The first month of a baby's life is magical and restless at the same time. It is necessary in the first month of a newborn's life to learn how to feed, put to sleep and understand his constant requirements. And the beginning of the life of a newborn is saturated with them especially densely.

The first days of a newborn are pretty easy. All he really cares about is eating every few hours, sleeping well and often, having a dry diaper, and getting lots of love. But for you, as a new parent, caring for a newborn baby can seem a lot more difficult. Therefore, focus only on the main points and basic needs of the child.

Child development 1 month of life

Your newborn does little more than eat, sleep, cry. You will discover the child's reaction to things like light, noise and touch. You will see that the sense organs are working hard.

Vision in the first month of a child's life

Your baby sees things best at a distance of 20 - 25 cm. This is the ideal distance for gazing into the eyes of mom or dad.

Their eyes are particularly sensitive to bright light, so babies are more likely to open their eyes in low light.

Don't worry if your child sometimes squints or rolls his eyes. This is normal until your child's vision improves and the eye muscles strengthen.

Let your child look at many attractive things. People's faces, contrasting patterns, bright colors, movements - this is what newborns like the most. Black and white photographs or toys will keep your child interested longer than objects or paintings with many similar colors.

The child must be able to follow the slow movements of a person or object.

What can a baby hear before 1 month?

The baby heard sounds while still in the womb. The mother's heartbeat, the murmur of her digestive system, and even the sounds of her voice are all part of the baby's world before birth.

When a baby is born, the sounds of the surrounding world are loud and clear. A child may be startled by the unexpected barking of a nearby dog ​​or calmed down by the gentle buzz of a hair dryer.

Pay attention to the reaction of the newborn to the voice. The voices of people, especially parents, are the favorite “music” for a child. If the baby is crying in the cradle, see how quickly your approaching voice soothes him.

Taste and olfactory sensations of the newborn in the first month

Babies have a sense of taste and smell and will be attracted to sweet tastes rather than bitter ones. For example, a newborn will prefer to suck on a bottle of sweetened water, but will turn away or cry if given something bitter or sour in taste. Likewise, newborns will turn to smells they like and turn away from smells they don't like.

Studies have shown that mom's diet affects taste. These first flavors will help shape taste preferences later on. For example, a baby whose mother ate spicy food during breastfeeding is likely to favor spicy food.

Touch is important for a newborn. With each touch, the newborn learns life and its surroundings.

In the womb, babies are kept warm and protected, but after birth, for the first time, they feel cold, hot, hard seams of clothes.

Make sure the newborn finds the outside world a calming place. Provide plenty of comfortable clothing and soft blankets, tender kisses, caresses, and comforting hugs.

From the moment of birth, babies begin to react to the world around them. Their reactions to a mother's hug or a loud sound are examples of normal child development.

Doctors use these factors to determine if development is progressing as expected. There is a wide range of what is considered normal, so some children develop skills earlier or later than others.

What should a child be able to do at 1 month of age?

Newborn behavior

1. Turns head towards parent's voice or other sounds.
2. Cries to communicate the need to pick him up or feed him, change diapers or put him to bed.
3. Stops crying when his desire is satisfied (the child was picked up, fed or put to bed).

Motor and physical development of the child in the first month

From the very beginning, the child has a set of reflexes designed to protect him and provide the necessary assistance, even if parental instincts have not yet come into force.

These early reflexes include the searching reflex, which helps locate a breast or feeding bottle, the sucking reflex (helps you eat), the grasping reflex (the one that makes you squeeze your finger when it's in your baby's hand), and the Moro reflex (a nerve reaction that he feels when he is scared).

You can try testing your child for reflexes, but keep in mind that your results may vary and are likely to be less reliable than the doctor's test results.

Emotional and social development of a child up to 1 month of life

• calms down from the voice and touch of parents;
• can focus for a short time.

Cognitive skills (thinking and learning)

1. Looks at faces.
2. Follows the expression on the face of the parents.

Newborn care in the first month of life

If you haven't spent much time around newborns, their fragility can be frightening.

Rules for caring for a child in the first month of life

• Be sure to wash your hands before handling an infant. Newborns do not yet have a strong immune system, so they are susceptible to infection. Make sure that everyone who interacts with the child has clean hands;
• be careful to support the baby's head and neck when you carry him or put him in the crib;
• do not shake the newborn, whether in play or when upset. Violent shaking can cause intracranial bleeding and even death. If you need to wake the baby, do not do it by shaking the baby. Instead, tickle your baby's feet or gently pat her cheek;
• You need to make sure that the baby in the carrier, stroller or car seat is well fastened. Limit any activity that may be too rough or energetic for your little one.

Remember that a 1 month old newborn is not prepared for rough play such as shaking or tossing.

How to care for a newborn in the first month?

Newborn care at home includes feeding, changing diapers, changing clothes, caring for the umbilical wound, trimming nails, bathing, and going to bed.

Feeding a newborn

Mom decides for her newborn in the first month, breast or bottle.

You may be confused about how often to do this. As a rule, it is recommended, that is, every time he seems hungry. The baby may signal with crying, fist sucking, or smacking sounds.

A newborn baby should be fed every 2 to 3 hours. If you are breastfeeding, let your baby suckle for about 10 to 15 minutes from each breast. If you are formula feeding, give about 60 to 90 milliliters for each feeding. For each individual baby, you can individually calculate the one-time volume of the mixture.

