Tuesday, April 18, 2006

kyan 3mos na!

How your baby's growing: Is your baby strong enough to hold up his head now to see what's going on? Better joint flexibility allows many three-month-olds to wave and kick more forcefully, too, and to open their fingers and bring their hands together.

Chances are your little charmer is still bestowing smiles on everyone he meets this month, but he's getting pickier about the company he keeps. In large groups or with people he doesn't know very well, he may need some time to get comfortable.

The temporal lobe in your baby's brain — which handles hearing, language, and smell — is bustling with activity this month. Make the most of it by talking to your baby, playing music, and reading out loud.

How your life is changing: Moms, if you went back to work this month, you're probably feeling a mix of emotions. Guilt, excitement about returning to work, fatigue, fear, and worry are just some of the feelings that might be churning around inside you. For help, talk with other mothers in your shoes at the working moms bulletin board.

Dads, you may be feeling more connected to your baby now that he's older and more responsive. To help strengthen your growing closeness, try taking a bath together or reading your baby the sports page. For more ideas, see Dads' top tips on bonding with your baby.

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Steady now
This month, your baby may be able to lift his head and hold it for several moments, or even longer, while lying on his back. If sitting with support, he should be able to hold his head steady and erect. When he's on his stomach, you might see him lifting his head and chest as if he were doing mini-pushups. You can offer encouragement by sitting in front of him and dangling a toy.

Better arm, leg, and hand coordination
Your baby can now wave his arms and pump his legs. And as his hip and knee joints become more flexible, his kicks are getting stronger. Hold him upright with his feet on the floor and feel him push down. He can also bring both hands together and open his fingers, though he'll probably use a closed fist to bat at dangling objects. (Of course, swatting at a toy or other object is developmental progress in itself!) Encourage his eye-hand coordination by holding out a toy to see if he'll grasp it.

To sleep, perchance
At last, your baby's sleep patterns may start to settle down, giving you some rest. Many 3- to 4-month olds sleep for a six-hour stretch through the night, though others still wake for an occasional feeding. Some even take until their half birthday or later to sleep through, so don't get your hopes up yet!

Clear recognition of Mom and Dad
By 3 months, and probably earlier, your baby knows your face and has formed an attachment to you. Most likely he'll still smile at strangers, especially when they look him straight in the eye and coo or talk to him. But he's beginning to sort out who's who in his life, and he definitely prefers some people over others.

Your baby's parietal lobe, the part of the brain that governs his hand-eye coordination and allows him to recognize objects, is developing rapidly now. And his temporal lobe, which assists with hearing, language, and smell, has also become more receptive and active. So when your baby hears your voice these days, he may look directly at you and start gurgling or trying to talk back.

Reading 101
Reading to your child, even at this young age, will pay off. Hearing you read helps your baby develop an ear for the cadence of language. In fact, varying the pitch of your voice, using accents, singing, and vocalizing make the aural connection between you and your baby that much more stimulating. But don't worry if he looks the other way or loses concentration while you're reading. Just try something else, or give him time to rest. Take your cue from his responses and interest.

There are plenty of good books to read to your baby — such as Goodnight Moon, The Baby's Bedtime Book, and Fuzzy Yellow Duckling. Choose board books with large, bright pictures and simple text — or even wordless books, such as Picnic or The Bear and the Fly, with pictures for you to narrate.

At this point you needn't be slavish to age guidelines. Books designed for older children can captivate a baby if they have clear, crisp images and bright colors. Or you can even read poetry written for adult ears — Samuel Coleridge's Kubla Khan, for instance. What your baby doesn't understand will still delight him (and you) with its musicality.

Early language development
Recent research links higher intelligence to how many words a child hears in the first year of life, so verbal stimulation is especially important right now. Set a sound foundation by exposing your baby to a variety of words and sounds. Talk about your surroundings when you take him for a walk, and point to and identify objects as you roam the grocery store aisles. Your baby can't repeat these words yet, but he's storing all the information in his rapidly developing memory.

If your home is bilingual, your baby will benefit from hearing both languages spoken regularly. If you'd like him to learn more than one language, try to repeat each phrase in both languages, or have each parent speak to him in a different language.

Touchy feely
Stimulate your baby's sense of touch with a variety of materials — such as fur, tissue, felt, and terrycloth. And look for books, like Pat the Bunny, that make touching a part of the reading experience. Touch — the feel of a gentle breeze or a massage, being carried on your hip, or kissed on the nose — is a powerful way to relax or engage your baby. Iit may even increase his altertness and attention span.

Beginning to interact with others
Your child is set on "receive," drawing conclusions about the world around him. By now, he may respond to his face in the mirror by smiling (babies love looking at themselves), and he may stop sucking his thumb or bottle to listen to your voice. By cooing or making noises at him, and by describing even the most mundane household chore, you're not only connecting with him but also encouraging him to express himself. Even with others, your baby is becoming more animated and engaging — flashing smiles, oohing, and cooing. The fun has really begun. When you're with friends, keep your baby nearby so he can hear the richness of human interaction.

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WHOA, an bilis na db. 3mos na an baby kyan. mejo bumabait na cia and nagiging naughty na then at the same time. before sia mag 3mos, aba! an likot na matulog na lolo mo, nagising kme in the middle of the night dhil wala cia sa gitna nmen ni dee.. aun at nasa paanan ko na pala.

he had his first diarrhea na den and his "sinat"... that made us worried tlaga pro strong tlaga an baby ko... lang dating mga sakit sa kanya.. masigla pa den and lakas mag milk.

black saturday he had his first summer outing.. hehe. sarap nag ligo nag baby and paswim2 pa.

his 3rd month bday naman, we celebrated it with the whole family.. mum,ate, mark, france and the yaya went here kina oma and nag handa lang ng konti.. havta go, sa sobrang kakulitan ni kyan d na pede mahabang time sa other things...

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