BABY DEVELOPMENT

Should you take strides to enhance your baby's development? Opinions differ among parents and professionals on whether exercises enhance a baby's development. Development is influenced by many factors: your baby's age and stage of maturity (which may not match the standard charts in a book), her temperament, her sensitivity to stimulation, her responses, her adaptability to new experiences, her need for sleep and rest, and the kind of stimulation she gets from her environment.

For example, a 1-month-old baby who likes to be held and cuddled while she looks around may respond well to a parent who sings softly while she watches a curtain flutter in the wind; another may prefer more rambunctious play.

When it comes to motor development, you don't have to worry about any special exercises. Your baby will progress in a predictable pattern. First she will achieve head and neck control, then torso and upper-body strength, then strength in her lower limbs. In early infancy, a baby may enjoy pushing with her feet or even bouncing as you hold her. Her natural reflexes enable her to engage in this activity, but she won't necessarily want to do it all the time -- and some babies may not enjoy it at all. Later, when her torso is stronger and she is getting ready to walk, she will be able to stand upright.

Until then, however, there's no need to rush anything. As long as she has the freedom to move around instead of spending all day in a stroller or car seat, all of this development will happen naturally.



National Geographic - In the Womb

Paralumun New Age Womens Village