Key Concepts: Attachment
- Studies have shown that secure attachment can positively impact lifelong development (increased empathy, self-esteem, academic success, mental health). Nobody is “in-tune” with their child 24/7. Prepare for moments when you are out of sync. Research shows that parents and children are “in-tune” only about 30% of the time!
- A secure attachment relationship is protective. A strong parent-child relationship can buffer the impact of toxic stress on the developing brain.
- Having a child feel safe, seen, and secure with clear limits and expectations supports the development of secure attachment.
What to Try: Attachment
Continue to meet your baby’s needs when you can (and when you know what they want), but know that it is OK for your baby to not always be happy and to have hard moments, or moments where you’re out of sync.
Encourage multiple attachment figures in your baby’s life. The more, the better. And those figures don’t take away from your role.
Key Concepts: Sleep
- At this age, your baby is beginning to organize their sleep into longer stretches and can begin to more easily follow a consistent schedule.
- If you aren’t ready to tackle sleep learning, that is okay. What’s most important is making sure that your baby is getting the recommended number of hours of sleep (13-17 hours in a 24 hour period).
- Sleep regressions are sleep interruptions and they happen through childhood. There can be many reasons why sleep is interrupted, including an increased awareness of surroundings, new gross motor skills, language development, travel, illness, or other major transitions.
What to Try: Sleep
- To help with any sleep disruptions, keep your routine consistent.
- If sleep is interrupted, adjust bedtime to be earlier to ensure baby is getting enough sleep.
- Encourage independent sleep skills and self-soothing tools, like a pacifier.
- If your baby doesn’t already practice this, help them learn to fall asleep on their own at BEDTIME first (and, if necessary - check in with neighbors to let them know what you’re doing!)
Key Concepts: Development
- Teething may begin around this age and can cause general fussiness that can increase during the 1-3 days before the tooth pokes out.
- There is a lot of misinformation out there about teething remedies. Before trying anything, check with your baby’s health provider. Avoid teething necklaces and numbing gels.
- It’s time to start reading to your baby! This can be a fun time to cozy up and bond. Reading aloud to babies has many benefits, including supporting their language and cognitive development.
What to Try: Development
- Safe methods to manage teething discomfort include rubing their gums with a clean finger, giving them a clean and cold washcloth to chew on, or teething rings/toys made out of rubber.
- Find a cozy spot at home to read and choose books that have some sensory stimulation, like different textures. You can help guide your baby to feel the different textures and turn the pages. If reading time is short-lived right now, that is okay. Stick with short books and don’t be afraid to put the book down when it isn’t working.
- You can continue to stimulate your baby’s senses by playing together. Trying playing peek-a-boo, let your baby explore their hands/feet, and use bath time as a sensory experience where they can splash around and engage multiple senses
Key Concepts: Relationships
- After having a baby, your relationships might change with your friends, parents, and most definitely your partner.
- Relationship changes can happen for a variety of reasons, including being sleep deprived, having different parenting styles or visions of how to raise your child, growing feelings of loneliness, an increase in responsibilities, and lack of intimacy.
What to Try: Relationships
- Schedule in time for yourself as well as you and your partner.
- Have an intentional conversation with your partner about how you were raised. What are the aspects that you want to pass on to your child? What do you both want to leave behind? Discuss how you can meet in the middle.