BABY WEEK 7
Reaching out
Your baby's hands should be mostly open now, ready to reach out to the world. In the early days of your baby's life, grabbing was mostly automatic and instinctual and she couldn't let go if she wanted to. Although she can't really grab objects just yet, she can hold things placed in her hands. And, once she wraps her hands around something, she might not let go so easily. She'll also begin to try and bat at objects, so keep potentially dangerous objects far from your little one's reach. This means not holding hot liquids or sharp objects while you're holding her.
Learning begins now
You may notice short periods of time when your newborn is quiet and alert. This is prime time for learning: Your baby's brain will grow about 5 centimeters during her first three months, use these calm intervals to get better acquainted with your baby, talk to her, sing to her, and describe the pictures on the walls. She may not be able to add to your conversation just yet, but she's learning nonetheless. New textures for her hands to feel and new sights and sounds are all learning opportunities. Even bath time becomes a laboratory for understanding life.
Eyes can track objects
With both eyes now able to follow things consistently and well, your baby can track a moving object much better, something she may have been able to do for only brief periods since birth. You can also play eyes-to-eyes by moving very close to her face and slowly nodding your head from side to side. Often her eyes will lock onto yours.
Predict Your Baby Height
Gazing into your newborn’s eyes, it’s tough to imagine that tiny face will one day be about as big as yours and while it’s impossible to know what he’ll look like when he grows up, there is one thing you might be able to predict with some degree of certainty while he’s still a relatively little guy: his height.
As you might guess, heredity has a lot to do with it. If you and your mate are tall, chances are you’ve got a kid who’ll one day need extra-long pants too. But genetics make up only about three-quarters of the result. Your child’s final height is also determined by nutrition, exercise and medical conditions such as growth-hormone deficiency.
Why Predict Height?
It’s not just a fun tidbit of information. Once you and your doctor know your child’s estimated adult height, you won't worry so much about the growth spurts and plateaus of childhood and adolescence. And if your child is consistently shorter than the trend for his predicted adult height, your doctor can explore whether an undiagnosed illness or nutritional deficit is to blame.