When formula feeding, you can easily control the amount of food. But if you are breastfeeding the baby, it will be a little more difficult. If the baby seems satisfied, has about six wet diapers and stools several times a day, the baby sleeps well and gains weight well, then there is no shortage of food.

Before changing a diaper, make sure that all accessories are within reach so that you do not have to leave the baby alone on the changing table.

To change a diaper you need:

• clean diaper;
• if the baby has a rash;
• a container filled with warm water;
• clean cloth, wet wipes or cotton pads.

After each bowel movement, or if the diaper is wet, lay the baby on the back and remove the dirty diaper. Using water, cotton pads and napkins, gently wipe the child's genitals. When changing a boy's diaper, do it with care, as exposure to air can cause urination.

When drying a girl, wipe the perineum from the labia to the bottom to avoid urinary tract infections. Apply ointment to prevent and treat a rash.

Always wash your hands thoroughly before and after changing a diaper.

Diaper rash is a common problem. As a rule, it is red and convex. After a few days, it will disappear with bathing in warm water, using diaper cream and a small amount of time spent without it. Most breakouts are caused by skin sensitivity that is irritated by a wet diaper.

To prevent or treat diaper rash, try a number of ways:

1. Change your baby's diaper frequently and as soon as possible after a bowel movement.
2. After washing, apply a "barrier" cream. Zinc creams are preferred as they form a moisture barrier.
3. Leave the baby without a diaper for a while. This gives the skin the opportunity to take an air bath.

If the diaper rash continues for more than 3 days or seems to get worse, see your doctor. The rash may be caused by a fungal infection that requires medical treatment.

Cloth

You will change your baby many times a day.

Here Here are some tips to make work more enjoyable for you and your baby:

• start with comfortable clothes. Look for stretch fabrics; wide necks; loose sleeves, cuffs and ankles; buttons, snaps or zippers on the front of the garment, not on the back. Lace may look adorable on your little girl, but it can be scratchy or even tangle your toddler's fingers, so save it for special occasions;
• Attach a bib if your baby is spitting up regularly. After all, it is much easier to replace than clothes.

Umbilical wound care and circumcision

Taking care of your umbilical cord is very important. Experts suggest wiping the area with alcohol until the umbilical cord dries up and falls off.

The baby's navel area should not be submerged in water until the umbilical cord falls off and the area has healed.

Check with your doctor if your belly button area becomes red, smells bad, or has discharge.

If the boy is circumcised, immediately after the procedure, the glans penis is covered with gauze lubricated with petroleum jelly so that the wound does not stick to the diaper. Gently wipe the head after changing the diaper with clean warm water, then apply petroleum jelly. The redness or irritation of the penis should heal in a few days, but if the redness, swelling, or pus-filled blisters get worse, contact your doctor immediately.

Nails were growing even before the baby was born, so you can get a manicure in the first week of life. This procedure should be carried out every 2 to 3 days in the first month, until the nails harden and stop growing so quickly.

When trimming, hold the child's finger, pressing the tip of the finger down and away from the nail. Gently cut nails following the natural curve of the nail. Make sure that you do not cut too low and do not make sudden movements. While holding your tiny toes, cut your nails straight without rounding the edges. Remember that toenails grow more slowly and therefore require less maintenance.

Although you won't feel well, try not to worry if you hurt your child. It happens to all well-meaning moms. Clamp the wound with a soft, clean, lint-free cloth or gauze pad, and the bleeding will soon stop.

Bathing Basics

You should wipe the baby with a soft sponge before the umbilical cord falls off and the navel is completely healed (1-4 weeks).

Prepare the following items before bathing a child:

• clean soft washcloth;
• mild baby soap and unscented shampoo;
• soft brush for scalp massage;
• towel or blanket;
• clean diaper;
• fresh clothes.

Rubdown

To do this, choose a flat, safe surface in a warm room. Fill a sink, if available, or a bowl with warm water. Undress the child and wrap him in a towel. Wipe baby's eyes with clean cotton balls dipped in water. Movement should be directed from the inner corner to the outer.

Use a separate cotton ball for each eye. Wipe your baby's ears and nose with a damp cloth. Then blot the cloth again and, using a little soap, gently wash your face and pat it dry.

Then lather baby shampoo and gently wash your baby's hair. Try to wash off the foam as thoroughly as possible. Gently wipe the body with a damp cloth, paying particular attention to the underarm creases, areas around the neck, behind the ears and in the genital area. Then you need to dry the skin, put on a diaper and clothes.

When your child is ready to take a bath, the first baths should be short.

An infant bath will be added to the items listed above. A baby bath is a plastic bath that fits inside a large tub. It is the best size for babies and makes bathing easier with it.

Make sure that the water in the bath is no more than 5 - 7 cm deep. Undress your baby in a warm room, then immediately put him in water to prevent chills. Slowly lower the baby to the chest into the bath, holding the head with one hand.

Wash your face and hair with a washcloth. Gently massage the scalp with your fingertips or a soft baby brush.

When you are rinsing shampoo or soap off your baby's head, place your hand on your forehead so that the lather runs down the sides to keep the soap out of your eyes.

Gently wash the rest of the child's body with water.

During the entire bath, constantly pour water on the child so that he does not catch a cold. After bathing, immediately wrap your baby in a towel, making sure it covers his head.

Hooded baby towels are great for keeping a freshly washed baby warm.

When bathing a child, never leave him alone. If you need to leave the bathroom, wrap your baby in a towel and take it with you.

