Any Suggestions? - Atlanta,GA

I have a 4 month old daughter. She loves the Noggin channel. She watches it for about 15 to 20 minutes on and off. She has a swing that she loves. I also have a bouncer that she loves because of the lights and music. I read to her daily. I always talk and have one-on-one time with her. I guess that is the teacher in me. I just keep her busy when she is awake. I allow her to play alone also.

Tummy time!!!! TUMMY TIME!!! Tummy Time!!!! I know that this is a little off of the subject and not quite what you were asking and may not even apply to you whatsoever. But I am also a new Mom to a beautiful 9 month old baby boy and am learning the hard way. He always hated being on his tummy. I had always heard about the importance of tummy time and tried it often but whenever my boy fussed (usually after 5 seconds) I always gave in and picked him up. At 9 months old he is now very very far behind in the gross motor skills area and has very weak muscle tone and is in physical therapy and my doctor is certain that his almost non-existent tummy time is mostly to blame. I knew that this might happen if he did not get his tummy time but I thought, "Big Deal, He'll just crawl later or skip crawling!" But his physcial therapists has said that there a lot of studies that have been done that show that delayed crawling or not crawling also impedes their cognitive abilities and that often times babies who do not crawl are also behind in language and other areas! Anyway, this may not apply to you at all but I now feel obligated to get on this tummy time soap box and share my experiences with new moms. Congrats on the baby boy by the way!

This is a little bit of a tough age...they're interactive, but only to a point. When my son was this age, I used to read to him, as you mentioned, and I would also play different games with him. I had a little mirror we would make faces into, I played peek-a-boo, we did gross motor games like "bicycle legs," and I began games he was too young for, but I thought were good introductions. For example, I would line up three cups, hide an object under one, move the cups around, and then "find" the object underneath. It's a good introduction to object permanence. Another fun activity is walking. We went on MANY walks and I would spend the time talking to him about the things we saw or explaining things like, when a dog would bark at us, I would say, "Look, the doggie is telling us 'hello'. Hello doggie!" It's never too early to start introducing ideas and concepts. Lastly, remember that it is good for him to have time to play alone, as well, so enjoy the opportunity to have a cup of coffee or read an article. Before you know it, he'll be mobile and that will all be over.

Kenen,

How wonderful to hear that you are taking your child's education so seriously! Your baby will reap the bnefits of a great mother all through out his life. A 4 month old is like an empty sponge just yearning to soak up information. His brain is developing "highways" called dentrites which carry infomation from one part of the brain to another. The MORE you sitmulate him the more his brain will "pave" these highways or dentrites for infornation to be computed. But how to motivate this growth at such an early age is what good mothers have been trying to figure out for years.

First to stimulate his vocublary skills I suggest you keep him close to you throughout the day and let him hear you. "I am going to wash the dishes now and then we will check the phone for messages. "Oh, Look at the beautiful day ---Do you feel happy this morning You look happy this morning. The more talk your child hears the more they process and grow dentrites. Compare that to a mother that goes about her day with nothing to say or describe to her child. It is like the child is put into a dark void all day in terms of learning.

A four month old is capable of speech! I have shown new mother's this over and over and they are stunned! They then see that their child is SO CAPABLE of learning when before they are just thought of their little joys are gurgling babies.

So------
1. Put your baby in from of you where his face is directly in front of your face at the same heigth. Maybe in a bouncy chair with it on the coffee table and you on the chiar or couch.

2. Get his attention and for the next 4 minutes form the words
AUGH-GOO --- slowly to him over an over.

3 For the first two minutes he will just try to listen and see where the sound is coming from. Then you will see his eyes lock onto your mouth. Next he will begin to thrash his legs and arms around. Then his mouth will begin to move and you will see in his eyes his attempt of mimic your mouth.

3. Continue to s l o w l y repeat "Augh Goo" and soon your baby will mimic you back with "AUGH GOO". His hands and legs will begin to spaticlly move about until his brain gets to his mouth and then he will begin to vocalize with you!

4. Do this 3 or 4 times a day and you will see your child light up with excitment to learn! Each sesson praise him and tell him how smart he is and how you love to hear him speak to you!

