baby development milestones

Your newborn baby is a curled-up bundle; in a position we call physiological flexion. It is the shape your baby has been tightly cuddled into by the walls of the uterus. The very first motor milestone of infancy is to uncurl and develop the extensor or back muscles. As you hold your baby to your shoulders and she lifts and bobs her heavy head on a weak and unsteady neck, she works these muscles. However, there is a better, more effective way to strengthen the back muscles – tummy time. Cape Town-based physiotherapist Kirsten Williams confirms, "tummy time is essential to strengthen the babies' neck and back extension muscles. This extension is needed to keep your little one's head and body upright...

Before your baby even starts on solids, you will find that she loves putting things to her mouth - usually toys and her fingers. As soon as she starts with weaning, she will probably be interested to self-feed and put food in her mouth. This stage of feeding can provoke intense anxiety as you worry about her choking. Firstly, it is important to know the difference between gagging and choking. Gagging is a reflex that is stimulated when something new or lumpy or too big touches our soft palate. In little ones the gag reflex is quite sensitive as a protective mechanism. However, gagging in and of itself is not dangerous. So, when your baby gags, you should ignore it and continue with the feeding...