by: Shalene Chamings
Have you ever heard of a pregnancy calendar? A pregnancy calendar is simply a record of all the changes a woman and her baby will go through during the 40 weeks of pregnancy. Many expectant parents spend countless hours going over the pregnancy calendar so they can monitor what is going on inside the mother's body at any given moment. While the changes the mother is going through are very evident by the changes in her body outwardly, the changes the baby is going inside the mother's womb are not evident. That is why having a pregnancy calendar is so useful. Expectant parents can look at a pregnancy calendar to know what stage of development their unborn baby is in at any given week. Here is a general rundown on what you find on a pregnancy calendar.
Week 1-4 :
Conception occurs and the egg is fertilized.
Week 5-8 :
Your baby's heart has begun to beat by the 6th week. You baby has arms and legs have started to develop by week 8.
Week 9-12 :
By the 10th week your baby will be moving around inside of your womb. You probably do not feel it, but he or she is moving.
Week 13-16 :
During the 13-14th week a doctor may be able to determine the sex of your baby through an ultrasound. Your baby's heartbeat can also be heard during this time. Your baby's bones begin to harden during this time and you may begin to notice it when he or she moves around in your womb. Babies at this age can suck his or her thumb.
Week 17-20 :
Your baby's organs are developing and the sex of your baby can positively be identified. Your baby's body starts to be covered with fine hair.
Week 21-24 :
Your baby will start to deposit fat on his or her body so that he or she can deal with changes in temperature during and after birth.
Week 24-28 :
Your baby is able to hear sounds and can sense darkness and lightness. This is the time when the baby's movements start to lesson because the uterus is becoming crowded.
Week 29-32 :
Your baby's eyes begin to move. The size of your baby's head is starting to catch up with the size of his or her body. Your baby's brain is growing very fast. All major organs are developed by the 32nd week, except the lungs.
Week 33-36 :
Your baby starts to open and close his or her eyes during this stage. Your baby's fingernails start to grow long.
Week 37-40 :
Your baby's lungs start to get ready for birth. You can go into labor at anytime during this stage.
These are just the highlights of what you would see on a pregnancy calendar. If you are pregnant, you are encouraged to get a pregnancy calendar of your own to chart your baby's development. These calendars can be as simple or as detailed as you would like them to be. You can even locate pregnancy calendars that have room for you to write important details down for each week. This is a great way for you to monitor yourself and your baby. Pregnancy calendars are a great thing to have for a keepsake that you can give to your child when he or she is grown along with their baby book.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Tips On Buying Products For A New Born Baby
by: Phil Wheatley
We all want the best for our babies, and if you are having your first child, you will probably be even more prone to buying the most expensive items, which you may never use. A classic example of this is a special airlock diaper bin you can buy for around $100/£50. At first glance this may seem like an essential purchase when in fact, for a mere 16 cents/32p, you can buy a pack of 100 diaper bags which can then be easily disposed of.
Another consideration is when you are buying essentials like diapers, tissues and the like, do you go for the cheaper products or is that false economy. Well, as for tissues, we can tell you that if you are using them for wiping/drying after changing the baby, it's better to use the cheap supermarket tissues as they are tougher and less likely to tear if wet. The more expensive tissues are softer and more suitable for wiping the nose.
Concerning diapers, it's a bit more complicated. Yes, the cheaper ones will ultimately do the same job, but because the system for keeping the wetness away from the baby's skin isn't as good, you may find the baby will be more prone to rashes, which means using more cream…and spending more money. Another problem is the cheaper diapers can leak during the night which will result in more sleepless nights. In our opinion, if you can afford it, go for one of the leading brands.
Another example where you may want to avoid the cheapest route is bottle sterilizers. At first we used a container where you soaked the bottles in a solution of water and purifying tablets. We found that it could cause the bottles to smell like chlorine and also, after a while, it could affect your hands and make them dry, even bleed. Using a steamer type sterilizer was quicker, easier and kinder to your hands. It does cost a bit more but you will be using it every day for months and months to come.
