by Atomic Mommy Editors
This post contains affiliate links. For more information on how affiliate links, please visit my affiliate link policy page HERE.
As your baby grows and develops, it may worry you if you aren’t sure what to look out for in terms of milestones. However, there are ways to tell. Here are a few signs that your baby is developing healthily.
Frequent Diaper Changes Along With Weight Gain
This shows that your baby is getting enough milk, especially if you’re breastfeeding, since diapers prove they get what they need from their feedings. Your main objective is to ensure that your baby has enough weight gain, which can help with their development.
If you find they are underweight, you can get in touch with your baby’s doctor. The pediatrician will be able to direct you and give you helpful advice on what a good weight is considered to be for your baby.
Attracted To Colors, Patterns, and Sounds
An attraction to colors, patterns, and sounds can be a great indicator of your baby’s sight, ears, and brain development. This is because babies can only see a short space in front of them, and once they can notice colors and patterns, they will show interest in them. This is the same for their ears, especially when they begin to recognize your voice and different sounds.
Making Eye Contact and Smiling at People
This is a sign that your baby is becoming social and interacting with others. They are able to recognize people around them and become someone who will learn how to interact with their surroundings.
Sleeps Regularly
When your baby sleeps well, you can give them all the love and attention they need to grow healthy. They might even be able to help you sleep better. Babies need to sleep because it helps regulate their internal clock that is made up of three different parts – the pacemaker, the internal body clock, and the brain’s sleep regulator (a part of the brain called the hypothalamus).
When babies don’t get enough sleep, they may become irritable, cranky, and grumpy. If your baby has trouble sleeping, it could be for several reasons, from over-stimulation to gas. In some cases, it may be their sleeping environment causing those sleepless nights.
If that is the case, then perhaps a change in environment or sleeping conditions can improve the sleep your baby is receiving. You can try adding a sound machine or changing the baby mattress to a cot (see these cots at Cuckooland) to see if it would help to improve your baby’s sleep routine.
Able to Support Their Own Body Weight
A baby’s ability to support their own body means that their muscles are developing and becoming a bit stronger every day. For example, as your baby grows, they gain the ability to lift their head. By three months, they can raise their head and look around regularly.
They can move their arms around, kick their lefts, and shift their body. After some time, they will be able to gain coordination of their body, which means rolling over onto their stomach. From there, it’s just a stone’s throw away from sitting up and crawling around.
The Takeaway
These are just a few signs that will show that your baby is healthily developing. While each baby’s developmental milestones can be different, it is important to remember that there is a standard guideline that doctors use to identify when a baby has not reached those milestones. The most important piece of information I can give you as a fellow mom, is that babies do develop and grow in different ways. So, if your baby doesn’t hit some of these milestones or doesn’t perform these actions in the way you expect them to or at the time they’re “supposed to”, it doesn’t mean they aren’t healthy.
If you are worried about your baby’s development, get in touch with your pediatrician right away. Ask as many questions as you wish. They are there to help.