyes by the end of the first trimester or very beginning of the second trimester. By about six months into your pregnancy your baby will be sensitive to light. A great piece of eye trivia: your baby’s eyes might change color a few months after she is born-Caucasian babies are born with blue eyes and it takes a few months for the eyes to change to their permanent color. Caucasian babies do not usually keep their “original” eye color (blue). Try not to get too attached to those bright blue eyes! They might not stay that way! You probably already knew that fetuses are able to hear sounds while they are still in the womb. Studies have been done proving that sounds carry through to the womb and that babies can have strong reactions to different sounds. The ears of an infant are sensitive to different decibel levels of sound—both inside of and outside of the womb. A fetus’s ears are impressionable and sensitive. Most doctors agree that while a woman is pregnant and that while her baby is still young that she keeps all of the sounds in her house to levels quieter than her vacuum cleaner. Even your vacuum cleaner pushes the limits of your baby’s comfort so you will want to keep the noise level in your home down and avoid loud noises outside as well.
A baby learns how to communicate physically before he or she learns to communicate verbally. This physical communication instinct is one reason that so many parents gravitate toward programs like “baby signs.” These parents teach their kids how to sign for things like food, drink, diaper changes, naps, etc and it makes it a lot easier for babies to communicate what they need. Many studies have proven that kids who were taught how to communicate through physical communication programs like sign language grow up to have better communication skills than those who were simply taught verbal communication in their early years.
Common knowledge does not include very much in the way of baby development at all. Learning about infants and young children can be quite interesting. Watching your kids develop and grow is more fun when you know what is happening!