Activities with a 1 month old baby: educational games and exercises

Until recently, the expectant mother was worried about what to eat and how much to rest in preparation for childbirth. And now the baby is already in your arms and he demands attention. Young parents often think that newborns can do practically nothing, they only need to be fed on time, kept warm and comfortable, and not disturbed in their sleep. But if you study the materials on the topic of how a child develops at 1 month, it is immediately clear that you can already work with the baby. The baby is trying to adapt to the sudden change in the situation around him. Naturally, his parents' help with this will not hurt him. In addition, such activities will bring a lot of pleasant moments of communication with the child, he will get to know his parents better and will have the opportunity to go through the adaptation period with less stress.

Suitable games for mental development

The baby is developing very actively, but to make this process faster and more efficient, it is advisable for parents to play with the child. It would seem, what kind of games can be played with a newborn baby? You definitely won’t be able to play football with him, but this does not mean that all contact with the child should be reduced to simple feeding, changing clothes, and bathing. In addition, the baby sleeps most of the time, and when he wakes up, the most he can do is eat, lie down for a while, and cry.

In fact, you can play with your child, but these games are gentle and aimed at developing the baby’s sensory sensations. The parents' task is to demonstrate that the new world into which he finds himself treats him kindly. He's not scary.

The games are aimed at the following senses:

• hearing;
• vision;
• tactile sensations.

During this period, parents form a close psycho-emotional connection with the baby and get to know each other. This is important not so much for the mother, who has already been carrying the child for 9 months, but for the father, who for the first time became so closely acquainted with his blood.

Vision

The baby is not yet able to focus his vision. He sees the world blurry and indistinct, does not distinguish colors and shapes well, and it is also difficult for him to keep his gaze on one thing. It distinguishes between dark and light shades, so you can use black and white pictures and attach them to your baby’s bed.

Newborns' eyes are very sensitive to light. He irritates them, which is not surprising, because before he was born, the child was in the dark for 9 months. But by the end of the first month everything returns to normal.

At this age, you can develop your vision even just by getting very close to the baby. To make it easier for the baby to focus his gaze on the adult’s face, it should be at a distance of no more than 30 cm. This way he can get to know his closest people, and not just his mother, who regularly feeds him.

Games that can interest your baby and help him develop his vision better:

• turn your head from side to side so that the child can carefully examine all the facial features of the person who approaches him;
• talk to the baby, calling him by name;
• smack your lips and make different faces.

In general, there can be many options, the main thing is to do all this for a short time and only during periods when the child is awake. There is no need to wake him up to play.

It's better not to buy expensive toys. It is important that they are bright but simple colors. For example, buy a toy that is bright red, yellow, green, blue, orange. They will irritate the receptors, and the baby will pay attention to them.

The main rules for training the vision of newborns:

• bring the toy close enough;
• when the baby fixes his gaze on her, move from right to left, from top to bottom, in a circle;
• Make all movements slowly and smoothly.

Rattles hung from the baby's crib automate this process. Although you shouldn’t make do with them alone. Live communication with a child will have a much greater effect, and not only in the development of vision.

Hearing

A newborn is able to hear quite well, although his hearing is not yet fully formed. The baby hears the first sounds in the womb starting from 12-15 weeks. But hearing formation occurs throughout the first year of life.

At the same time, the child strives to listen to surrounding sounds, including the voices of adults. The main sign that the baby is listening is that he freezes for a while.

Children react to loud sounds:

• flinch;
• blink;
• arms and legs spread out.

Children's hearing and speech are interconnected. To speak, it is important for the baby to first hear the words. Naturally, it is too early to develop speech at this age, but you can work on your hearing.

Some simple tips for developing your baby’s hearing in the first month after birth:

• talk more with the baby, calling him by name;
• speak with different intonations;
• change the conversation volume from loud sounds to quiet cooing;
• rattle a rattle in each child’s ear so that he learns to determine the direction of sound;
• repeat several separate sounds like “a-a-a-a” or “i-i-i-i.”

At the same time, it is important that the baby sees the face of the person who is talking to him.

You can read rhymes or sing songs to your baby. For additional stimulation, you can use nature sounds recorded on a disc, or simply take your child for a walk in the park if it’s warm outside. In addition to the fact that the baby will breathe fresh air and get to know the world better, he will also receive additional auditory stimulation.