Remember to say it very slowly as his is learning how things sound and how his mouth and mind can work together. This is a very important skill for your child to master.

Next play the peek a boo game with your child. This game prepares him for his Seperation Anxiety period( a little later on). By playing Peek a Boo (you take a cloth diaper or something smilar and block you face from his. You then ask, "Where's Baby or inset his name-Where's Matthew?" and then after a couple of seconds you wisk away the cloth and exclaim, "There he is!" This teaches your child that you can be out of his site but still near and able to comfort him if need be.

Next, give your child baby massage each afternoon before his afternoon nap. This Mommy-Baby teaches him that you are soothing and caring. Remove his clothes and diaper and place him on a mat and with oil or lotion move from the body out by placing your hands on his body and with one steady motion move from the beginning of his arm out to his hands. OR from the base of his legs down to his feet. Or while he is on his stomach from his neck down his back and off his body. This contact teaches your child trust and comfort.

Before a child can learn properly, they must develop trust with their caregiver. I am always APPALLED when shopping I hear a tiny baby crying and the mother just keeps on shopping and IGNORING Her child's crys for food, dryness, pain, need of sleep, or comfort! If you go up to the parent and say, Oh you child is in need --- may I help in some way they just say "OH HE ALWAYS CRYS LIKE THIS!" DUH Mom he is calling to you for comfort or help. LISTEN and stop shopping! Sorry that is my petpeave of today's mothers as if getting the best new pair of shoes is more important than comforting their own child! They raise their children with shopping naps in strollers instead of deep REM sleep in their own relaxing beds on schedule, and they wonder why their child later in life can't consentrate in school! How many days would you put up with having to get your needed rest in a adult stroller! Not many I think!

Also it is important to read to your child as you are doing. My husband used to laugh at me for reading invetro and when they were young. HE stopped when they were ALL labled as GIFTED by Gwinnett County standardized test in Kindergarden or first grade! They could all sound out each letter which I felt was more inportant than writing the letter at their early age. Their little motor skills were not yet fully developed in their hands at that time but they could say

The letter -A A
The sound -AH AH
The item -Apple

We would do the entire alphebet like this
B B
BUH BUH
BALL

C C
CU CU
CAT

D D
DUH DUH
DOG

Each child had a box (wet wipe box) that they decorated and when they could complete( AA AH AH APPLE) a new letter- it went into their box! When they had enough letters in their box we would put them together on the floor and they could sounfd out words. C A T, D O G, S A T,
It and so on. We gave them words like, THE and color words. Soon they put together sentences like the THE red dog sat on the yellow cat. Once they connected the sounds to letters and letters to words and words to sentences they were unstoppable! Give me elephanant for my box please. I want table for my box please! I had foung the key to their desire to learn of whay I call YEARN TO LEARN. Before they left their 4 year old class they could all say the alphabet the od fashoin way ans phonetically as well. They could see a word and sound it out. They could put sounds together and make up words. They could put words togther and make up sentences that they could read. Children brians are being held back by parents lack of knowledge not by child size brain's inability!

It was called phonics back in the 30 and 40's when children could spell before WHOLE LANGUAGE became the new fad in education!

I taught this system to 12 students in a private church pre school and 10 of the twelve were identified as gifted when they entered the Gwinnett COunty Schools. WHY?--- because they loved learning and felt that they were good at it and so they liked it! Think about it, we do what we feel we are good at! If we are good at Tennis- we play tennis, we don't go and practice the piano. Help you child to feel good about his language skills before he enters school and he will "Yearn to Learn". The teachers will see him as advanced because he is and he will continue to be moved into more and more challenging classes where he will not be bored or bothered with other students who's parents did not enrich their children's lives but let them watch tV and play mind numbing video games. But I am getting ahead of your little one.

Get your child a great "busy box" for his bed. When he gets up in the morning let his adjust himself from sleep to awake with the busy box. My middle child would activate the busy box each morning and spent an hour studying, playing, kicking, searching, and learning about this Busy Box. Shs has an IQ of 147. She was happy to awake learning. I often wanted to go and get her out of her baby bed as soon as I heard her each morning as I did with my first but I soon learned that she was busy learning and so I learned to follow her lead. We also placed a musical Busy Box in her bed and each morning she would sing and sing. It was so magical to be awoken by her little songbird voice each morning. She has gone on to use her voice for professional and entertainment venues. She has won may competitions with her voice as well. I shutter to think that if I had not watched and listened to her little personality emerging each day whould I have squached her IQ or inate talents for voice.

