It no longer spends most of its day eating, sleeping and pooping, it is observing and learning every day. The more it explores, the more its curiosity grows!

Baby Development

All babies grow at different rates, and if you notice that your baby is reaching certain milestones faster or slower than other babies, you shouldn`t worry.

Your baby is much more active than last week, it can turn in all directions. It has developed better hand and eye coordination, its tendency to take everything around and put it in its mouth continues in a more professional way.

Milestones

1. Your baby may begin to recognize people and always smile at familiar faces or people it sees.

1. Your baby may act irritable and nervous to strangers and may even cry. This indicates that it can be picky and only wants to be around people it feels comfortable with.

1. Your baby will be delighted if you sing, tell it a story, or hum any tune. You can play games like peekaboo with your baby. Your baby now likes to participate in activities and games.

1. Your baby`s leg muscles are getting stronger; you can notice its efforts to stand up when you hold its hands. It`s good to massage it at this stage and do some light exercises to strengthen its legs.

1. Your baby may take shorter naps during this time and may want to spend more time standing and active.

These are some common milestones your baby can achieve by this time, but don`t panic if your baby isn`t showing the same pattern of progress. Every baby is unique and different and as parents it is very important to understand and appreciate this fact.

Nutrition

Most babies this week are exclusively breastfed. Sometimes you may find your baby cranky during feeding sessions. While in some cases it may be due to a lack of milk in the breast, in most cases it is due to the developmental changes your baby is going through. This is because your baby is more aware of its surroundings and is easily distracted. This can sometimes cause irritability and restlessness. This erratic behavior of your baby does not mean that your milk supply is low and you should start formula or solid foods. If the weight gain is sufficient, don`t prefer the supplement option right away. Your baby may be feeling overwhelmed by the growth and development process and it may take some time to get used to the developments.

The best thing you can do as a mother is to calm your baby down and make sure there are no distractions around whenever you plan to feed it. In order to draw its attention to feeding, you can hum songs that will attract its attention, wear an interesting necklace around your neck, and make movements such as touching its cheek-lip that will trigger the sucking reflex. The good news is that this is only a temporary phase and will be over soon. If your baby refuses to feed for long hours and sucks less when it did previously, you should definitely empty your full breast with a manual or electric pump. Not emptying the breasts causes a decrease in your milk in addition to the problems of hot flushes, suffocation and mastitis (clogging and inflammation of the milk ducts).

Sleep

Irregular feeding schedule and brain development can also affect your baby`s sleep patterns. Even bottle-fed babies may tend to wake up more often. This may not be due to hunger, but to the general feeling of restlessness that babies experience during these weeks. You can comfort your baby with lots of hugs and more frequent skin contact.

Care Tips

1. It`s a good idea to "put in order" the activities for your baby to sleep: feed it, give it a bath, put it in pajamas, play, read, sing or play some music, then put your baby to bed. A well-loved routine gives you and your baby plenty of time to connect and relax, and helps your baby fall asleep more easily by signaling it’s time to sleep. You can share bedtime activities with your partner (you take a bath, your partner reads the story, etc.). Or try taking turns with someone responsible for putting your baby to bed each night. You can also do it together every night before going to sleep. Babies prefer to see their parents together before sleeping.

1. To protect your baby from the risk of shaken baby syndrome, be gentle with it, avoid shaking too much, jerking movements while petting, or even driving your baby in a stroller on very rough roads. While we know that you will never do anything cruel like getting angry and shaking, make sure that the people you entrust for your baby are also anger control individuals. Even if you quit it from your job after something happens to your baby, it won`t make sense. Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) is a serious type of brain injury that occurs when someone shakes the baby violently, causing the baby`s brain to move inside the skull. It can cause serious injury, including blindness or other eye damage, developmental delays, seizures, paralysis and permanent brain damage.

1. Make sure you learn healthy and safe ways to deal with anger and rage, including taking deep breaths, taking time for yourself, and getting support from friends, family, your doctor or your baby`s doctor. When you`re angry, put your baby in a safe place like a crib, leave the room, and let your baby cry alone if needed, while you seek someone close for support. This is the only situation where you will let it cry; safety is in danger! It would be quite innocent and safe to let it cry, as you might get angry at it, shout at it, or even shake it in the wildest scenario.

1. Here are a few ways to find some balance if you`re feeling drained about babysitting: Join a parenting group. Stay in touch with your friends and family. Take some time for yourself, even if it`s half an hour a day. Read something to distract you, like a humor magazine. Chat with adults.

1. You can place pillows around your baby and help it sit up. Place a toy in front of it and let it play with it.

1. You can place pillows around your baby and help it sit up. Place a toy in front of it and let it play with it.

1. Give your baby tummy time every day. Place a toy close to your baby, but not close enough. It will drag itself towards the toy.

1. Rock your baby up, down and side to side. This helps give your baby perception and balance information.

1. It`s a little early for it to stand up, but you can lift it up by holding its arms and help it to take its steps slowly.

1. Give it lively and colorful toys. See it scream with joy when toys make noise, shake or fall to the ground.

Tests and Vaccines

If previous vaccinations and tests have been completed, there is no special routine for this week.

Plays and Activities

Your baby enjoys playing games and participating in various activities with its parents. Playing with your baby is not just an activity, it also helps your baby develop various skills. You can buy a play mat for your baby, it can spend a lot of time playing with colorful dangling toys. You can even tie toys around your baby`s crib or stroller and see it pick up and pull them towards it. You can play various games such as peekaboo, shake, sing, pretend, hide, give and take. When you play various games, you notice your baby`s changing facial expressions; this is his way of concentrating or thinking.

When to Apply to The Doctor?

You can consult your doctor if you notice that your baby is not gaining weight, is not feeding properly, or is not sleeping well. At the same time, if you find that your baby is falling behind on reaching common milestones at this time—sitting up with support, rolling over, and holding things firmly in its hands—you should seek medical advice.