Sleep Basics

A newborn who seems to need you every minute of the day actually sleeps for about 16 hours or more. Newborns usually sleep for 2 to 4 hours. Don't expect him to sleep through the night. Babies' digestive systems are so small that they need to be fed every few hours, and babies should wake up if they haven't been fed for 4 hours.

Put your baby to sleep on their back or on their side to reduce the risk. Also, remove all fluffy items, quilts, sheepskins, soft toys, and pillows from the bed to make sure your little one doesn't get tangled up in them and can't suffocate.

Also, in order to prevent unilateral flattening of the head, do not forget to alternate the position of the baby every night.

Many newborns have day and night mixed up. They tend to stay awake at night and sleep more during the day. One way to help them is to keep nighttime excitement to a minimum. Keep the light low by using a night light. Talk and play with your baby throughout the day. When the baby wakes up during the day, try to keep him awake a little more, talking and playing.

Encouraging the newborn to learn

As parents take care of their newborn, he learns to recognize touch, the sound of voices, and the sight of faces.

In the first weeks, you can start a few simple, age-appropriate toys that develop hearing, vision and tactile sensations.

1. Rattles.
2. Kids toys.
3. Musical toys.
4. Unbreakable bed mirrors.

Try toys and mobiles with contrasting colors and patterns. Strong contrasts (such as red, white and black), curves and symmetry stimulate the development of a child's vision. As vision improves and children gain more control over their movements, they will interact more and more with their environment.

While the focus these days is naturally on keeping the baby healthy, it becomes much more difficult if the mom doesn't stay healthy herself. Therefore, make your health a priority in the first month after giving birth. A short fifteen-minute sleep will allow you to refresh a little.

Keep stocks of easily accessible yet nutritious foods such as cheese sticks, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, fruit, and cooked vegetables so you can eat often. Know that your nutritional requirements will be higher if you breastfeed your baby.

Feeding

When the child is 1 month old, he needs to be fed at least 6 times a day. Try not to control the time of feeding too strictly, let the child determine how much and how often he wants to eat.

Let the baby sleep enough at 1 month, be sensitive to his signals.

Even at this early stage, try to put the baby in his crib when he is tired, but not yet asleep. Most young children go to bed shortly after feeding, and their "sleep window" can be very short.

Behavior

Perhaps you will observe early smiles when the newborn is one month old. But most likely this will be due to their reflexes, and not to the reaction. Closer to six weeks, the baby will give a true smile. Many children develop colic at the age of 1 month of life.

Motor skills of a 1 month old baby

A 1 month old baby will be stronger than a newborn. He may be able to lift his head for a short time when he is held upright or lying on his stomach. He might even be able to turn it from side to side. But you still need to give him support.

Your child also becomes more expressive and may start to hum when he sees his family. Be sure to respond to his efforts to encourage these communication skills.

How to develop a child in 1 month?

• provide the child with daily laying out on the tummy. This will help develop muscles in the neck and upper torso;
• turn on the music and try not to filter your child's world. While it may be tempting to tiptoe around at home when the baby is sleeping, this will cause the baby to become sensitive to environmental noise. Babies who come to families with many small children do not react to household noise and learn to adapt because they have to.

All children are unique and go through developmental stages at their own pace. Development recommendations simply show what the baby can implement. And if not now, then soon.

If you have questions or concerns, ask your doctor for suggestions on how to help you and your baby grow together.

Young parents, having taken the baby home, bend over the crib and begin to look at their beloved offspring with emotion. And then natural questions arise: does the baby see them, what can he see?

In our article, we will try to figure out when newborns begin to see and what are the features of their vision.

Let's imagine that an adult has woken up and opened his eyes. What will happen to him? Yes, he will squint and get used to sunlight or artificial lighting.

What will happen to a baby who spent nine months in the dark? Of course, it will take him much longer to get used to the new conditions.

In addition, it is good to see a newborn child with slightly swollen eyelids, because quite recently the baby's head passed through the birth canal. That is why the world around them seems to children not clear and distinct enough.

But once the swelling goes down, parents will be able to see their baby looking around with wide eyes.

What time do babies start seeing?

So, the newborn begins to study the world around him immediately after birth. However, his vision is significantly different from that of an adult. What do caring moms and dads need to consider?

Features of the vision of newborns

1. In the early days, babies mostly sleep and only occasionally open their eyes. Bright light is not suitable for such small children, so dim lighting should be used. This is completely normal, as adaptation to the outside world takes place.
2. More clearly, the child sees fairly large objects that are 20-25 cm away from him. It is at this distance that the eyes of the mother and the baby are during breastfeeding. That is why newborns so easily distinguish their mother's face from many others.

What do babies like to look at?

1. It has been observed that newly born babies look with interest at bright pictures with a clearly defined outline and distinguishable details. Most often these are black and white images, various geometric shapes or patterns in a box and stripes.
2. The most attractive object for newborns is the human face. The kid is happy to look at mom and dad, other close relatives, remembering their images. Dad is especially attractive, especially if he wears a mustache or beard.
3. From a very early age, the baby begins to respond to changes that occur with the appearance of one of the parents. For example, he may not like it if mom gets a short haircut or dad wears glasses.

If you want to provide the best conditions for your baby to look at, use the following methods:

• place the object for study at a distance of up to 25 centimeters;
• newborns better focus their eyes in an upright position, so to attract attention, take them in your hands and put them in a “column”, holding your head;
• when communicating with a baby, try to smile and generally use facial expressions more often.

How does a newborn baby see?

