Newborns (Birth to 6 Months)
Newborns love the security of being held and the comfort of soft, soothing voices. Newborns also enjoy simple rhythms and being rocked or bounced on a knee.
Developmental Milestones
During this time, your baby will learn to:
- Stare at things that are nearby.
- Imitate movements and watch facial expressions; Smile.
- Babble and make various sounds.
- Hold his/her head up, roll over and eventually sit up.
How You Can Help
Here are some things you can do to help your newborn develop early literacy skills:
- Prop books near your baby for him or her to look at.
- Make silly faces, but maintain a pleasant expression.
- Point to objects and pictures and name them.
- Talk to your baby often, explain what you are doing.
- Listen to your baby babble; smile, talk and babble back.
- Rock your baby to sleep, sing lullabies.
- Sing songs and recite nursery rhymes to your baby.
- Books with bold, bright pictures are good choices, as are books with different textures to feel.
- Cloth and soft vinyl books are fun to play with in the bath.
- Books with hard cardboard covers and pages that the baby cannot tear are good for other times.