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What should my 4 week old be doing right now?

Meow64394

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 12 September 2012 - 16:32

I've read a few sites and all say different things. I'm just wondering what developmental milestones my ds should have covered by now?

Our day consists of feeding every 3 hours, burping, putting to sleep and some tummy time when he wakes up. What did your 4 week old do? What was his/her daily routine?

kiwispiers15400

2782

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EW EXPERT

Latest post on 13 September 2012 - 14:33

I found the baby centre weekly emails (if you are signed up for those) wonderful during my pregnancy and then really annoying after the birth as they often knocked my confidence with their "your baby will be doing this....." approach. What I learned from having a big group of friends who had babies at the same time is firstly that the differences in development are huge and secondly, you really can't read into them at all, (my son crawled really early and then walked really late, didn't really "babble" at all and then by 10 months suddenly spoke several words) we all have two year olds now and there is very little difference, I'd say by three there will be even less. Its easy to worry when you see another baby who seems more "advanced" than yours or to feel smug when you see that your baby seem ahead, but ultimately they just do things when they are ready and when they are interested. If you are communicating with and listening to your baby from day one you are already doing a wonderful job, babies just need love and attention and your instincts will guide you. My advice, stay away from books/websites on milestones and just focus on how your own baby is growing an progressing, its so wonderful to watch! And never apologise for asking questions, [b'>nobody[/b'> is an expert in parenthood!

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Meow64394

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 13 September 2012 - 10:54

playtime for a 4 week old is basically the small gap between when they finish feeding and when they fall asleep (assuming you feed when he wakes) it might only be around 10-20 minutes and would basically be him lying next to you, on his tummy or in your arms and you talking to him. My son started smiling around 4 weeks, which from memory was quite early, i think from 6 weeks is more common. He wasn't remotely interested in any toys until he was at least 2-3 months and for his first 4 months really just liked to look at people and faces and smile a loy. his fine motor skills have always been slow but turned out to be an early crawler and early talker (and late walker) Best thing you can do for your baby's development is talk to him a lot, with an expressive voice and face. Tummy time is really good too, If my guy wasn't eating or going to sleep he was pretty much always on his tummy from aroun 2-3 weeks, probably why he crawled so early. This has been so useful thank you! I'm an only child and first time mum to please forgive my lack of knowledge in these things! I'm going to make sure me and ds get lots of expressive talk time and tummy time :)

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Meow64394

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 13 September 2012 - 10:52

http://gulfnews.com/life-style/parenting/the-dilemmas-of-an-infobese-parent-1.1072414 My personal way is: I don't compare my little one with others and try not to overstrain her. A lot of love and attention& support. I agree and the reason I asked the question was not because I am overstraining him but because I was worried I wasn't engaging in enough play with him which of course helps with all the developmental milestones. All we do is eat, poop, sleep, cuddle and tummy time but now I see thats perfectly normal for a 1 month old :)

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Happy3558101

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 12 September 2012 - 22:42

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kiwispiers15400

2782

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EW EXPERT

Latest post on 12 September 2012 - 21:50

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camandcarly

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 12 September 2012 - 20:36

Honestly don't worry at all, you little baby is still very very new and he is still used to being inside your belly. They sleep and eat for a quite a while before they do anything... The internet is good for a lot of things, but can be bad for things like that especially for new mums as it does make you paranoid... You have to remember that every baby is different and will do things in their own time. A little bit of tummy time is good every day for a little while, for their strength. It is normal that they cry after a little while. Honestly just enjoy the peace and quiet whilst you can! lol, you can have my 20 month old for a day if you like and I am sure you will be glad to hand him back hahaha! :-)

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JoyceB11624

1236

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 12 September 2012 - 19:35

Don't fret your newborn's wee life away. He shoud be eating, sleeping and dirtying his nappies. He'll develop in his own good time so just enjoy him :)

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Meow64394

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 12 September 2012 - 19:17

Thank you for your reply! When I look at things like this http://www.babycenter.com/0_sample-baby-schedules-for-1-and-2-month-olds_3657227.bc?page=4#articlesection6 I worry because although DS is 4 weeks not 7 weeks he cannot do any of those things and we dont really have 'cuddle' or 'play' time. I put him on his tummy for tummy time and hes ok at first then cries so I put him back into his swing lol Some of these developmental sites just make a parent paranoid.

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camandcarly

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 12 September 2012 - 19:01

That is all they do at that age... Eat, sleep, and poop. Babies don't really do much until around 4 months. When its your first baby I know what its like as you cant wait for your baby to start doing things, but be glad of the rest as the older they get the more active they get and you wish you had 5 mins to yourself lol. I have a 20 month old and a 2 month old. My 2 month old has just started smiling and laughing when I tickle him, but other than that he just eats, sleeps and poops....

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