Activities to develop motor skills

Classes with a 1-month-old child must include exercises for the development of motor skills. From the first exercises, the child should enjoy the game. It is not advisable to force him. If the baby starts crying as soon as he is touched, he may have health problems, and this issue needs to be addressed more closely.

Let's take a closer look at classes for the development of motor skills and figure out how you can stimulate this area in a child:

• touch the baby - parental touch will not only show how much the baby is loved, but will be an excellent training for his sense of touch;
• play “Ladushki” and other games that develop motor skills with him;
• let your child touch objects with a variety of textures, for example, fluffy, smooth, rough or embossed;
• Place rattle toys in the child’s palms. Thanks to the grasping reflex, babies will be able to practice holding toys while you lift the toy, thereby raising the baby’s hands;
• tickle your palms and feet with soft brushes or feathers.

And, of course, it is advisable not to ignore regular massage. Massage your newborn's fingers. While they are clenched into fists, as if they were cramped, soft stroking movements will make the fingers more mobile in the future.

Emotions

Among the emotions of the first month, newborns clearly express a smile, which is still unconscious. The most emotionally significant person is the mother. She feeds him, changes him, bathes him and spends most of her time with him. In addition, before this, the mother carried the child. That is, he was constantly with her.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tipBzu_IeG4

Children react very sharply to their mother's emotional state. Therefore, young mothers are advised to put away all the negativity that they feel while continuing their communication with their child.

The mother's emotions affect the child. He not only accurately guesses her mood and state, but also reacts to it himself. That is why it is better to put all worries aside when starting to communicate with the baby.

The emotional development of a child does not require any special games.

You just need:

• love the baby;
• take care of him;
• talk to the baby;
• kiss;
• approach when the baby is crying and try to calm him down;
• smile at the child.

In addition, the first month of life is a very scary time for a newborn. He finds himself in an unfamiliar environment from his mother’s warm tummy. It is natural that many things frighten him, he may cry a lot regardless of the time of day or night.

Advice that it is better not to pick up a child when crying is not entirely appropriate. Screaming is a manifestation of emotion indicating discomfort. They can interfere with the normal development of the baby. We can talk about attempts to manipulate parents by shouting much later. Although it is not a fact that such manipulations will take place.

Musical development

It is too early to prepare a newborn for a musical career in the first month of life, but it is possible to instill a love of music. Moreover, children's hearing is already sufficiently formed to enjoy the best musical works.

To develop an ear for music, it is advisable to adhere to the following rules:

• do not play too loud songs - babies’ hearing is sensitive to sharp loud sounds, which can frighten them;
• The duration of music lessons should be short - it is advisable to spend 10-15 minutes in two or three approaches throughout the day;
• include classical compositions - they are usually calm and have a beneficial effect on the baby (experts recommend Mozart and Vivaldi);
• use music that the child listened to while in the womb.

If it is not possible to play music regularly, parents themselves can sing to the baby or talk to him in a singsong voice. Lullabies, sung, even if the improvised singer does not have a beautiful voice or hearing, have a very beneficial effect on the baby. Sing to your child more often, speak in a chant, all this forms a positive perception of sounds in the baby. You can also buy a musical toy that your baby will always have at hand.

What to tell your baby

You can communicate with your baby from the first hours after birth. It must be said that the parents love him, showing their affection and care in every possible way, talking tenderly to the baby. The most effective way to communicate with a newborn is babbling speech. As they say in common people - baby talk. Moreover, parents and the people who surround them use this manner almost instinctively. In the first months of life, the child perceives lisping most well.

Children react more actively to women's voices, identifying them with the voice of the mother who feeds them. Although it will be useful for the baby to listen to what his dad tells him, because this is his second closest person, who, taking into account the peculiarities of modern life, can feed him from a bottle himself.

How to say:

• in a quiet melodious voice;
• sing songs while rocking the baby;
• change the volume and tone of your speech;
• use the baby's name;
• respond if the baby makes any sounds.

The first communication skills with parents are very important for the further development of children

How to develop a baby at 1 month

In the first month of his life, a child begins to study the objects and people around him. It will be great if mom or dad (or together) help him with this.

What ways to develop a child in the first month of life

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Talk to your baby a lot. It has been proven that those children with whom their mother communicated in the first weeks of life develop and begin to speak much faster than their peers. Don't know what to talk about with your baby? Yes about everything you see. Tell us what day it is today, what the weather is like outside, what time dad will come, where you and him will go, what you will wear, and anything else you think is necessary.