If you bought a bright colored mobile for your baby, then do not rush to install it above the crib.

Up to three months, the whole world seems to children in black and white. Therefore, purchase or make your own carousel with black and white figures. For example, these can be images of the simplest geometric shapes.

Moving from the age of newborn to infancy, the child begins to see much better. By the age of three months, he looks at various objects with enthusiasm, but he is still not interested in bright colored toys. Try hanging pictures of animals around your bed, such as pictures of a zebra or a panda.

After three months, babies already know how to distinguish between yellow and red. Children's eyes do not yet perceive other colors. Now you can change the black and white mobile to color.

Some parents hang ornamental rugs or other items with bright patterns over the crib.

Why do newborns squint their eyes?

Sometimes adults notice slightly squinting eyes in babies, which causes numerous fears.

Pediatricians are not advised to worry ahead of time, since beveling the eye is a natural process for babies.

This feature is associated with insufficient depth of perception in children, which usually disappears with the strengthening of the eye muscles. Infants do not yet know how to look at a person or an object with two eyes at the same time, which leads to a defocusing of the gaze.

By about six months, strabismus usually disappears. If you notice that the baby continues to mow in the future, contact a specialist.

You can dispel or confirm fears at home. To do this, you will need a dim flashlight. Shine a light into the eyes of a newborn and watch for reflections. If they are located in the center of the pupil, then everything is in order with the child's vision. If not, you should consult an ophthalmologist - probably, the crumbs have weak eye muscles.

1. Pay attention to the fact that no foreign bodies get into the baby's eyes.
2. Watch your newborn's eyelashes grow. Sometimes they do not grow quite evenly and can get on the cornea, which leads to injury when blinking.
3. Do not unnecessarily protect the baby's eyes from light. Remaining in the twilight, the eye muscles do not develop well.
4. For the best development of children's vision, hanging toys (mobiles and carousels) are great, which rotate and make pleasant melodic sounds. The baby closely follows the bright figures, listens to songs. In general, it develops with pleasure.

With a child who is not yet a year old, you should visit an ophthalmologist every three months.

The specialist will follow how the baby's visual system is improving, and will give comprehensive answers to many burning questions - when newborns begin to see and how to care for their eyes.

A newly born child is half-blind, he is able to see the outlines of objects. Newborns are farsighted. That is, they see distant objects better than close ones (their vision can be up to +7.0 diopters). By six months, they begin to see better, but visual acuity reaches its maximum value only by 4 years.

A newborn is characterized by moderate light phobia - in the light he begins to squint, the pupil narrows. Therefore, the assessment of the visual analyzer is checked in a special way.

A newborn reacts to very strong light with anxiety and a loud cry. In premature babies, eyelids close and the head tilts back - the Peiper reflex. Lack of adequate response indicates a pathology of the visual analyzer.

What does the child like to look at?

When the baby is just born, he still sees everything blurry, reacts uneasily to bright light, and his eyes are almost constantly closed.

After a series of experiments, psychologists have established what objects newborns prefer to look at:

1. Contrasting pictures. When a child is shown an image of a black stripe on a white background, he begins to focus his eyes immediately on black, without wandering around the whole picture. If you show the baby at the same distance two drawings, one with bright or black lines, and the other gray, then the newborn will look at the first picture with interest.
2. Complex, structured images. For example, a checkerboard, curved or rounded images.
3. moving objects. A newborn clings to a moving object with his eyes and looks at it with interest for a long time.
4. New objects. If the child is shown the same object for a long time, the baby stops paying attention to it. When a new object he will study closely.
5. Bright colours. The first color that a newborn begins to distinguish is red. It is to toys, things of this color that the baby pays more attention.
6. Parents. The child pays special attention to the facial expressions of his relatives. At 3 weeks of life, a newborn distinguishes his mother from other people.

For the baby, communication with the mother, which occurs at the visual level, is of great importance. In the third week, when the baby begins to smile, his first smile is accompanied by a look, and is clearly addressed to an adult.

For newborns, to stimulate their development, one should choose colorful, bright toys so that they can move. An example is hanging toys made in contrasting light. Initially, the newborn simply fixes their eyes on them, then, he tries to hook them with a pen or a leg so that they start moving. And if they still begin to sound, then the baby plays with them for a relatively long time.

Interesting fact! K. Harvey studied the stereotypical games of adults and newborns and noticed that the baby in them acts as an active partner. He controls the behavior of an adult, prompting him to look in the direction he needs.

Why does a newborn's eyes squint

For infants in the first months after birth, the following physiological features of the visual analyzer are characteristic:

• photophobia (first 3 weeks);
• strabismus (at 1 - 2 months);
• low visual acuity.

Infants are characterized by uncoordinated, jerky movements of the eyeballs, but at the same time, the baby tries to fix his gaze on certain objects. In this case, the eyeballs move towards the nose, which creates the impression of convergent strabismus (it gradually disappears after a few months).

Divergent strabismus is a symptom of damage to the oculomotor nerve, which can occur due to:

• congenital disease;
• birth trauma;
• lesions of the central and peripheral nervous system.

To determine whether strabismus in a newborn is a physiological norm or a pathology, you should contact your pediatrician.

If convergent strabismus does not go away for a long time or even intensifies, this indicates the presence of a pathology in the development of vision. In this case, you should consult a doctor.

How to know if a child sees well

In order to find out how well the child sees, whether he has a pathology of the visual analyzer, you must:

• conduct regular examinations with an ophthalmologist;
• if you have problems with your eyes, contact your doctor immediately.

