Development
These skills tend to be quite variable. But at this age the typical child:

• Startles to loud noises
• Focuses on objects within 15 inches.
• Moves arms and legs on both sides of the body equally well.
• Lifts head briefly when on the tummy.

Safety
Injury prevention is proactive. Consider the following:

• The baby should be secured in a car safety restraint seat. The parents should also
be belted in.
• Never place an infant seat in the front seat with a passenger side air bag.
• Place a washcloth on the bottom of the bath to prevent the infant from slipping.
• Do not leave an infant unattended on a dressing table, bed, chair or couch, as the infant may suddenly extend its body and fall .
• Do not leave young siblings or pets alone with the baby.
• Never leave the infant alone in the car.
• Never jiggle or shake the baby's head vigorously.
• Do not place a string or necklace around the baby's neck.
• Install smoke detectors in the house and the nursery.

Parenting
These activities provide good examples for modeling important skills and encourage your child to grow in a healthy and happy way:

• Hold, cuddle, and talk to your baby in a comfortable setting or while diapering, feeding, bathing or rocking them.
• Spend time with your significant other or spouse.
• The primary caregiver should have a block of time during the day or week to care
for themselves.
• Spend time with your other children and involve them in caring for the new sibling.

Health
Health maintenance is essential to a child's well-being:

• Watering of the eyes is very common in the newborn and is often secondary to a blocked tear duct. This is easily remedied with gentle massage and gently wiping away any discharge; antibacterial ointment may be necessary.
• Please call with any fever your baby has above 101 degrees rectally.
• Constipation refers to very hard stools; stool frequency may be quite variable, occurring from every diaper to every few days. It can be normal to strain with stools even if not constipated.
• Your baby's nose may become stuffy. If your baby has problems eating or sleeping because of this, saltwater nose drops may be helpful. You can make these by mixing one-quarter teaspoon of salt in one-half cup warm water and putting a couple of drops in each nostril to loosen the congestion.

Nutrition
Good nutrition is essential to a growing body. Tips include:

•Breast feeding is an excellent source of nutrition. If problems or concerns should arise, please contact our lactation consultant, Allison Goulson, at our Plymouth office.
• Formula questions are very common. If you find that your baby seems to be extremely irritable or gassy on a particular type of formula, please discuss this with your pediatrician or nurse, rather than switching to multiple different formulas.
• If your home has well water, please ask during your visit about fluoride supplementation.

Behavior
Childhood behavior may go from one extreme to another. This age is no exception:

• Crying by the baby (not necessarily the parents) may increase in the first six to eight weeks.
• At times, it will be easy to identify crying as a sign of hunger or the need for a diaper change, but often there may be no identifiable reason.
• Experience will aid the parents in recognizing when the child needs to be picked up and comforted versus letting them settle themselves.
• If a baby is fussy, this often relates to the baby's temperament and not to a lack of
parenting skill.

Resources
The following items may be useful:

• American Academy of Pediatrics. Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age Five (Bantam Books)
• Ames, Louise. Your One Year Old. Dell, 1980.
• Caplan, Frank. The First Twelve Months of Life. Bantam, 1978.
• Dana, Nancy. Successful Breastfeeding (Meadowbrook)
• Eisenberg, Arlene. What to Expect the First Year. Workman Publishing, NY, 1989.
• Lansky, Vicki. Feed Me! I'm Yours
• LeLeche League International. The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (Plume)