Read fairy tales and poems. And don’t pay attention to the fact that he supposedly doesn’t listen to you. The time will come and he will prove in his development that he listened carefully to everything.

Teach to focus your gaze on objects. Any toy - soft or rattle - is suitable as a developmental device. Take the object in your hands, catch the “student’s” gaze and slowly move it in different directions. The baby will move his eyes around where the object of interest to him “goes”.

Listen to music with your baby. This can be a classic calm or quiet lullaby. Play music for a short time; babies usually make sounds of anxiety when they get bored with the process.

Play the musical carousel more often

This will teach the child to listen to sounds, as well as focus on objects that move. This is also a great option for mom to spend 5 minutes alone with herself, for example, drink delicious tea.

Place it more often on the tummy and hold the baby in a column

Such actions will help to independently hold the head.

Develop in the bathroom. Put a safe swimming circle on your baby and put the baby in warm water, let him feel new sensations, after a short time he will begin to be active in the bathroom. If the baby reacts poorly or is irritated by water, then try to dive into it together, show him the bath toys and don’t forget to comment on what you are doing with him at that moment.

Play games. Turn the baby over onto his tummy, take the rattle in your hands and slowly move it up a short distance. This will encourage your baby to raise his head up. You can play the game “peek-a-boo” with your baby, cover yourself with his blanket or diaper and look out sharply.

Do gymnastics and massage. You can use your baby's legs to imitate the movement of a bicycle, and cross the arms with each other. Gently massage each of your baby's fingers. You can also touch not only with your fingers, but also with cotton wool or another soft object. Watch the video on how to massage a baby.

Tie a small toy to the stroller or crib and let your baby watch it. Soon he will pull his hands after her.

If not only the mother, but also the father and other relatives communicate with the baby, this contributes to successful development. After all, each of them makes an individual contribution.

Exercises for physical development

Very active games with a 1 month old baby will yield little results. Still, newborn children are too weak to actively spend their time. But parents can begin to gradually strengthen their physical condition.

At this age, children do not even know how to properly raise their head and cannot hold it. They lie on their back, but if you periodically turn the baby onto his tummy, you can speed up its development.

The effect of the “lying on the stomach” position on the newborn’s body:

• back muscles are trained;
• abdominal muscles become stronger;
• Intestinal colic appears less;
• Thanks to the incentive to raise your head, the neck and shoulder girdle are trained.

To improve the general condition of the baby, you can use the following measures:

• Do massage;
• carry out gymnastic exercises with the baby;
• swim with your child;
• exercise on a fitball.

But it is important not to overload the baby. Still, he himself constantly trains - moves his arms and legs, stretching all muscle groups. And this is tiring. But well-chosen exercises speed up and facilitate this process.

Gymnastics and exercises

Gymnastic exercises help children develop faster:

• improve muscle tone and relieve hypertonicity, which will help the baby sit up faster, learn to crawl and walk;
• help coordinate movements;
• develop a sense of balance;
• improve blood circulation;
• strengthen joints;
• improve appetite and digestion.

Classes should be regular, but without excessive intensity. The main thing is to form a habit of movement in your child. But such activities also have contraindications.

For example, it is undesirable to perform them if the baby has the following conditions:

• heart disease;
• diseases of compounds;
• increased intracranial pressure;
• hemangioma of newborns.

Among the recommended exercises, the most popular are:

• flexion and extension of arms and legs;
• spreading the legs at the hips;
• raising your arms up and down;
• clapping hands;
• "Bicycle" exercise.

It is better to practice half an hour after feeding, provided that the baby does not fall asleep. Before eating, he is unlikely to want to exercise. The first classes should take no more than 5 minutes, gradually the time can be increased.

Massage

Massage is beneficial not only for adults, but also for newborns. There will be benefits even if you start massaging your baby a little from the first day after birth. True, massage for newborns is different from massage for an adult.

How to do so as not to harm the child:

• maintain a comfortable room temperature of 22-23 degrees Celsius;
• the surface where the baby will be located must be smooth and dense;
• The massage therapist’s hands should be prepared - trim nails, remove jewelry.

You need to choose a comfortable time for the procedure so that the baby is not hungry and does not want to sleep. But it is better not to massage on a full stomach, otherwise the child will not retain the food he receives. As in the case of gymnastics, the duration of the procedure gradually increases, but immediately the massage should take no more than 5 minutes. By the end of the month, with a regular approach, the time can be increased to 15-20 minutes.

