Baby Einstein Blog

Your child is growing fast. Then he was just an infant being bottle-fed, now he’s beginning to be independent and competent, exploring things around him and about him. He reaches age 3, then becomes five, already studying in preschool. Your child is growing in a lot of ways. There are different domains involved with the growth of your child, from physical to social, emotional to intellectual that would provide changes and challenges to your child.

With regard to physical development, gross motor skills start to develop and become apparent such as jumping, running, and moving around with the whole body. Allow your child to have opportunities to develop more his gross motor skills by teaching dancing, skating, swimming or leading your child to a sport of his interest. Allow him to actively participate and not treat the program as competition. Also fine motor skills are advancing as your child learn to use eating utensils independently, dress himself, use paintbrush, hold a pencil or work with puzzles. 

Concerning social development, your preschooler takes pleasure in playing with other children. They rely on you to assist their interaction. Encourage your child to take turns and share, and instill in him such concepts. Always praise your child whenever he successfully takes turns and shares. Allow your child to have pretend plays to reinforce your preschooler’s verbal and creative skills. Call your child’s friends to play in your house.

For emotional aspect of your child’s growth, strong feelings start to emerge and as a parent, learn to deal with such strong feelings in proper ways. Allow your child to tell when he’s angry or frustrated, but again and again mold and promote appropriate behavior by your reactions.

Your child’s intellectual capacities are enhanced as they are offered a broad assortment of rich, personal sensory experiences. Engage your child to different activities which can stimulate his intellectual abilities like planting seeds, painting, or collecting things. Discuss what you are doing and seeing in such activities. Allow him to gaze at books, pay attention to stories, or sing songs.

Of course, the spiritual aspect of your child’s growth is important as well. Work together with your child’s teachers to be certain that he is having developmentally suitable experiences at church and school.

We have discovered how your child starts to explore his environment during his first and second year. Next is 24 mos. to 36 mos. when the child becomes a self-reliant, capable tot.

When your child has difficulty knowing when to stop, he can be having a great time with the activity he’s doing. Teach self-control to your kid by establishing clear rules and being consistent to such rules. When you say toys should be played in the room only, then stick to your rule. Remind your child when he seems to forget, and give praises when he’s able to follow the rules.

When he hits, pushes, or bites another child, he may be mad, irritated, or even overexcited. Help the child by stepping in before things get out of control. Recognize his feelings but be clear with what are the acceptable behaviors. It is all right to be angry, but it’s not all right to hurt others. 

When the child plays pretend games with playthings such as stuffed toys or made-up toys like telephones or cars, he might be imitating the things you do as a grown-up like talking on the phone, and others. Support his pretend play by playing with him, following his lead and not taking over.

When he has trouble sharing or taking turns, allow him to have an older child try to work things out for himself before stepping in to help. Act as his sharing teacher. Help him in taking turns, waiting and sharing.

When your child tells you when his diaper is wet or makes his way to the potty, he’s already aware what’s happening to his body and identifies the use of the potty. Aid your child in his potty training and try to make potty activities positive for the child.

When he gets frustrated trying to express himself, he may be having a hard time figuring out how to say what he means. Be patient with your child. Recognize his frustration and help him express in words by offering words he may be trying to say.

We just finished talking about the things your baby can do from birth to 12 months. Next part is from 12 to 24 mos. when your infant becomes a little voyager!
When your child protests at bedtime, there are countless thrilling things going on, and he may want to be with you and stay a little longer. Tell him the time for bed. Give a sequence for bedtime, like after dinner he will take a bath, and then sleep time. Before sleeping he may be read book, or mommy may tell a story or sing for baby first. 

When he clings or cries when you are leaving, he may be saying that you make him feel safe and he’s anxious when you’re not around. Think about the feeling of your child and prepare him for it, by playing games like peekaboo and reassuring him that you will always come back when you say goodbye.

When he uses a spoon, drinks from a cup, and does other things using his fine motor skills, he’s learning to use his hands and do things for himself. Try to provide materials to your child like small toys which he can manipulate with his fingers, providing a room for practice.

When he responds to music by dancing and moving, he’s developing his gross motor skills. Dance and move with him, allow him to listen to different kinds of music and discover what he prefers best.

When he points to something and then looks at you to share his discovery, he’s developing his sensory skills as he would desire to hold and touch that thing. Allow your child to do so, when the object is safe.

When he says “No!” and begins defying rules and pushing limits, he wants to have independence and develop his own ideas. Encourage independence but with limited choices like asking him if he wants to wear the green or the yellow shirt, instead of asking him what shirt he wants to wear. Begin setting up coherent restrictions.