When the child is just born, the doctor must examine his eyes without fail. Normally, the sclera of a newborn is pale blue. A yellow tint is a symptom of jaundice.

The pupil of the baby should react to light by constriction, while the newborn closes his eyes. To very bright lighting, the baby should respond with a cry.

In addition, an ophthalmoscopy is performed on the baby from a distance of 50 cm. Normally, when a ray of light is directed to the pupil, it is red, with a congenital cataract, the pupil is gray.

For a newborn, a slight astigmatism (irregularly shaped crystal) is also physiological, but by the age of 2 it should disappear. Visual acuity can be checked from the age of 4, since before this age, farsightedness is characteristic of children.

When examining a child, attention should be paid to:

1. Eyeball sizes. An increase may indicate congenital glaucoma.
2. Pupils. They should be round, uniform in size, and shrink when exposed to light.
3. Fixation of vision on various objects. How long does the baby keep attention on various objects, the newborn must actively follow moving objects. At six months, a child can distinguish simple figures.
4. Lachrymation. If the crumbs constantly have tears, or vice versa, the eyes are dry, this may be a symptom of a tear duct disease.
5. Conjunctivitis. If the baby's eyes are constantly sour, he has inflammatory processes, which in the future will lead to serious vision problems - if the baby's eyes fester.

If you notice any deviations, immediately consult an ophthalmologist. Only a doctor will be able to conduct a comprehensive diagnosis, distinguish the norm from the pathology and, if necessary, prescribe treatment.

It's important to know! On examination, the newborn should open his eyes on his own. For this baby, you can turn it over, or get attention with a sound.

Summing up

The child begins to see in the first moments of life. His visual acuity is reduced, the newborn is characterized by photophobia and convergent strabismus. If there are other deviations, you should immediately contact a specialist, only a doctor will distinguish the norm from the pathology.

In addition, when choosing toys for the baby, you should remember that moving objects attract his attention. He prefers to look at bright objects, contrasting pictures. And the most important thing for him is to communicate with his eyes with his family.

Expectations and languor, replaced by fears and fears of imminent childbirth. They also, according to the laws of the process, have come to their logical conclusion. And now she takes her first breath of new life and utters her first cry, announcing the world of her appearance. This is just the beginning of a long journey.

A newly born baby will be placed on the stomach or on the chest of a newly-made mother and immediately taken away. And while the mother is moving away from the birth process, the baby will have to go through a few more stressful minutes.

For nine months, the baby experienced all the emotions and impressions with his mother. The world around him touched indirectly. He was protected by being in the cramped space of the uterus. At the moment of birth, the child is confronted with the external environment. He is far from familiar and incomprehensible. The first moments are adaptation to the world after the birth process.

At birth, the connection "mother - child" is not interrupted, but rather strengthened even more. From the first moments of birth, the baby is able to interact with the outside world.

He sees, hears, feels pain, cold, heat, reacts to taste changes, smells. With his cry, he attracts the attention of adults. When communicating with us adults, children accumulate and improve their experience of getting to know the world around them.

It's only the beginning

Immediately after birth, the condition of the baby is assessed according to the Apgar scale (the color of the skin, pulse, facial expressions, reflexes, muscle tone and breathing are assessed). This procedure is repeated after 5 minutes and an entry is made in the medical card of the newborn in the form of a fractional number. The higher the number, the better the health indicators at birth. Conversely, low numbers indicate difficulties in life.

These are by no means the last inconveniences that the baby will experience in the near future. He will be measured (chest and head volume, body length) and weighed, and then, within 12 hours, he will be vaccinated against viral hepatitis, and within 7 days from tuberculosis by BCG vaccination. The new world, which seems to be quite safe for any adult, is not so for a baby. Rather, on the contrary, the comfort of the mother's womb is replaced by an environment full of various threats. It is better to use every opportunity to save a small fragile organism from additional stress and illness.

Let's get acquainted

Without a doubt, all the time of pregnancy and in the process of childbirth, mom often thinks and introduces herself to her baby. And most often these ideas have a very distant relation to reality. Because a newborn baby always seems to be a ruddy smiling toddler with velvety skin and clear eyes. In reality, things are often quite different.

At the first glance at a newly born baby, you may get the impression that something is wrong with him: a disproportionately large head of a strange shape, crooked legs and arms, long hair or their complete absence, uneven skin color and so on. But do not worry because of this, since the above description is absolutely normal. For a person who has spent 9 months in a liquid environment and does not have much variety in postures and movements, this baby looks amazing.

It will take quite a bit of time, and by 1 month the baby will already look like a star of children's gloss.

In the first days of life, the baby's skin is especially sensitive due to the loss of original lubrication, so it should be handled with extreme care and caution. It is better to use special oils and creams for newborns for care, which can be purchased at a pharmacy.

Formation of the regime

The first breath of the baby is the beginning of adaptation to the world. Lots of stimuli, spots, smells, sounds, temperature changes... it takes a huge amount of energy to get used to all this crumbs. Therefore, during the first month of life, he sleeps and learns to stay awake. If the first week is almost a continuous sleep, then starting from the second, small and short-term periods of wakefulness appear, and then more. But be that as it may, 18 - 20 hours a day, the baby enjoys dreams in the “frog pose”. Every 2 to 3 hours, the newborn wakes up to have a snack. However, even in the process of eating, it does not cost him anything to fall asleep or doze off during the entire feeding. Sometimes, in order to stimulate the baby to eat, he is patted on the ass and the nipple of the mother's breast is taken out of the mouth, and reinserted. Otherwise, the dormouse may well remain hungry.

