How to Prepare for Each Stage of Baby Development
Early childhood is a time of immense physical and emotional growth for your child. They go from being immobile to walking, talking and potty training in the span of just a few years! Here's what you can expect as your baby evolves into an active toddler:
Newborn to 4 months
Your baby's first month is typically spent getting to know their surroundings and developing a sense of trust with their parents. You can help them learn by holding them for most of the day, responding to them immediately when they cry or make noise and keeping your voice at a soothing level as often as possible.
4 months to 2 years
This is a time of immense physical development for your baby. They'll be spending more and more time on their hands and knees, crawling all over the place while making random vowel sounds at their toys.
Babies this age love repetition, so if you read them a book or sing them a song every day, they'll grow familiar with it's contents and be excited to see you walking up the stairs with that stuffed giraffe. Don't be surprised if your baby starts acting out what they've seen on TV or in real life, though.
2 years to 4 years
During this period of cognitive development , your toddler is beginning to form stronger memories of people, places and objects. They'll require constant attention during this time because they're curious about their surroundings. This means watching their favorite movie for the 50th time is likely to be met with enthusiasm.
As your child begins to understand language more, they'll be able to express their emotions through words or by pointing at what makes them feel a certain way.
4 years to 6 years
Your little one's imagination will really start developing in these years as they grow in verbal and social skills. They'll be able to use more complex sentences and participate in simple conversations. They may also start using prepositions, playing with words and have a greater capacity for describing their feelings.
As your baby/child continues to grow and develop, it is important to make sure that you have the proper tools and supplies to keep them healthy and happy. Some of these supplies include car seats, cribs, high chairs and strollers. One great thing to keep on hand as your baby grows is the Baby Merlin sleep system, including the SleepSuit and DreamSack. Our Magic Sleep System helps your little one get the rest they need during these most important early years
Also in Our Blog
What’s the Difference Between a Swaddle and a Sleepsack
Five Questions about Early Morning Wakeups for Baby
The team at NAPS helps you tackle the issue of early wakeups. *BONUS* NAPS is hosting a webinar on February 24th. Register here and use the extra-special code MAGICMERLIN and you can join the webinar FREE of charge!
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The sound of cheery calls of “MAAAAMAAAAA” from the next room may be lovely at 7am. At 4am, or 5 am, not so much. Your baby may be up and ready to start the day, but you probably aren’t.
Answering the questions below may help you get there.
- Is your nap schedule mucking up your baby’s overnight sleep?
This might seem like an obvious question, but your baby’s sleep needs will change fast in the first few years of their lives. A quick look at the average nap number and duration might give you an idea:
- For babies from 3-6 months old, it’s normal to take 3-4 hour-long naps per day.
- For babies 6-15 months old, expect 2 naps with 3-3.5 hours of total sleep.
- For one and two-year-olds, you should expect a single 2-hour nap.
Part of the reason you might be seeing earlier wakeups is that your baby has graduated from one nap cycle to the next.
- Does your baby have enough time between their last nap and their bedtime?
We call this an “awake window,” and it can make a big difference. It might seem strange that your baby went to bed fine the night before, and you’re seeing a response to nap scheduling in the pre-dawn hours, but if your kiddo’s sleep is disrupted at night, it will impact the morning.
- 3-6 months, at least 1.5-2 hours between final nap wakeup and bedtime.
- 6-12 months, at least 2.5-3.5 hours between final nap wakeup and bed.
- 12-18+ months, 3.5-4.5 hours between final nap wakeup and bed.
- Is the room staying dark after the sun comes up?
Black 0ut curtains can make a big difference here. Remember that our brains signal wakeup when the light changes. So if dawn is at 430am, and even a little bit of light comes into your baby’s room, their little brains will PING with wake up juice.
- Is your baby going to sleep too early or too late?
It might seem counter-intuitive, but a late bedtime can actually backfire on you. Overtired kids don’t sleep as well. If you made their bedtime later and it didn’t fix the problem, try an earlier bedtime and see if that helps. You might be surprised.
- How do you make it better?
Try to make one change at a time; just one. Stick with that change for 3-5 days to see if it impacts things. (One night is usually not enough to see substantial change.) Be as consistent as you can with the change you made. For instance, if you decide to increase the space between bedtime and final nap wakeup, make sure to stick to the wakeup time you planned.
If your baby is waking up and chirping happily to themselves, feel free to leave them there for a little while. Let them get used to being alone in the crib. If you can, try to delay the start of the day by 5-10 minutes each day. This can make a big impact.
Everything else aside, remember that this is a short time in your kid’s life; as they get older, their sleep will become more regular, and so will yours. Don’t let yourself get too discouraged. Things are hard now, and you’re doing a great job.
