How can I make sure that my baby gets enough stimulation? Can she have too much stimulation?
Doctor Richard Woolfson's Answer:
Your baby gets stimulation in two ways. First, her natural curiosity means that she seeks this out for herself – that’s why she constantly explores her surroundings through touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. She is a just like a scientist, with an inner need to learn about the world around her, and so she seeks out stimulation wherever possible. Second, you provide stimulation for her through interacting with her, talking to her, and playing with her – everything you do with your baby, from shaking a rattle in front of her to changing her nappy, excites her. As long as she is alert (not bored and apathetic), curious about her surroundings (not passive and uninterested), you can be reasonably sure she gets enough stimulation from you during the day.
Of course, it is possible to over-stimulate a baby to such an extent that she becomes unsettled, agitated and unable to relax. If you think it has all been a bit too much for her, calm her down by reading a children’s story to her, in a soft, slow manner. This will help your baby regain her balance. The next day, reduce the amount of activities you provide for her until you reach a level of stimulation that suits her individual needs.
My baby has just learnt to sit up - what toys will help him learn to crawl?
Doctor Richard Woolfson's Answer:
Give him time! You baby will learn to crawl when his body and mind is ready for it - you can't make him crawl when he is not at that stage. Having said that, however, there is no harm in giving him some encouragement! For instance, you can lie him face down on a play mat and put his favourite toy just out his reach. Watch him try to move his body towards the toy - he tries hard, but can't quite do it yet. In the coming months you'll see his crawling skills improve.
At this stage, your priority should be to develop your baby's balance skills so that he can sit up and play with toys around him, without toppling over. This will build up his confidence, making him more adventurous and more likely to try out new experiences. Give him toys that make a noise when shaken (for instance, a rattle) or that require concentration (for instance, stacking cups) - the less he thinks about sitting up on his own, the more stable he becomes. Within a few months, he'll probably start to crawl spontaneously.
What games can I play with my 10 month old?
Doctor Richard Woolfson's Answer:
Start with peek-a-boo, though do this gently in case he gets a fright when you hide and then re-appear. You can also play "Round and the round the garden", stroking his hand with your finger, ending by tickling him under the arm. Sing "row, row, row the boat", and show him how you rock back and forwards in time to the song. He will also like action rhymes like "Twinkle, twinkle, little star". Hold a mirror up to your infant's face; he will probably smile at his own reflection, and he might even reach out to try to touch what he sees in the mirror. After seeing you crumple a piece of paper, give him his own piece to play with; you'll see him take great delight in crumpling it too. Show him how to put one wooden block on top of another and stand back as he tries hard to play this building game.
When is the best age to introduce my baby to books?
Doctor Woolfson's Answer:
You can start this almost straight away, for instance, you can let your baby see you hold a book in your hands while you read him a story, and you can have very simple picture books in his room. However, as soon he is old enough to sit upright with support, you can began to show him the inside of picture books (those with one image to a page). Talk enthusiastically about the picture on the page, point to it and try to draw his attention to it. While he is still looking, let him see you turn the page. If he tries to reach for the page or the whole book, let him.
Certainly by the age of 3 or 4 months, looking at basic books like this should be part of his daily activities. As your baby continues to develop during this first year, make sure he has a range of books to look at, although he probably enjoys going through his favourite one again and again. Your aim at this stage is simply to initiate his enthusiasm for books and reading, so don’t overdo it! You just want him to understand that books are special, interesting and fun. A few minutes play with books each day is ample at this stage.
I have taken my baby to soft play centre and she loved it but it’s so expensive. How can I re-create it at home?
Doctor Woolfson's Answer:
While I completely understand your enthusiasm for soft play, consider the possibility that you don’t need to re-create this at room. Perhaps it would be better to keep an outing to the soft play centre as a special treat – you might find that she would get bored with this form of play if she had access to it all the time at home. That way she’ll have the best of both worlds.
However, if you feel strongly you would like to provide this for her in your house, then consider ways of recreating the experience without having to go to too much expense. For instance, you could set out cushions from the sofa on to the floor and let your baby crawl around, or you could buy a soft play mat that she could explore while it is spread out flat on the ground. Whatever way you arrange for your baby to have soft play at home, remember that you will need to supervise her closely to ensure she doesn’t fall off on to a hard surface.
Bear in mind that while she enjoys a trip to the soft play centre, she also enjoys – and benefits from – a range of other types of play too, such as discovery play, language play and manipulative play. Try to involve her in all sorts of play (including soft play if you want) each day, so that she doesn’t focus on one activity to the exclusion of others.
What makes my child right or left handed?
Doctor Woolfson's Answer:
Hand preference is not present at birth. When a young baby starts to explore the world with her hands, she shows no preference for one over the other and is able to use them with equal competence. It is only towards the end of the end of the second year that toddlers begin to show a preference for using one hand instead of the other, but you may find even at this age your child uses one hand for months at a time then switches comfortably to the other. Hand dominance, however, is nearly always firmly established by the age of three or four years, although there are a few children who remain ambidextrous (able to use both hands competently) throughout their life.
Psychologists are unable to say where hand preference comes from – some claim it is innate while others claim it is learned. If parents are concerned about their infant’s possible left-handedness, they can gently encourage her - up to the age of 12 or 15 months only - to use her right hand. But that does not mean pressurising her into using her right hand all the time. Rather it means providing opportunities for their infant to use her right hand, for example by handing things to her right side. After that age, the choice of hand should definitely be left with the infant.
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