The most important thing I can say to you is to KEEP YOUR BABY CLOSE and treat him like he is a live, thinking, learning, achieving,little human being---which he is. Yes, he is a baby but with a baby learning is taking place every moment of their day! THEIR brains are empty, their dendrites are forming with each new thing learned. You are his first and most important teacher. By the time you put him in public or private school the brain has stopped developing dendrites. The more dendrites he has when he enters school, the better student he will be. He has more "highways" to carry more information and more paths for upper level thinking abilities to be processed in his brain!

How wonderful it must be to have a wonderful little one and to be able to nurture him into being a bright student of the future. You ar his best advocate - begin now!
keep Mothering,
Ms C.

When you take him out places, try using a sling or some kind of baby carrier so he can see more of what's going on, hear conversations better, and watch what you're doing. Some people think that the babies should stay inward-facing, even when they are old enough to face outward. Even facing inwards, they see a lot more because they're up high, and they're up where all the converation is going on.

When he's older, you can get a carrier that holds him on your back. I LOVE my Ergo carrier - it's used to carry small ones on your front (inward facing only), and you can carry them on your back when they get bigger. (Up to 35 pounds!) My two boys have taken many, many naps in it, because it has straps to support their heads when they sleep.

Hey, I am a mother of five children. It sounds like you are doing a great job. Reading books is such a wonderful thing to do, and it sounds like you are giving your baby some time alone on his play mat. Don't feel like you have to entertain 24/7. My children loved to take a stroll around the block and enjoy fresh air and the sounds of nature.My youngest still loves to sit on the porch in his swing.
Remember...just be there for your son. Love him,hold him,sing to him, and cherish everyday with him. My oldest is twenty now and it seems like it was just yesterday that he was four months old.

Hi K.,

I have a very active nearly six month old so I can relate to your question. Here are some other things we did at 4 months and still do. We take walks outside which he loves or sometimes just go into the yard to listen to the birds and look at all the plants. I sit him in his bouncy seat while I do chores like emptying the dishwasher - he watches and I narrate my actions. We also try to visit friends. Decatur Library offers a music time several Tuesdays a month which he enjoys - it's free. I also let my baby have quiet play time so he can work on his skills in his own way and to ensure he learns how to entertain himself.

Enjoy your time with your little one!
V.

They make those things that hang on the side of the crib that play music and have flashing lights and some have the swimming fish with lights and music,those would keep him busy.Also,many of these have a plastic mirrors in them.Our grandkids have loved these.Also,We are southerners and my daughter was determined that her kids would speak properly without the southern drawl,
so she has always spoken to them with proper english and started very early pointing to everydayitems around the house and calling out the name of the item.She did the same thing with
colors and numbers,and animals.I am very proud of my daughter andhow very smart.I should say that my daughter-in-law-has done the same as my daughter,so all of our grandchildren are very smart and we are proud of them.
Back in my young motherhood,I did not do this well.But,I never was a stay-at-home-Mom either.

Hi K.. I know how you feel as I am also a stay at home mom. It can definitely get tedious after the 30th game of peek-a-boo!!! I also worry if I'm stimulating my daughter as much as possible and in the right way....heaven forbid I be the reason she's not reaching her fullest potential :-)!!!! First thing I've come to realize is that if you are worried about this and asking this question at all then you probably don't have anything to worry about!!! You're a great mom and you're already doing a great job. I've found "Parenting Magazine" to be a good tool - if you don't want to subscribe and pay they also have a pretty good website. Also, the book "What to Expect the First Year" has things to do with your child for each stage. Just having tools to reassure me that I'm "playing" right and the extra ideas help me break up the day. Hope this helps. Keep up the good work.

