The Second Six Months
It is important to keep a balance between what you see and feel
today and what is happening over the long term. If your baby is
in generally good health, her behavior patterns may change from
day to day or week to week, sometimes suddenly.
Overall, however, this first year is a steady arc of growth in
the baby’s size, strength, and cognitive ability. Your baby will
experience more growth and development in her first year than in
any other 12-month period of her life. Keep that in mind as you
go through the sometimes confusing starts and stops of everyday
baby care.
There are many books and other resources available that give more
detailed information about infant development, like Your Baby’s
First Year: Week by Week by Glade B. Curtis and Judith Schuler
(Perseus, 2000) and What to Expect the First Year by Arlene
Eisenberg, et al (Workman, updated regularly). You can also use
online resources like
www.babiesonline.com/babysfirstyear/ to track her changes.
Joe Kelly’s The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Being a New Dad includes
month-by-month information on what you may be doing, thinking,
and feeling as a new father.
For example, around month ten, she may be teething, which can be
tough for babies and parents alike, since your baby can be in
actual pain, and there isn’t a ton you can do about it. The two
bottom front teeth usually come in first, followed by the two top
teeth, and then more along the sides. A baby has an average of
eight teeth by her first birthday.
If you have concerns about the level or longevity of a teething
fever, call your doctor. Teething fevers do not produce vomiting
or diarrhea; those are signs of an infection that needs the
doctor’s immediate attention. When a baby pulls on her ear, that
may indicate an ear infection or just teething pain. Again, check
with the pediatrician.
Believe it or not, you should start cleaning your baby’s teeth
even before she has any. Clean her gums at least twice a day, but
ideally after each feeding. Lay her in your lap with her head
close to your chest. Rub a clean, damp washcloth or piece of gauze
gently and firmly along both gums. Babies love this! When her teeth
do come in, use the infant toothbrush and instructions your
pediatrician supplies.
Speaking of things in her mouth, you should know how to stop your
infant from choking as well as how to give infant CPR and other first aid.
According to the National Institutes of Health, choking is fairly
common and choking deaths are most common in children under 3 years
old and in senior citizens. The Heimlich maneuver can be done on
infants; the best way to learn is through lifesaving training from
the local Red Cross chapter. The basic manuever is: sit down and
place the infant stomach down on your lap across your forearm. Then
give five thumps on the infant’s back with the heel of your hand.
See an illustration at the
NIH website.
Adapted from
The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Being a
New Dad by Joe Kelly and used by permission.