Talking of essentials, the kind of items mentioned above would be ideal gifts to give at a baby shower (a party where gifts are given to a parent or baby). Sometimes people spend lots of money on elaborate gifts which may never get used.
If you know anybody who has recently had a child then it is really worth asking about their experiences with various products, your parents may also be a good source of information. You will find that you may get many different options, they may not all be right for you, including some of them in this article but you will at least have a range of options and you can make the decision you feel is best for you and your baby.
We all want the best for our babies, and if you are having your first child, you will probably be even more prone to buying the most expensive items, which you may never use. A classic example of this is a special airlock diaper bin you can buy for around $100/£50. At first glance this may seem like an essential purchase when in fact, for a mere 16 cents/32p, you can buy a pack of 100 diaper bags which can then be easily disposed of.
Another consideration is when you are buying essentials like diapers, tissues and the like, do you go for the cheaper products or is that false economy. Well, as for tissues, we can tell you that if you are using them for wiping/drying after changing the baby, it's better to use the cheap supermarket tissues as they are tougher and less likely to tear if wet. The more expensive tissues are softer and more suitable for wiping the nose.
Concerning diapers, it's a bit more complicated. Yes, the cheaper ones will ultimately do the same job, but because the system for keeping the wetness away from the baby's skin isn't as good, you may find the baby will be more prone to rashes, which means using more cream…and spending more money. Another problem is the cheaper diapers can leak during the night which will result in more sleepless nights. In our opinion, if you can afford it, go for one of the leading brands.
Another example where you may want to avoid the cheapest route is bottle sterilizers. At first we used a container where you soaked the bottles in a solution of water and purifying tablets. We found that it could cause the bottles to smell like chlorine and also, after a while, it could affect your hands and make them dry, even bleed. Using a steamer type sterilizer was quicker, easier and kinder to your hands. It does cost a bit more but you will be using it every day for months and months to come.
Talking of essentials, the kind of items mentioned above would be ideal gifts to give at a baby shower (a party where gifts are given to a parent or baby). Sometimes people spend lots of money on elaborate gifts which may never get used.
If you know anybody who has recently had a child then it is really worth asking about their experiences with various products, your parents may also be a good source of information. You will find that you may get many different options, they may not all be right for you, including some of them in this article but you will at least have a range of options and you can make the decision you feel is best for you and your baby.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Using baby sign language to help encourage your baby's speech
by: Jackie Durnin
Baby sign language has been shown to very beneficial to a baby’s language development. So much so, that the typical language parameters of children are changing thanks to a child’s ability to express themselves through baby sign from as early as 6 months of age.
So how can a parent know if their child’s language, listening and speech skills are developing normally? All children develop their language, listening and speech skills at different rates. Below you will find a chart based on a non-signing child’s typical language development but this does not take into consideration the use of baby sign language with children. Please note that this table is a guide only.
Your Child’s Age
Typical Language Development:-
By Age One:
* Turns head toward the source of the sound.
* Watches your face when you speak.
* Responds to familiar sounds such as the car in the driveway, the dog barking, the door bell ringing, the telephone ringing etc.
* Responds to their name.
* Understands simple instructions such as “no”.
* Tries to repeat your sounds or familiar sounds from their environment.
* Uses one or more word with meaning.
* Babbles (says "ba-ba" or "ma-ma").
____________________________________________
By 17 Months:
* Points to objects, pictures & people.
* Most vocabulary is mainly nouns ie. People, place, animal or thing.
* Tries to imitate easy words.
* By The Age of Two Points and says the name to simple body parts such as “nose”.
* Starts to combine words such as “more milk”.
* Can name a number of objects in their environment.
* Can use some pronouns such as “He”, “My” or “I”. However “My” & “I” often get confused.