Well, K., if you're that worried about your kid - why don't you put down your ginger ale and laptop and hang out with him!?!?! Hahahahahahaaaa! Just kidding everyone - she's my sister. At 4 months I just took Kean for a lot of walks. He also loves when I lay on the couch and sit him on my belly. That way he can see me and we sing and dance. He has a blast. Sometimes he starts to fall asleep and it's cute. But it helps him practice sitting up and it's easy for him to see my mouth to practice his cooing. I love you and that boy so much!

M.

I remember worrying that I wasn't doing enough to entertain my daughter when she was a baby, but just because you're bored doesn't mean he is. Simple things like watching you cook dinner are total entertainment to him! Watching sun come through the window, listening to the dog bark etc. are all NEW and exciting. However, to make MYSELF feel better, I found that carrying her around in a baby carrier while i went about my day made me feel productive and like i was entertaining/and bonding with my baby. It won't be long before he starts totally wearing you out, so enjoy this time!

my advice..... if he is happy being alone, let him be. you dont want to overstimulate him or make him think you are available 24/7 to be his entertainment, kwim? at this age, just being with your son and interacting through various normal everyday activities is enough. enjoy him while he is so small...it does not last long.

Try not to worry about structured activities yet :) The best/most interesting thing for the baby right now is to be with you and spend time doing what you're doing. They love observing the world! They LOVE to be in a front carrier or sling while you vacuum, do the dishes, wash clothes, shop at walmart, etc. Enjoy your little one!

I also have a 4 month old son (my first) and I too find it difficult to think of things to do with him ALL DAY. We read and sing. He loves to practice sitting up while holding onto my hands. He also loves to be outside so we go for walks whenever we can. He will sit in his high chair with some rattles on the tray and play while I cook, this is helping him with his hand eye coordination as he practices grabbing for things that he wants. Peek-a-boo is a new favorite too.

Hi K.,

My first suggestion is to RELAX. I know that its easier said than done - we want to do the very best thing for our babies.

At four months old your baby is still taking it all in. The best thing that you can do for him is to let him observe daily life and talk to him about what is going on. A baby sling is great for this. You can put him in the sling while you are doing the dishes, grocery shopping, taking a walk aroung the block... Then point things out that are 'interesting' (Look at those red apples, let's buy some.) You can sing songs or nursery rhymes and you can just be quiet and 'hang out' with your baby.

HTH - E.

The Baby Einstein dvd's are wonderful. It will be such entertainment with colors and music. I have given as baby gifts and all my grandchildren were entertained with them. Better than tv.

Relax and enjoy him. Talk to him about all the things you do throughout your day, whether it is sweeping the floor or making dinner. Let him observe you doing things. you don't need much structured playtime. He will just like to watch what you are doing. Put a blanket in the grass and look at clouds and birds, let him bang spoons and plastic cups on his high chair or the floor. But most of all, just relax and enjoy.

You're pretty much doing it all. I think a lot depends on your baby's characteristics. My baby was crawling to get at things she found interesting, pulling herself up using the couch by 6 months. So to encourage that, put something he's interested in just out of reach. He might seem annoyed, but that's learning. Let him try on his own for a bit and then help him get it. He'll gradually do more on his own. Get him rolling over to a crawl position and vice versa. I talked and explained the world around her along with reading, which seemed to help her with early speech and word recognition. Even if he doesn't say it, he'll pick it up and surprise you one day. Some people don't talk to their babies thining that they can't understand, but the less you talk and explain simple things, the longer it will take for them to catch on. Explain diaper changes, bath time, dressing and undressing. Treat them like a person, because that's what they are even if you don't know what they're thinking.
Get him outside when it's nice on a stroll and protect him from sun and heat. There are so many opportunities to engage infants inside and outside just by describing the environment, sounds, touch, how something makes you feel. POinting out body parts and what they do. Soft, silky, smooth, rough, shiny, colors. He'll get it and have fun. Peekaboo is aways fun to play with a blanket or scarf. Having a soft mirror he can see himself in is also very good.
You can take him to a library for storytime, which is nice for both of you. At six months you can enroll in swim lessons, which my little girl loves. My daughter is 17 months now and very engaged in activities. Started walking at 10 months.
Good luck on your baby routine. Keep up with the reading and music, it makes for happy and smart little toddlers.