Typically, massage helps with muscle hypertonicity, which is observed in most babies. It is not advisable to perform a massage if the child has a fever, heart problems, or skin damage (wounds, rashes, etc.).

The first month is a very tender age, and massage should be especially careful, otherwise it will only harm the baby.

In this case, it is better to massage the child’s body in zones:

1. Chest and back. First you need to lightly stroke the space between the ribs, from the center to the side. Turn the baby over onto his stomach and stroke from the neck to the buttocks and back.
2. Head. Do not touch the “fontanel” area, and gently stroke the rest of the head with your fingertips. On your face, run your fingers along the temples and across the forehead. You can draw an infinity sign around the eyes and along the bridge of the nose. Massage your cheeks in semicircles.
3. Hands. Light stroking movements along the limbs are used.
4. Legs. To do this, the child must lie on his back. The leg must be raised and held so that the baby rests against the mother's hand. You can also gently raise and lower your feet.

To prevent deformation of the feet, it is advisable to move your fingers along the foot in a circular motion several times. For the exercises to be effective, it is advisable to perform them 4-6 times.

Swimming

Babies know how to swim from birth, because they were in liquid throughout the entire pregnancy, so they have not yet forgotten the old skills. But parents are rarely ready to send their child, so to speak, into free swimming. In big cities there are special swimming pools for infants, where parents can go with their child even from birth. If this is not possible, given the size of the baby, even an ordinary bath will become a real sea for him. And to protect your baby, you can use special devices like the Baby Swimmer circle.

The benefits of swimming are obvious:

• Promotes physical development. Children who swim begin to sit, crawl and stand earlier due to strengthened muscles.
• Swimming helps normalize the thermoregulation mechanism, which will allow the baby to get sick less.
• Swimming can strengthen your lungs and heart.
• Correct posture is formed by loading the muscles and removing it from the joints and bones.

If a child swims with his parents, this will strengthen the emotional connection between them even more. But it is advisable not to immediately throw the child into the water, but to wait at least until three weeks (it is at this age that infants are accepted into swimming pools). This is due to the healing of the umbilical wound. It is advisable to wait until it lasts, otherwise there is a risk of infection.

Adviсe:

• it is better to start practicing in a small bath so that the child is not afraid of the “big water”;
• the water temperature should be no higher and no lower than 34-36 degrees C;
• stay in the water for no longer than 15 minutes.

In water, the baby can perform the following exercises:

• "Plop-plop." The child should lie on his stomach on the water, and the parents should support his head by holding his chin. In this case, the baby’s body is completely immersed in water. He moves his arms and legs, which causes a lot of splashing.
• "Let's swim after the duckling." The position as in the first exercise remains the same, but now the baby needs to be led, for example, after a toy duck for a bath, in order to catch up with it. This way the baby will be able to feel how interesting it is not just to sit in the water, but to move.
• "Eights". When the baby has learned to swim in a straight line, you can make so-called figure eights with his body. To do this, the position can be the same as in the previous exercises, or it can be turned onto the back. The first time the exercise is done slowly, but if the child likes everything, you can speed up a little.

There are many other exercises, but the main thing is that the child likes them. If your baby cries in the water, it is better not to force him. Perhaps something hurts him, or the water temperature is uncomfortable for him. If tantrums are repeated regularly, swimming is probably not for your child, or it is better to hire a professional who has more experience than young parents.

Fitball exercises

The fitball is also suitable for infants, provided that their umbilical cord has already healed. Exercises on a large ball can be performed either once every few days or several times a day. It all depends on whether this procedure is the wish of the parents or whether the classes are carried out on the advice of a doctor.

You should start classes with a few minutes, gradually increasing the time, provided that the baby likes everything and enjoys the classes. But you can’t overload the baby, it’s still quite a big load for a newborn.

It is advisable to exercise on a fitball in the morning, after the baby has eaten, but has not yet gone to bed again. Or half an hour before meals. In the first month, this exercise improves digestion and prevents colic, which bothers most children.

The most popular exercises:

1. The child is placed tummy down on the ball. An adult holds the baby’s shoulders and head with one hand, and the hips and legs with the other. Rocking forward and backward (5-6 times) is performed.
2. Support is provided in a similar way, but the child must lie on his back. Further similar rocking movements (5-6 times).
3. Place the baby on the sofa, but so that his legs hang down, and roll up the fitball. The child should automatically push him away. Repeat 5-6 times.