* Understands simple sentences such as "show me your eyes (nose, mouth, hair)".
____________________________________________
By Age Three:
* Speech is more accurate and they can be understood by familiar adults.
* Uses three to four word sentences.
* Is using some past tense such as “jumped”.
* Uses pronouns I, you, me correctly.
* Recognises their own needs such as hunger or thirst.
* Have favourite books and television shows.
* Knows around three prepositions such as “in”, “on” or “under”.
* Is using some plurals such as “socks” or “shoes”.
So how does baby sign language change the above milestones?
The main difference is your baby’s ability to begin communicating through sign earlier than their vocal skills will allow them. By the age of two, while non-signing babies are combining words such as “more milk”, parents of signing babies have experienced two-word communication through baby sign language as early as 14 months of age. This is a 10-month gap in communication. Dr Acredolo & Dr Goodwyn further highlighted these benefits in a study where three-year-old signing children had developed the language and vocabulary skills to a four-year-old.
This does not mean that a signing baby will necessarily speak earlier than a non signing baby but that they will have the ability to communicate their thoughts, wants and needs through sign while being pre-verbal.
This ability for children to communicate their needs and wants causes children to be less frustrated and research has shown that it has great language development and vocabulary building benefits.
Give your child a head start in language development with baby sign language.
Baby sign language has been shown to very beneficial to a baby’s language development. So much so, that the typical language parameters of children are changing thanks to a child’s ability to express themselves through baby sign from as early as 6 months of age.
So how can a parent know if their child’s language, listening and speech skills are developing normally? All children develop their language, listening and speech skills at different rates. Below you will find a chart based on a non-signing child’s typical language development but this does not take into consideration the use of baby sign language with children. Please note that this table is a guide only.
Your Child’s Age
Typical Language Development:-
By Age One:
* Turns head toward the source of the sound.
* Watches your face when you speak.
* Responds to familiar sounds such as the car in the driveway, the dog barking, the door bell ringing, the telephone ringing etc.
* Responds to their name.
* Understands simple instructions such as “no”.
* Tries to repeat your sounds or familiar sounds from their environment.
* Uses one or more word with meaning.
* Babbles (says "ba-ba" or "ma-ma").
____________________________________________
By 17 Months:
* Points to objects, pictures & people.
* Most vocabulary is mainly nouns ie. People, place, animal or thing.
* Tries to imitate easy words.
* By The Age of Two Points and says the name to simple body parts such as “nose”.
* Starts to combine words such as “more milk”.
* Can name a number of objects in their environment.
* Can use some pronouns such as “He”, “My” or “I”. However “My” & “I” often get confused.
* Understands simple sentences such as "show me your eyes (nose, mouth, hair)".
____________________________________________
By Age Three:
* Speech is more accurate and they can be understood by familiar adults.
* Uses three to four word sentences.
* Is using some past tense such as “jumped”.
* Uses pronouns I, you, me correctly.
* Recognises their own needs such as hunger or thirst.
* Have favourite books and television shows.
* Knows around three prepositions such as “in”, “on” or “under”.
* Is using some plurals such as “socks” or “shoes”.
So how does baby sign language change the above milestones?
The main difference is your baby’s ability to begin communicating through sign earlier than their vocal skills will allow them. By the age of two, while non-signing babies are combining words such as “more milk”, parents of signing babies have experienced two-word communication through baby sign language as early as 14 months of age. This is a 10-month gap in communication. Dr Acredolo & Dr Goodwyn further highlighted these benefits in a study where three-year-old signing children had developed the language and vocabulary skills to a four-year-old.
This does not mean that a signing baby will necessarily speak earlier than a non signing baby but that they will have the ability to communicate their thoughts, wants and needs through sign while being pre-verbal.
This ability for children to communicate their needs and wants causes children to be less frustrated and research has shown that it has great language development and vocabulary building benefits.
Give your child a head start in language development with baby sign language.
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