My little guy likes sitting in his bumbo chair and having a few toys out on his play tray. It is also a nice break from being on his back on the floor. He also loves sitting in his bouncy seat and looking out a window/door.

hi, you're doing a great job playing with your son. i know how you feel, i have an eight month old girl and try and make sure i'm doing the right things for development. i've found some fun activities on www.babycenter.com. i also have the Dr. Sears Baby Book. it has some great ideas for milestone development and ways to interact to encourage things. and with this wonderful weather, sitting on a blanket outside or going for a stroll/walk is great. hope this helps!

You are doing a great job. Spend as much time as you can outside in the shade. Take walks, go to the park to watch other children playing, lay out a blanket for tummy time in the yard so he can reach for the grass. Also allow him to learn to play by himself. Exersaucers are easy and convenient but they can over stimulate and don't help at all with strength. The over stimulation can make it hard for you to get your child to play on his own as he gets older, the independence is important for his confidence and self-esteem. Tummy time Tummy time Tummy time!!!

You don't have to entertain him 24/7- it's good for kids to learn to entertain themselves, or just "be"....some things you could do is go for a stroller ride - take him to the park for this- or somewhere where you can be around nature. Also- what about finding a moms club in you area? It's always fun to have a "playgroup" for your children to develope friends with ! I didn't actually join one till my first son was about 6 months old but it's good for moms to hang out together and talk about thier day to day life!
It is hard to go from working to stay at home mom - but in a few months when he is starting to crawl around and get into everything- trust me, it will be a lot less "boring". Don't be afraid to "let him be" too....we are so programed in this day and age to go, go go...it's not a bad idea to let them hang out for alittle bit and just "be" so they can think for themselves and develope an imagination (around age 3 or 4) don't pressure yourself to entertain him all day. He needs to understand you have a life and responsibilities too! Good Luck with your precious son!
Nikki

Also, don't forget your local library, ours has a free babytime. It is a mommy and me music and movement time for under 2's. It was great and a great way to meet other sahm's. I also joined our local Mom's club and we had "play groups" which at this age was more for the mom's and the babies did enjoy seeing other babies and playing with other toys. www.momsclub.org
Enjoy your little one!

Four months old is the perfect age to introduce an exersaucer. When I was pregnant, I thought "surely, we don't need one of those giant, gaudy, plastic contraptions in our house -- babies have managed without them for thousands of years!" So I didn't register for one. What were we back at the store buying 4 months later? That's right! There's just really nothing that compares in my opinion because it lets them sit up and play before they can do it on their own. Just remember they recommend limited time so as not to put too much stress on their developing pelvic bones -- when my kids were little (4 years ago) the recommendation was no more than 20 minutes at a time.

You are doing great! I'd also suggest taking him outside to watch the leaves in the wind, see other kids playing, smell the honeysuckle and feel the breeze and sunshine. Walks in a stroller or baby sling would be great. Plus, you will meet other moms. You don't really need to entertain a baby. Everything is new and interesting to them. Enjoy him and give lots of snuggles.

Sounds like you're doing a wonderful job! Interacting with them is so much fun (and so important) at that age. Those first smiles and the discovery that they can control their little hands are such a joy to watch.

As long as you spend time talking, singing, and holding that sweet little guy, you'll both do fine. I think we are sometimes made to feel guilty if we are not stimulating our infants 24/7. However, they need time to learn about the world around them without constant intervention. And you need time to breathe, too!

Enjoy this wonderful stage. It's gone in a heartbeat!

It sounds like you are doing everything right. No worries, mom. I did start sign language with my daughter when she was 4 months. I started with the words "milk", "more" and "eat". When ever I gave her the breast or the bottle I did the sign for "milk" and then gave it to her. If she was crying and I thought that she may be hungry I signed "eat" before feeding her. And when I burped her and before I would give her the bottle again I signed "more".

She did her first sign when she was 10 months old. Needless to say her first word--through signing-- was milk. And it has been non-stop ever since. At that point I labeled things around the house in spanish and taught myself more signs. I would say the words in spanish and do the ASL (American Sign Language) sign for it. By age 2 she knew over 80 words in sign as well as several spanish words.

I got the opportunity to move to the Pacific and we now reside in Okinawa, Japan where she now attends Japanese school and is picking up the language rapidly.

