Baby guide week nine

Week Nine

Your baby is now nine weeks old!

YOUR BABY'S DEVELOPMENT - VOCALISATION

Your baby is developing social skills from the day he or she is born. Every baby is different, of course, and every baby has a different personality, but you can encourage your baby's social development by spending lots of time talking, singing and playing with him or her. This is vital from birth, and your baby will begin to demonstrate recognition of this when he or she first starts smiling. But around 9-10 weeks, he or she will also begin to vocalize - making burbling 'baby-talk' noises, and may also be able to laugh or giggle. These early vocalizing noises are an important building block, and lay the foundation for your baby's first words in a few months time!

It helps when you speak to baby if you speak slowly and clearly, and use a variety of pitches and tones. Music is particularly good here - your baby may love being sung too, from silly nursery rhymes to good old Elvis. And don't worry - even if you have the worst voice in the world, your baby will love it! Can't remember those old nursery rhymes? no problem OHbaby! has a long list of them and the words here !

OUT AND ABOUT

You may feel that you and your baby are now settling into a nice routine, and you may feel more comfortable about venturing out with him or her. Some things to consider are:

*A well-stocked nappy bag: With 3-4 spare nappies, a change or two of clothes, dummy (if you use one), bottles and formula (if you are formula feeding), a change mat, some rattles/toys to amuse baby.

*If you are breastfeeding , will your baby need to be fed whilst you are out? If so, is there somewhere you can feed comfortably? How do you feel about breastfeeding in public? Many shopping centers now have excellent Parent Rooms with comfortable chairs and a discreet space to feed.

*If you are bottle-feeding , and your baby will need to be fed whilst you are out, you can either take a prepared bottle or take a bottle of boiled water and a sachet/small measure of formula. Either way you will need to consider how you will heat the bottle when you are out. Some Parents Rooms have microwaves and facilities for boiling water, but some mums prefer to take a wide-lipped thermos of boiling water in which to heat a bottle just in case. Alternatively, you can take the bottle pre-warmed in a bottle insulating bag, but be aware that bottles should only be stored in these for as short a period as possible to prevent bacteria growth.