About
Infants
The first year of
life is often called the infant period. Your baby needs your love, attention,
and care as he adjusts to the world around him. Your baby has his own special
personality and with time will develop into his own person. All infants learn
the same skills. But, it is OK and "normal" if your baby learns things at
different times than other infants. There is no one "right way" to raise
your baby. You can help your baby grow up happy, healthy, confident, and help
him/her have positive self-esteem (which is very important). Learning what your
baby likes and dislikes and caring for him shows your baby that you love him.
Look for the following qualities of infant care:
- Infants need
a warm, responsive caregiver who will help them feel secure by tending to
their cries.
- Feeling
secure encourages infants to try new things.
- Warning
sign: Babies left crying for long periods of time.
- Infants
should be held and cuddled during feeding. It is important to their feeling
of self-worth and security.
- Warning
sign: Babies propped up on pillows drinking bottles.
- Babies
should be moved regularly so they see new things.
- Warning
sign: Babies spending long periods of time in cribs, walkers, play pens
or high chairs.
- Flexibility
to accommodate a baby's natural schedule. Some babies need to eat more
frequently and some will sleep more.
- Warning
sign: Evidence of rigid or fixed eating and napping schedules.
- Caregivers
talk to the babies. Even though infants cannot understand everything said to
them, they will be learning many words in the months to come.
- Warning
sign: Very limited or no interaction between caregiver and child during
routine times such as diaper changing, feeding, etc. No evidence of
caregiver talking, singing, or playing with child.
- An
environment rich with color and sound to stimulate the infant's awareness of
his or her world.
- Warning
sign: Extremes of too much color and sound that may over-stimulate
infants, or too little color or sound for babies to look at or listen to.
- Space for
young infants to kick and wiggle and older babies to practice crawling,
pulling up, and walking.
- Warning
sign: Rooms filled with furniture leaving very little floor space for
playing.