From the mument of birth your baby is learning. In the first four weeks, baby makes huge leaps in mental development. Alert for just three percent of daylight hours during the first week after birth, baby remains aware for ten percent of the day by the end of the first month.
At first, baby has a very short memory. Reintroduce an object within two and a half seconds and he knows that he's seen it before. Any longer than that and the item is perceived as a totally new curiosity.
But your baby is learning. She's starting to distinguish people from objects and a nipple from the surrounding breast or bottle. One study shows that babies only a week old react fussily if their feeding schedule is lengthened from three to four hours because they expect to have already been fed again, while babies used to four-hour intervals don't squirm at all.
After a bit of experience in the world your relentless researcher will begin to realise that actions have a surprising effect on surrounding objects. For example, one morning baby will happen to kick off the blanket and will think, “Did I do that? Yes, I did that!” Soon it becomes a game. Watch carefully and you’re sure to see baby gleefully trying out new and different ways of changing and testing the environment.
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Our parenting advice is given as suggestions only. We recommend you also consult your healthcare provider, and urge you to contact them immediately if your question is urgent or about a medical condition.