But focus on what your child likes - a fitball is a universal exercise machine with which you can come up with a lot of exercises. It is better to select a ball with a diameter of no more than 75 cm. And before class you need to cover it with a diaper.

Newborn's first achievements

Some will think the development of a child in 1 month of life is petty, while others with tears of joy in their eyes will declare that their baby has become completely grown up and independent. Be that as it may, what a baby does at 1 month is quite impressive.

Of course, adapting to extrauterine life, the baby will spend most of its time sleeping. But, besides this, the baby also overcomes the difficult path to his development step by step:

• First of all, the newborn will begin to try to make minimal movements with his arms and legs.
• A sucking (by lightly touching the tiny lips, the baby will instantly twist them into a tube) and grasping (if you put a finger into a small hand, it will immediately shrink) reflex will be formed.
• You can also hear the sounds that the child will make in time with the speech of the person speaking to him.
• Then the newborn will be able to recognize his mother’s voice, smell, and touch among others.
• Distinguish colors, surrounding sounds, focus on a face bending over it, focus on the movement of an object.
• At the end of the month, the baby will be lying on his tummy, trying to raise his head, and even maintain this position for some time.

Tips for parents

Children develop even if you don’t work with them, but if you make an effort and take a reasonable approach to caring for your baby, his results will be better than those of his peers. In addition, such procedures often help children who have health problems. However, do not forget that you are dealing with a newborn who is still very weak and completely dependent on his parents.

That is why it is important to listen to the following advice:

• Don't overload your baby with activities. It is better to first select several procedures that you will perform regularly. For example, massage and gymnastics, and gradually introduce the baby to fitball, swimming and other active forms of developmental leisure.
• Manage your time wisely. In the first month of their lives, babies sleep almost 20 hours a day, so it’s difficult to find time to work with them. It is advisable to start classes with 5-6 minutes or even less.
• See what the baby likes and what she doesn’t. You should not force your child to do something. As a result, you will get hysterics and, of course, no benefit.
• You need to communicate with the child. Bring your face to it, stroke it, talk and coo.
• It is better to hang black and white toys above the crib Newborns perceive them better.

But the main advice is that before doing any exercises with your baby, it is important to consult a pediatrician. He will advise when it is best to start, which exercises will be appropriate, and which ones should be avoided.

What can a 3 month old baby do?

To understand what to do with your baby, first find out how he can react to your actions. At the same time, remember that if your child is not yet doing what he “should” do, this is not a reason to panic. The data is very approximate, and the pace of development is different for everyone. Typically, serious abnormalities are combined with other alarming symptoms.

So, at about 3 months the child can demonstrate:

1. Revival is a reaction to a change in facial expression, intonation, and the appearance/disappearance of parents in the field of view. The baby may smile, open his eyes wider, turn his head, shudder, throw his arms to the sides or close his hands;
2. Grasping - the baby can already coordinate his movements and grab a toy handed to him and even pull it into his mouth;
3. Raise your head while lying on your stomach, resting mainly on your forearms;
4. Follow a person or object with your eyes;
5. Distinguish sounds and make your own - “aaa”, “oooh”, “oooh”, turn your head towards the source of the sound;
6. Push with your legs - if you hold the child vertically by the armpits and rest his legs on a hard surface, he will begin to push off, as if jumping;
7. Roll over on your side from your back or from your stomach to your back. He will learn to roll over from back to stomach later, about 4-5 months (read the article on the topic: When does a baby start to roll over?>>>).

Daily regime

The first month after birth, the baby adapts to the new environment into which he was so unexpectedly pushed. Naturally, such stress affects the baby’s routine. He sleeps more than he is awake and often asks for food.

But for the convenience of both the parents and the child himself, it is important that he gradually develops a normal routine, where all aspects of life are relatively orderly:

• dream;
• feeding;
• wakefulness.

It is during the waking period that you need to squeeze in all the exercises and communication with your baby. He can go out with his parents for his first walks or experience for himself what hygiene procedures are.

Feeding

The only food that children receive in the first month of life is mother's milk. Babies eat frequently. Sometimes there can be up to 12 feedings per day. There is usually no time limit between feedings. It all depends on how much the baby ate at the last feeding and how quickly he got hungry.

There is no need to be afraid of such frequent demands for food. This happens because the baby needs to gain weight quickly to grow. In addition, he does not have his own feeding schedule. He will install it on his own after some time. Therefore, the mother can only feed the baby when he demands it.