The formation of the daily routine should be started during this 1 month, gradually streamlining the process of feeding and waking up the baby and strictly observing the time intervals between these two processes. It is very important to carry out the necessary hygiene procedures in a timely manner. Morning toilet, which involves washing the baby, cleaning the nose and ears, washing the eyes and the space between the fingers on the arms and legs. Evening toilet, which includes bathing and procedures for caring for the delicate skin of a newborn.

The first basics of communication

It is a mistake to think that the newborn does not see anything. By the fifth day of life, the child opens his eyes wider and a little, intermittently tries to follow the object. It is necessary to develop this skill with bright toys. Babies even have their own color preference. Often their gaze stops at a certain bright color. Someone prefers bright yellow, pink, red, and someone has a favorite black color.

Study

Studies have been conducted in infants 4-6 weeks old, they were shown ribbons in bright and pastel colors. The time of fixing the eyes of the kids was carried out using a stopwatch. One of the babies chose green, another cold pink, the third preferred blue, and one of the girls chose black.

After analyzing the results, conclusions were drawn. The children chose the colors according to the color of their mothers' clothes. It was in this color scheme that mothers were dressed after the birth of babies. The very first impressions are connected with these tones: feeding, lulling in the arms. The girl who chose black associated her choice with the clothes of her loving and caring father. He wore a black naval uniform.

talk to me mom

From the first days of life, it is necessary to communicate with the baby affectionately, thanks to which he feels cared for. A sense of security and need helps a child to develop properly. Now on the modern market there are a lot of sound toys, but they cannot replace the gentle and native voice of the mother.

Advice:
When you talk to your baby, position yourself so that he can see your face. During this period, the child not only listens, concentrates, but also distinguishes speech sounds, intonation. They try to imitate, connect your appearance with your characteristic intonation, timbre of voice, rhythm of speech.

During communication with adults, the baby gets acquainted with sounds, this is necessary in the future for the development of speech. Cooing begins with syllables, which are then linked into words by the child, then sentences are obtained.

Ears on top

Even in utero, the baby begins to get acquainted with sounds. Psychologists recommend talking often, reading fairy tales, listening to music for pregnant women. After birth, the child does not lose the ability to hear.

At loud sounds, he shudders, while randomly moving his arms. This is the norm, it is necessary to take into account such a fact, to exclude loud sounds in the presence of crumbs.

Scolding, swearing and increased tone of conversation near the baby are strictly prohibited. For beneficial development, you need to put on a child pleasant music, sounds of nature, read fairy tales, sing lullabies.

Remember. The child needs constant attention, goodwill, care for further normal psychological development.

Diet and result

In the first week after birth, a baby can usually lose up to 300 grams in weight. It's not worth worrying about this. This process is quite natural, because there is an excess of fluid in the body of the crumbs, and there is no established diet yet. Weight stabilizes already in the first week of life and, normally, will begin to increase.

To date, there is no feeding schedule for newborns. They are fed at the request of the crumbs, which occurs every 2 to 3 hours. Usually it is 6 - 8 feedings per day, with breaks of 5 hours at night, this will lay the foundation for the diet of the crumbs. In the case of women who have become mothers for the first time, experts recommend applying the baby to the breast more often, up to 12 times a day. This will stimulate lactation naturally.

In the process of eating, the baby receives not only milk or a nutrient mixture, but also a large amount of air. In order to avoid the accumulation of excess gases, after feeding the baby, you need to hold a column for a couple of minutes so that he burps excess air.

The main and, perhaps, the only source of nutrients for the baby is breast milk. Such food allows the digestive system to run smoothly and evenly. And the sleep following feeding contributes to the vigorous development of internal systems and the active growth of the baby.

The very process of putting a baby to the breast is a sacrament of two, it is a process of energy communication between matter and its offspring. Therefore, mom should avoid stress and anxiety, excessive anxiety. The child acutely feels the state of the mother and reacts by refusing to eat and crying if the mother is upset or irritated. This can affect the baby's body weight and his health extremely negatively.

Subject to favorable conditions, by 1 month the baby will gain weight from 600 to 800 grams and grow noticeably.

How to measure your baby:

To measure body length: put on a flat surface so that the shoulder blades, sacrum and heels touch it.

To measure head circumference: centimeter tape runs along the superciliary arches and the back of the head.

To measure chest circumference: centimeter tape runs behind the lower corners of the shoulder blades, in front - along the lower edges of the areola.

Along with the nutrition of the newborn, its excretions are of great importance. The baby's stool is an indicator of the work of a small organism. Doctors take him seriously, and mommy will also have to become more adept at this knowledge.

In the first couple of days of the allocation of the baby can not be called formalized. They have a liquid and viscous consistency and a dark green color. This is meconium, the result of processing the remains of cells and substances accumulated in the womb and captured during childbirth.

Meconium is replaced by transitional stool. It is mushy and yellowish in color. Meconium inclusions may be present in it, so you should not panic when you see greenish inclusions, it will pass soon.

At the end of the first week of life, the baby has a normal stool. Usually it is established at the end of the first week of life. From this moment until the end of the neonatal period, that is, up to 28 days, the child's stool normally has a homogeneous mushy texture, a sour smell and a yellowish-brown color.

