From 6 weeks to 3 months, newborns tend to become the most agitated in late afternoon and nighttime hours as their brains absorb new information that overstimulates them and causes overexcitation or colic if it seems that your newborn has been crying nonstop – your pediatrician can identify signs that indicate possible colic as the source.
As one can expect, an unhappy baby may be less open to developmental activities; therefore, Tovah Klein, PhD, director of Barnard College Center for Toddler Development and author of “How Toddlers Thrive”, offers simple strategies that may ease crankiness in toddlers and help soothe your little one.
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Doula Guide of Everything you Need to Know
Sensory Activities for 1-Month Old Babies Responding to your baby’s needs by giving lots of love, attention, and cuddles is most helpful at this stage in their sensory development.
Soothe your baby during an illness
By this point, you should have a better idea of the different cries your baby makes (hunger, pain, tiredness or boredom), making it easier for you to respond appropriately. Don’t worry if some are unfamiliar; eventually you will learn what they represent; when your baby cries for help or simply needs you they may just mean they need something.
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Smiling
When engaging and speaking to babies, they will sometimes respond by smiling back at you; this allows the infants to communicate and show enjoyment with one another.
Touch has long been understood as soothing and comforting for babies. Feeding time provides them with comfort from hearing you talk calming words while feeling your soothing touch – keep your baby close during feedings to provide maximum benefit from these touch sensations. Remember to always hold onto them to feed.
Love
Babies who are treated in an affectionate and responsive way help their brains develop in positive ways, learning that communicating is easy for them. Babies whose caregivers respond when they cry will likely grow into happy adults with superior cognitive capabilities.
Your little one might still need help communicating their needs to you directly, but they’ve learned new abilities like smiling that make interactions even more rewarding!
Related Article: What happens to a mother’s brain when their baby first smiles for the first time?
Developmental Activities for 1-Month-Old Babies
Playtime can seem uninvolved at first, but your little one greatly benefits from every interaction they have with caregivers such as you. Below are a few 1-month-old developmental activities to try in between feedings, diapering and sleep time – enjoy!
Make conversation Communicating with your baby can help ensure they know you are listening; observe their response when you use their name or speak directly to them – do they turn their head toward your voice, coo back at you or turn away in disgust when speaking directly? Share what daily activities you are engaging in like making tea, walking the dog and gazing upon trees; even diaper changes become fascinating stories when shared aloud by mama!
Make various facial expressions for your baby to copy, such as wrinkling up the nose, sticking out tongue and smiling. Your actions help them better comprehend social cues and emotions.
Tummy Time Beginning Tummy Time as early as possible is never too soon–even just a few minutes per day spent on their bellies can help babies strengthen their trunk, head and neck control. Try placing baby tummy down across your lap while sitting, so they know you are close by; then progress onto an engaging play mat full of colorful toys or books for flipping through!
Related Content: Baby Milestones at One Month Old
What to Do with a 1-Month Old Check out Dr. Holly Ruhl’s helpful weekly recommendations for engaging your 1-month old.
Feeling overwhelmed with new motherly responsibilities? Take a deep breath. Find some time for relaxation with baby. Grab some coffee, wrap your little bundle up snug in his baby carrier and head outside – you may just discover that when close to mom they cry less while sleeping better due to ambient sounds!
Note: If you are finding it hard to enjoy activities you once found enjoyable or find that anxiety has increased since becoming pregnant, don’t hesitate to seek professional assistance or speak to healthcare providers regarding postpartum depression/anxiety treatment options available – both can arise anytime within one year postpartum and there are various treatment solutions.
Week 2
Now that your baby should have some neck control, Week 2 is an ideal opportunity for daily massage sessions to promote parent-infant interactions, reduce crying and relieve stress – while bedtime massage sessions might even result in extra restful nights for you all!
Week 3
Infants have the innate capacity to distinguish the sound differences of various foreign languages until language experiences begin to diminish this ability around 6 months of age. Take advantage of your baby’s natural propensity for learning languages by providing her/him with music or audiobooks in foreign tongues that expose those precious ears to new sounds!
Are You Striving for That First Smile This Week
Looking forward to that first smile of baby? When baby is alert and awake, try coaxing him or her into smiling by making silly faces or sounds and showing cute things they like such as playing music or blowing bubbles! At 18 inches away now, baby should have a front row seat! If baby begins squirming or fussing away take an intermission as being responsive to infant cues is key for creating secure attachment with infants.