Of course, you can try to do this by the hour, but be prepared that it will not work. Again, due to the fact that the baby wants to eat constantly. But when the baby grows up, he will no longer need his mother so often.

The demands of the mother's breast are not always associated with hunger. The baby has a strong sucking reflex, and when he is applied to his mother’s breast, he calms down so much. Therefore, he should not be denied contact with his mother - the only person who was with him even before he was born.

It is more difficult with children who eat artificial formula. They can be fed on a schedule, dividing meals into 8 times. The break between feedings can be from 2 to 3.5 hours, depending on whether the baby is full. It is also undesirable to overfeed children; their intestines may not be able to cope with so much unusual food.

Lifestyle

In order for a child to develop according to his age and be healthy, it is important to properly care for him and organize his daily routine.

Mode

The first month of a baby's life is very different from the next. During this period, the child spends most of his time sleeping. He sleeps almost all the time. Wakes up to eat and stay awake for a while.

The period when the baby is not sleeping is intended to provide care - feed, change diapers, change clothes, give a massage or engage in educational games.

A 1-month-old baby's routine might look like this:

• Morning. Feeding, care, sleep, feeding.
• Dinner. Games, sleep, feeding, gymnastics.
• Evening. Sleeping, feeding, playing, bathing.
• Night. Sleep alternates with feeding.

Feeding

If the child is breastfed, then in the first month you need to feed not according to time, but according to demand, since lactation has not yet been established and there may not be enough milk.

It is better to feed artificially-fed babies on a schedule at 1 month. The instructions for the milk formula indicate the dosage and frequency of feeding according to the age and weight of the newborn. You should not overfeed your child. Crying and overexcited behavior of a baby do not always indicate that the child is hungry. Perhaps he has colic, is bored or scared.

Dream

In a dream, the baby spends up to 20–22 hours knocking. Periods of wakefulness last no more than 30 minutes. In infants at 1 month there are 2 phases of sleep - superficial and deep. The first is intended for the rapid restoration of lost strength, the latter is inherent in night rest.

Care

The main care for a 1 month old baby should be in the morning:

• changing a diaper, washing, applying cream or using powder;
• washing, removing dirt in the area behind the ears;
• lubricating natural folds with baby oil;
• cleaning eyes and ears with a cotton swab;
• rinsing and cleaning the nose.

Be sure to ventilate the room where the baby is located every day and do wet cleaning.

Bathing

A one-month-old baby should be bathed daily, preferably using boiled water, temperature 37 °C. For water procedures, you can use special children's cosmetics or decoctions of medicinal herbs, for example, chamomile or string.

Bathing should last 5–10 minutes, it is advisable to take a bath before bed.

Walks

For normal development, children at 1 month old should walk outside every day, and not stay at home for days. In general, walks in the fresh air should last up to 2 hours. It is advisable to go outside 2 times a day.

Massage, gymnastics

If there are no contraindications, then massage and gymnastics are mandatory for a 1 month old baby. The recommendations for the development of infant motor activity outlined the basic principles. All stroking should be accompanied by mother's conversation, her smile, and lisping. This will improve the baby's mood.

Games

The selection of games is limited because the baby is too small. His main toy is his mother. Let the baby examine her and watch her facial expressions.

At 1 month you can use rattles and use a mobile phone.

Dream

A baby who is in good health and nothing bothers him sleeps a lot regardless of the time of day. Usually the child wakes up when he wants to eat. As a result, from 17 hours to 20 hours and even more are spent on sleep. Since modern pediatricians do not instruct young mothers to feed their babies by the hour, newborns sleep as much as they want.

They may wake up for the following reasons:

• hunger;
• uncomfortable posture;
• sharp sound;
• colic;
• diaper changed at the wrong time.

Children's sleep can last from two to 4 hours, depending on individual characteristics. After eating, the baby can play a little. This period usually lasts from half an hour to an hour. Although most often the baby falls asleep during the feeding process.

But if the baby has colic, he sleeps restlessly or does not fall asleep at all. Typically, colic begins to appear in the second week of life. The baby may scream, cry, kick his legs, and his tummy is swollen and he often releases gases. In this case, you need to contact your pediatrician to prescribe medicine.

Common problems

Difficulty falling asleep. Their cause is high activity during the day, because a one-year-old child walks a lot. A daily repeating ritual that your baby will get used to will help make it easier for your baby to fall asleep. The purpose of its implementation is to set the child up for a night's rest.

