helping your baby learn

Helping Your Baby Learn

May 15, 2024 Infant

Did you know your baby’s ability to learn starts even before they’re born? This is why taking care of yourself and avoiding drugs, alcohol, and smoking during pregnancy is so important. What your baby experiences before birth can affect how they grow and learn later. Helping your baby learn starts before they are born and continues their whole lives. The following are a few ideas to help you lead your little learner!

Helping Your Baby Learn
Crying = Communicating
baby crying

Sometimes it seems like all babies do is eat, sleep, poop, and CRY! But they’re actually learning about themselves and the world around them all the time. Babies can’t use words yet, so they use what they can, which is their cry. This is how they tell you they need something. Pay attention to your baby’s different behaviors and respond when (or before) they cry. Your baby learns to trust you and feels safe when you respond to crying.

Super Senses

Simple things like smiling, making different faces, talking, and singing all help babies learn. Help your baby safely explore all five senses during playtime and everyday activities like bath time and mealtime – seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and touching. When your baby starts trying different foods, let them explore by touching, tasting, and smelling.

Super Senses
Play Time
play time
Playtime is so important to help babies learn. Try placing your baby in different positions like on their tummy, lying on their back, sitting, kneeling, and standing. Each position helps your baby learn in different ways with toys and new things to see. No need for fancy toys – just create a safe and fun learning space on the floor with simple toys or household items like bowls and spoons. Sit on the floor with your baby and play by dropping things into a bowl or stacking objects on top of each other. These are basic skills that help babies learn and set the stage for learning more later.
Talk Talk Talk

Throughout the day, talk to your baby about what you’re doing. Even though you might feel like you’re just talking to yourself, you’re actually teaching them a lot! Your baby can listen, learn language, and discover things about their surroundings just from hearing you speak. Just remember, they’re always listening, so choose your words wisely!

talk with baby
Get Out & About
girl smiling

A cold glass of lemonade, punch or soda on a hot day may sound good, but it’s important to remember these drinks can have a ton of added sugar and little real juice. Research shows children who regularly consume sugar-sweetened beverages are at risk of gaining more weight than is right for their bodies.

Keep sugar-sweetened beverages as an occasional treat, like for parties and special dinners out: not something your child drinks daily.

Lifeskills

As your child grows, keep adding new activities like reading books, listening to music, doing arts and crafts, exploring nature, and learning about animals. Teach them important life skills like manners, how to behave in public, staying safe, and taking care of themselves.

child growing

Remember, babies and kids are always learning, so keep teaching and guiding them as they explore their world and grow!

Feeding a 6-7 Month Old

Feed solids with a spoon and from a bowl, never from a bottle.

Feeding a 10-12 Month Old

Breast milk is the most important source of nutrition for your baby, even after you start offering solid foods.

Feeding a 8-9 Month Old

Feed solids with a spoon. Never put cereal in a bottle.

Tips

Mom new born home

Breast milk and formula feeding:

Around 2-3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months of age, babies may experience a growth spurt when they feed more often.

As they grow babies can hold more milk, so feedings may become further apart and take less time.

To prevent choking, always hold your baby when feeding. Never prop up a bottle to feed.

Start offering whole milk when your baby is one year old.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months and beyond.

feeding solid foods

Feeding solid foods:

Wait to offer solid foods until your baby:

  • Can sit up and hold up their own head.
  • Opens their mouth when they see food.
  • Can close their lips around a spoon.

To prevent choking, always hold your baby when feeding. Never prop up a bottle to feed.

Try one new food at a time. Wait 5 days before trying another new food to watch for allergies. Food allergies may include wheezing, rash, or diarrhea.

Introduce peanut butter around 6 months. Spread a small, thin smear of peanut butter or nut butter thinly on a cracker.  Watch your baby for any reaction for the next 2 hours.

Babies under one year should NOT have honey due to the risk of botulism. Also, babies should not have foods that can cause choking like nuts or whole grapes.

All babies are different. Talk with WIC or your baby’s healthcare provider about your baby’s needs.

Feeding Cues

Feeding a 4-5 Month Old

Before teeth come in, wipe gums with a soft, clean wash cloth after each feeding, especially before bed.

Feeding a 0-3 Month Old

Newborns have tiny tummies and need to be fed often. In the first few weeks, you may need to wake your baby to feed if they sleep longer than 4 hours.

Growth Spurts

Many babies are fussy during a growth spurt and will want to nurse longer and more often. This is called cluster feeding. This is your baby’s way of helping you increase your milk supply so that you can keep up with their needs. Remember, the more your baby nurses, the more milk your body makes.

Growth spurts can happen at any time, and every baby is different.

They often happen at these ages:

two-three-weeks

2 to 3 Weeks

6 Weeks

three-months

3 Months

six-months

6 Months

What foods can I get?

Authorized Food List
Authorized Food List

Where can I shop?