Depending on the type of feeding, the nature of the stool may vary slightly. So, if the baby feeds exclusively on breast milk, then the color of his stool will be yellowish-golden, and the stool itself will be soft. Depending on the number of meals, the baby will surprise mom, usually 2 to 6 times a day. If for some reason the baby cannot eat breast milk, then he will defecate a little less often, only 3-4 times a day, and his stool will be viscous and thick, brownish or light yellow in color.

Looking at the baby's stool is a very important diagnostic point regarding his health. A new environment and nutrition often cause dysbacteriosis and various intestinal infections. If the baby's feces have changed their smell from sour to sharply unpleasant, have become heterogeneous in density and color, you should sound the alarm and consult a doctor. Normally this should not happen.

umbilical wound

After emerging from the womb, it is disconnected. The umbilical cord that connected them was previously cut and tied. From this protruding piece of flesh, a pretty little navel is formed by the end of the first month, with proper care, of course. And for him, mommy will need to treat the umbilical wound twice a day as follows:

• Wash your hands thoroughly;
• Take a piece of sterile cotton wool and wrap it around a match or toothpick. Repeat this procedure three times. The result should be three wooden sticks with fleece at the ends;
• Moisten one of the resulting tampons in hydrogen peroxide and gently treat the wound without pressure;
• Take another stick and soak in salicylic alcohol. Wipe the wound again, despite the active protest from the baby;
• Moisten the third swab in brilliant green and repeat the procedure.

As a result of proper care, after a couple of weeks, the umbilical wound should become narrow and dry, without any discharge and redness of the skin on the baby's tummy. By the end of 4 weeks of life, it will finally overgrow and the baby's navel will take on a normal appearance.

Water procedures

Bathing the baby should begin immediately after discharge from the maternity hospital, on the same day. Water procedures should be postponed if the day before or on the same day the baby was vaccinated against tuberculosis.

Water for bathing a baby should be used boiled and close in temperature to 37 ° C. You should bathe the baby every other day, and bathe once a week using a baby sponge and wash your hair 2 times a week using shampoo for newborns. All other means used for bathing must also be special for children. Try to get the child out of the water before he asks you to cry and scream. After, the baby should be wiped with blotting movements and proceed to the care procedures.

You should not bathe the child when he may be hungry, that is, if more than 1 hour has passed since the last meal.

The skin of a newborn is very delicate and prone to irritation and dryness. Therefore, the baby's skin must be lubricated with baby cream or oil, paying special attention to deep folds.

After each stool, the baby must be washed with soap under running water. After that, the skin of the buttocks must be lubricated with oil or cream.

Nails at 1 month old baby should not be cut to avoid injury and subsequent inflammation.

The baby needs to be washed twice a day. To do this, you need to take two cotton swabs and dip them in boiled water, then squeeze them out a little and simultaneously wipe both eyes in the direction from the ears to the nose. Next, take another cotton swab. Also moisten and wipe the entire face of the crumbs.

walks

After 2 weeks, the baby can be taken out for walks, the duration of the first of which should be no more than 15 minutes. For the first "going out" you should choose a suitable day in terms of weather. It is better to neglect walking if it is raining or heavy snowing outside, as well as if it is very cold, smog or fog. In the future, it will be possible to cool off at your pleasure, everything comes with experience. The next day after the first walk, the time spent in the air is already 30 minutes. And so gradually the duration of walks increases to 2 - 2.5 hours a day for cool seasons, and unlimited for warm ones.

No need to dress up the baby "like cabbage", trying to protect him from a cold. Just constant overheating and leads to frequent colds in children. Focus on the temperature of the handles, if they are warm, then the little one is warm. In the case of children, the principle of "cold nose" does not work.

Swaddle, don't swaddle

Many parents have doubts whether to swaddle their child or not. No one will give a definitive answer. Today there is a lot of controversy about the reasonableness of this method. Many psychologists believe that swaddling limits the knowledge of the little crumbs of the outside world. Which can lead to psychological consequences.

Although our grandmothers actively practiced tight swaddling, all the babies looked very funny, like little dolls. It has been scientifically proven that swaddling has a beneficial effect on baby's sleep. He wakes up less from chaotic movements of the handles. So there is no right in this dispute.

To find the sweet spot, many pediatricians recommend combination swaddling. During wakefulness, leave the child in loose clothes, and swaddle during sleep.

"Hospitalism" - a pedagogically neglected baby

Outwardly, the child may look perfectly healthy, physically strong. If he receives little attention from birth, the emotional sphere of such children is very poorly developed.

Symptoms

Usually abandoned babies suffer from this syndrome. Such children rarely cry, rarely smile, are almost not interested in anything. In the future, they play sluggishly and primitively with toys, problems with speech arise.

"Hospitalism" is characterized by mental retardation. Psychomotor functions are also impaired. Subsequently, such children develop apathy, constant sucking of fingers, fists. Thus, the child compensates for the lack of information.

How to be

For babies that are desired, this problem does not arise. Maternal love, warmth, caress is the main incentive for a better development of skills in an infant. A caring, loving mother will never have a baby diagnosed with hospitalism. Because he will never leave his blood for a long time unattended, he will not make you cry for a long time, he will find the cause of discontent, he will sound the alarm when something is wrong.

Parents should remember that the child's brain needs information from the outside world in order to develop properly. This need must be developed from the first days of life. Constant communication, bright non-irritating toys, pleasant music.