Falls

Almost no child can avoid them, since falling is an important part of learning to walk independently. When a child falls, do not rush to run up to him, but give the baby the opportunity to get up on his own

But be sure to help the baby if he cannot get up, or if the child hits himself and is crying.

First year crisis. At the age of 1 year, children experience a difficult transitional moment, which is called the crisis of the first year. The little one becomes stubborn, disobedient, refuses help, behaves contradictory, gets irritated, is very whiny and touchy. This behavior indicates that the baby is developing independence, his own will, and a change in his worldview. It is important to remember that this is only a temporary change in the baby’s behavior.

Bathing and hygiene procedures

A newborn cannot take care of his hygiene independently. Parents should do this, but, unfortunately, not everyone knows how and what to do. First of all, parents should take care of their hygiene. For example, trim your nails, wash your hands with soap, and choose only safe care products.

Let's take a closer look at the features of care:

1. Behind the eyes. You will need cotton swabs and warm boiled water. The swab is moistened in water, wrung out and drawn from the outer corner of the eye to the inner one. The rule “one eye, one tampon” applies. Cotton wool cannot be used; the lint can harm the child. If the discharge is abundant, you can use chamomile or calendula decoctions instead of plain water.
2. Behind the nose. Like adults, mucus accumulates in a child’s nose, preventing him from breathing normally. To remove it, use cotton swabs and sterile vegetable oil.
3. Behind the ears. You can clean only the outer ear without touching the ear canal. Use cotton pads soaked in warm water.
4. Face. You need to moisten napkins in warm boiled water and wipe your forehead, cheeks and chin.
5. Nails. It is better to trim nails while the child is sleeping, using special tweezers with thin blades.
6. Umbilical wound. In the first weeks, this procedure is mandatory. The wound is treated with hydrogen peroxide (3%), brilliant green and cotton swabs. Only the area of ​​the wound itself should be treated with brilliant green. Then it will be noticeable if the color around it changes. This signals the possibility of inflammation.

Mandatory hygiene procedures include bathing. Every day the child needs to wash the genitals and buttocks. First you need to remove the diaper and wash the baby with warm water. Then you need to wipe it and make sure that there is no moisture left. All “strategically important” places must be treated with powder or special creams for use with diapers. Talc will absorb remaining moisture and prevent the formation of irritations and diaper rash.

It is also advisable to bathe the baby every day.

This will not only rid him of excess dirt, but will also calm him down, ensuring good sleep:

• water temperature is about 37 degrees;
• in order not to frighten the baby, you can wrap him in a thin diaper;
• start immersing from the feet, gradually immersing the whole body;
• Do not allow water to get into your ears;
• use baby shampoo.

It is not recommended to continue bathing for longer than 5 minutes. After bathing with shampoo, the child should be washed with clean water and only then wrapped in a towel and dried thoroughly.

Exercises in the water

After filling a full bath of warm water, lower the child with the circle into the water and wait until the baby gets comfortable. Literally one or two swims, and the baby will begin to enjoy such activities, and the mother will be able to simply watch the baby and catch the brightest moments for a photo.

Lower your baby into the water carefully, starting from the heels, taking into account the sensitivity of babies to changes in the temperature of the surrounding world. If your baby reacts negatively to the first baths, try immersing yourself in the bath with your baby

Place the baby on your chest, carefully pour water over the baby's body and show the toys.

Show your little one that he can push his feet off the walls of the bathtub. Turn the floating baby so that its bent legs rest against the side and wait until the baby pushes off and swims back a little. At the opposite edge of the bath, turn the baby around and repeat the exercise.

An interesting exercise for babies in the first month while swimming is walking along the bottom of the bathtub. Hold the baby under the armpits and slightly tilt forward, stimulating the walking reflex for a few seconds. Next, let the baby swim on its back for a little while.

Walks

Often mothers go for walks with their babies quite quickly after birth.

But before you introduce your newborn to the outside world, you need to consider several factors:

• season;
• weather;
• baby's well-being.

If it’s summer and the weather is not too hot, then you can start walking earlier, but if it’s winter or autumn, which automatically makes the weather cold, it’s advisable to wait a little longer.

Pediatricians advise taking the first walks approximately from the second week of the baby’s life. This is due to the adaptation period after childbirth. At this time, the baby still has poor thermoregulation, and he can easily either overheat or become hypothermic, which will provoke a lot of health complications. That is why you should approach this issue responsibly.