I say this is all thanks to my starting her with sign language. Oh, and it also cut down on the crying because she could express what she wanted and I would not have to guess or learn the different cries.

You can start with the book called Baby Sign 2 Me. I swear by it. It is well worth the $50 bucks (new book, video, sign card). You can fnd it on Amazon or in Borders, or Barnes and Noble. You can also do a search online. Good luck.

And mom you are doing a great job. If you have any other questions about signing then just shoot me an e-mail--I am up when you guys are sleeping (13 hours ahead). LOL. SMILE!

It sounds like you are doing just fine. Reading and music stimulate the brain so very much. Little baby movements of the arms and legs encouragement of movement and strength. I loved to put baby tapes in like Baby Ensteine a few times a week they loves colors and music. I also after my first child started using during the first year of my third child sign lang there's so really good books on it. Your baby will if you try it be able to communicate with you before talking. The english lang is very complicated it was really neat and I learned it because my first so couldn't hear got tubes and was a little behind at age 3 so we had to learn it for him while he was learning to talk he signed first and fast so we taught the youngest because we were learning it anyway and the special ed teacher is the one who told me the baby could sign before talking. It was really neat...just a thought. I think by what you have said you are starting on the right track...they are so fun!!

Sounds like you are doing just fine. Don't forget to just let him play by himself as well. Let him be on his play yard while you (still within his ear range or eye sight) vaccum or clean. He needs that alone time to learn about himself and his world just as much as he needs you!!

Sounds like you've gotten off to a good start on your own. Make sure he's getting a good amount of time on his tummy, so he can start getting stronger on the other side. He's probably getting into rolling over, so it's time to think about plug covers in outlets, etc. When my first son was that age, we were involved in a Mother's group we met at Northside Hospital. Our neighborhood also offered a playgroup, but it had mostly kids in the 1-2 year age group, so we waited a while to get involved in that.

Hi K.

I have twin daughters and when they were that young, we bought Jonny Jump Ups (little bouncing chairs that hang from the molding of a door way). THEY LOVED THEM!! Every day when I made lunch or dinner, I put them in there and they had such a good time. We used them so much! It was fun for them and a good way for us to unload groceries or like I said, make dinner. 30min was a perfect amount of time for them. It really helped their legs to get stronger and it entertained them. I found them at Toys R Us for about $30 a piece. If you go online, you may get a better deal!! The ones with the tray in front seems easier for younger kids. My neighbor had one like that and it worked better for her younger daughter. Good luck!

My son is the same age, and I've been thinking that "play dates" would be good for him, since we stay at home too, and he's not getting the benefit of socialization that comes with going to daycare. I've got a few friends with babies the same age, so I"ve got some options for get togethers. Maybe you could do the same with yours! Babies love to look at each other.

You're doing the right things.They can never start reading soon enough.I took Mya outside and would name things like the trees and sky giving her the colors of things too.I've always spoke to her like she could talk already.Mya's 6 1/2 months now really starting to chatter and try different sounds.

Congrats on your first baby. I remember the first baby time. That feeling of needing to entertain them. I always felt like "what am I suppose to do next".
Life in our house is very different now- we have 5=-) Entertaining a baby means to put the baby on my back and go about daily life.
What I have found out is, that is what I should have been doing with baby #1 as well. Instead of creating this enviroment of entertainment I should have been doing what I do now which is include them in my daily life.
There are some great baby carriers out there and I now wear my babies on my back even from birth on up.
I do not wear ALL the time but especially when they were younger I wore more (my youngest is curently 14 months).
I would just strap them on and talk to them while I did my daily chores, gardened, ran after older kids- hehe- go shopping etc. They get a birds eye few and can hear mama and feel mama talk and move the whole time.
When not on my back we do the usual- give them some toys to play wih/look at. Reading. Not baby stuff either. Sometimes we will take out the baby books but usually it is something I am reading or the older kids are reading. Babies are great listeners- so read, talk, and sing!
Life now is less about entertainment and all about life inclusiveness. My ultimate suggestion to you is to relax, enjoy your baby being a baby and just spend time with him. No gadgets other than a baby carrier and your personal self needed =-)...M.