Summing up

After 4 weeks, the baby will move from the newborn period to a new level during infancy, which will last up to 1 year. Ahead is a big world and a long life full of amazing discoveries. And not only for the baby, but also for the parents. The most important thing to remember is that every child is unique and cannot be repeated. Therefore, the pace of its growth and development is also individual and special, they may differ from generally accepted standards, and there is nothing to worry about. If there are any prerequisites, you should immediately run to the doctor. If there are none, you do not need to invent causes and effects for yourself. There is a more important and enjoyable thing to do - just being a mom! Love and take care of your kids!

The condition of the baby immediately after birth causes a number of questions and concerns among young parents. Why does he react badly to noises - for example, does not wake up when a vacuum cleaner is working in the next room? Why doesn't he notice when someone enters the room? And in general, is everything in order and when do newborns begin to see and hear? In fact, as a rule, there is no real cause for concern, and now we will find out why.

It is comfortable, warm and dark in the mother's belly, and suddenly the baby finds himself in a new world full of movement, light, colors, sounds. Nature is very wise: it protects a barely born person from the stresses associated with a sudden “change of scenery”. The development of all functions (vision, hearing, motor activity) should occur naturally, within a few months. And how correctly this happens, in some cases, only an experienced doctor can say.

Features of hearing development

The baby already has hearing in utero, at 16-17 weeks. Experiments prove that children perfectly hear both voices and music, and after birth, the phenomenon of “recognition” of melodies or even poems is observed. "Recognition" usually manifests itself in brisk movements. Most quickly, the baby begins to recognize his mother, the timbre of her voice, because it is to this voice that he is most accustomed.

In the first days of life, children notice only high volume (and do not pay attention to the TV or vacuum cleaner, to quiet conversations and other not too pronounced “signals”). Therefore, the question of whether newborn children hear can be answered as follows: everything is in order with their hearing, they just do not respond to all stimuli.

Rattles and other objects that make sounds that are not too quiet, as well as light hand claps next to the ear, are a good way to test your baby's hearing. The main thing is not to overdo it and not scare the baby. While talking to him, change the pace, volume of speech and intonation and you will see:

• movements of arms and legs;
• facial expression changes;
• head movements or "searching" with the eyes;
• shivering or freezing.

Crying or convulsive movements usually appear with sounds that frighten the child, for example, an unfamiliar voice nearby, a loud conversation, and even more so a scream. Do not be afraid of the “inadequate” (too sharp) reaction of the baby, he just has a very heightened sensitivity, and this is normal. At least in the first month, all family members and guests should be quieter, and direct communication with the baby should be calm and even for everyone.

So when do newborns start hearing? Of course, right away, but the child begins to turn his head consciously, looking for sources of sounds, by the end of the third month. If he is very passionate about something, he will not react to any stimuli. This is also normal.

Talk more with the baby, sing or turn on children's songs, tell poems and short stories. This, in addition to the development of hearing, lays the foundation for the formation of speech.

Features of the formation of vision

Rest assured, babies begin to see immediately after birth, although numerous studies have shown that vision is blurry at this time: adaptation to unusual conditions occurs. Don't worry if your baby rarely opens their eyes or mostly squints. And there are also such babies who already in the first hours of life “surprisedly” look at the world around them.

The visual acuity of a newborn is much weaker than in adults: 0.005 - 0.015. In the first months, it grows to 0.01-0.03. This is due to the gradual formation of the centers of the brain, the eyeball and the retina. That area of ​​the retina, where one hundred percent vision is achieved, 1.0 (the so-called yellow spot), is not yet available in a recently born baby.

Here is how the vision of a newborn is formed and what stages of development the visual function goes through over time.

When “making” eye contact, hold your baby upright: in this position, his gaze is better focused. Even when the newborn begins to see well, do not rush - wait until he concentrates. Your face (or the object that you show) should be about 20 cm from the child’s eyes. When communicating, try not to change your facial expression too abruptly, appearance in general, including your hairstyle, do not even take off your glasses if you wear them - to look familiar to the crumbs and not to excite him.

Binocular vision is formed from the sixth week of life. The baby begins to see consciously only from the fourth month. Until that time, he cannot use both eyes at the same time, which makes him seem to squint or his eyes "wander" independently of each other.

Possible problems

So, do not immediately conclude that the baby has poor hearing or vision. But it must be remembered that there are cases in which this assumption may be true.

Hearing problems in a baby (deafness, hearing loss) are possible with pathological childbirth or if the mother during pregnancy:

• had rubella, measles;
• was fond of alcohol, drugs;
• took drugs with a toxic effect (antibiotics).

Beware if your child:

• does not show anxiety at unexpected, loud sounds;
• does not respond to your voice with a change in behavior, facial expressions;
• at 4 months does not pay attention to people's conversations or to a musical toy;
• often pulls his ears (possibly high blood pressure, infection).

Poor vision in a newborn (or blindness) can be if the mother during pregnancy:

• had rubella (risk of congenital cataract);
• suffered from toxemia / toxoplasmosis / toxocariasis.

At the fourth week of life, the baby should already focus on objects for a short time. Check the vision in this way: close the baby's right eye and show the toy, then do the same with the left eye.

Until six months, children mow a little - this is natural. But if after 6 months this look persists, be sure to consult a doctor. In no case should signs of strabismus be ignored: without adequate treatment, blindness may develop.

If parents have even the slightest suspicion that something is going wrong, you need to seek advice from a pediatrician and relevant specialists - an ophthalmologist, an otolaryngologist. They know when a newborn child begins to see, and when his hearing is formed, and they will notice developmental deviations in time.

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