You need to dress your baby according to the season, but a little warmer than you dress. This is especially true in winter. If you doubt that you have dressed your baby correctly, check his comfort. If the baby begins to cry and fidget, as if something is bothering him, it means that it is quite possible that the clothes do not fit.

The duration of walks at first should be about 15 minutes a day. During the cold season, it is advisable to reduce this time. Up to about 10 minutes. It is important to gradually increase the duration so that in the end the baby is outside the house for about two hours. It is quite enough to walk with him in between feedings. The baby can sleep in the stroller.

Basic Rules:

• if the weather is too hot, it is advisable to move the time of the walk to the morning or evening;
• it is important to use special strollers for newborns;
• first the mother gets dressed, and then the child (then the baby will not have time to sweat);
• dress the baby in clothes made from natural materials that “breathe”;
• It is advisable to walk in quiet places, away from roads - park areas are ideal;
• if the weather does not permit, you can take the child to the glassed-in balcony and leave it there or thoroughly ventilate the room.

Babies are still very vulnerable. They are poorly protected from harmful microflora; they have not developed thermoregulation. But this does not mean that a newborn should be locked in a glass flask and be afraid to sneeze near him. Getting to know the world around you will strengthen your kids’ immunity and make them more resilient. If the weather is great, it’s not raining on your head and there’s a nice park nearby, why sit within four walls?

Norms of weight and height of children at 1 month

So, from this table it is not difficult to determine how much a child should weigh at 1 month. The decisive factor is the weight of the baby at the time of birth and on the day of discharge from the hospital. This data is entered into the baby's card. To weigh your child at home, it is good to have a baby electronic scale.

But how much a baby should gain in 1 month is what worries most new mothers. At the end of the first month of life, the child gains an average of 100-900 g. In premature babies, these figures are lower. During the first month, a healthy baby grows by an average of 3 cm. Other indicators are also important. So, in a children's clinic, a pediatrician at a routine examination at 1 month should measure the circumference of the child's head, abdomen and chest. Such indicators are very important so that all possible violations can be identified and corrected in a timely manner. An examination by a neurologist is recommended at the end of the first month of life.

Read also: Low birth weight of a newborn

What toys should you buy?

There is a large selection of educational toys for babies up to 1 month old. But you need to approach it wisely, without buying the entire store, especially since the baby is not interested in it yet.

It is important that toys develop sensory perception of the world, that is, vision, hearing, tactile perception:

• Contrasting black and white pictures. They should be placed in the baby’s crib opposite his eyes at a distance of 30-35 cm. More often these are ordinary geometric shapes, spirals, stripes, etc. They need to be changed every few days or rearranged.
• Bells. You can use several pieces with different tones, hanging them so that the child can hit them.
• Tactile toys. A variety of rugs for newborns can be found in the store without any problems, although you can easily make do with improvised means such as fabric of different textures or washcloths during bathing.
• Rattles. In addition to classic devices, small bracelets that cling to the baby’s hand and make sounds when he moves are suitable for a newborn.

The choice is huge. For example, you don’t have to give up hanging pendants for your crib or stroller. They move, which trains the baby's ability to fix his gaze on an object. There are so many interesting things in stores, but parents can make interesting toys with their own hands, putting some of their love into them.

Reflexes of a healthy baby in the 1st month of life

Reflexes are observed, some of which will then be lost.

By one month, the baby should also have the Mohr reflex - when there is a sharp sound, the arms and legs move apart. If you press on the palm, the child will turn his head and open his mouth.

How often does your baby poop and pee?

The normal frequency of urination is 20-25 times. But in the first few days the child will write much less often. There is no need to worry: this phenomenon is normal. Gradually this number will decrease.

Babies most often begin to poop at 2-3 days. The frequency of bowel movements varies from person to person. The norm is considered to be up to 8-9 times per day in children fed only breast milk. Some children poop less frequently, once every few days, but in larger volumes. If the child feels well, there is no need to worry.

An increase in bowel movements up to 10 times or more is considered an alarming symptom for a child per month. You should also consult a doctor in cases where the child cannot poop for a long time and becomes anxious.

Neurological problems at 1 month: a cause for concern

Often, alarming symptoms discovered in the child’s first month disappear on their own after some time. For this reason, it is impossible to talk about the presence of deviations based on a single examination. A diagnosis can only be made after several examinations.

Ultrasound, CT, EEG, MRI are used. The techniques help to identify abnormalities in brain development, determine the presence of seizures and epilepsy, and examine the structure of the baby’s nervous system.