Most babies will learn to crawl by six to ten months, but some can take as long as a year. Some of the signs that the baby is about to go mobile are, if they are on their hands and knees, rocking back and forth, and diving forward. There are some things that you can do the help the baby get on her way.
Show the baby how to crawl your self. Since the baby has never actually seen what to do, don’t you think that it would be invaluable to her if she saw how to do it.
Many babies dive forward when they are ready, this is because they don’t really know to push with their legs, and you can help them by putting your hands behind their feet, so they have something to push off of.
Stuff some toilet paper rolls with socks, and place them under the baby. When the baby starts her rocking, she will roll forward.
Help her out by protecting her legs and knees from carpet burn by cutting up some old socks and turning them into leg warmers, or you can go buy some things called baby legs. Seeing a baby crawl is so exciting.
It is that time of year again. If you child is already 5 or will be turning 5 on or before Oct. 1 (date depends on your state then it is time to start thinking about registering your child for kindergarten. However this is also the time that many parents begin worrying about whether or not their child is ready for kindergarten.
First, it is important to note that entry to kindergarten is based primarily on age. In most U.S. states that simply means that if your child is or will be 5 years old on or before Oct. 1 (date may vary in some states) then your child must start kindergarten that school year.
The good news is that most primary programs are designed to take children with a variety of social, emotional, and academic needs and work with them based on their strengths.
However we also know that children who start kindergarten with a good grounding in six skill areas have a head start and a higher success rate than children lacking these basic skills.
The skills that ease transition into kindergarten and help lead to a successful kindergarten year fall into these basic areas: cognitive skills, listening and sequencing, language skills, fine motor skills, social emotional skills, and gross motor skills.
Cognitive skills that will help your child be better prepared for kindergarten include the usual suspects such as knowing the alphabet, primary colors, shapes and being able to count to 10.
You should also work with your child to make sure she knows her phone number, address, birthday, and age.
Some emergent literacy skills also include being able to identify his own name in writing, writing his own name, answering questions about a story, understanding that words are read from left to right, knowledge of some nursery rhymes, recognizing written numbers, and vocabulary.
Listening and sequencing are also important skills and this includes the ability to follow simple directions, paying attention, retelling a simple story in sequence, repeating a sequence of sounds, and repeating a sequence of numbers.
In addition to the emergent literacy skills connected with cognitive skills, there are also language skills connected to relationships such as big and little, short and tall, more and less, up and down, top and bottom, in and out, over and under, front and back, and slow and fast.
While we often associate school simply with cognitive skills, it is important that children also have fine and gross motor skills as well as social emotional skills.
Fine motor skills include being able to tie shoes, hold crayons with fingers, copy a straight line, copy a vertical line, copy a circle, hold and use scissors correctly, cut on a line, button buttons, work a simple puzzle (six pieces), and zip clothing.
Gross motor skills include hopping, jumping, walking a straight line, skipping, galloping, throwing a ball or bean bag, catching, clapping hands, and kicking a rolling ball.
Social emotional skills include sharing with others, getting along with others, maintaining self control, verbal self expression, and the ability to take care of toilet needs independently.
If your child has all these skills mastered then they are well on the road to success in kindergarten. Don’t worry if your child has not yet achieved success with all these skills. You can continue to work on the skills right up until the start of school and certainly after school has started you can team with your child’s teacher.
Deanna Mascle writes articles to help you prepare your child for school and life. Learn more about Preschoolers Learn More at http://PreschoolersLearnMore.com
I recall how wonderful the baby swing in particular, was for moments of peace and quiet as well as much needed arm rest. A recent article (http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/parenting/02/23/baby.swings.dogs.ap/index.html) addresses valid concerns about dogs and mechanical swings. It is important to keep in mind that all dogs react differently and supervision is a must all the time!
I have seen first hand a variety of reactions to baby equipment by different dogs. Some dogs become desperate to chase and catch the moving swing while others seem to find it soothing. A human moving in the air is not normal to dogs and can be quite confusing even though the swing is grounded. It is important to know your dog’s reaction to different situations and stimuli. Here are some things to take into consideration:
1. Does your dog love to chase ANYTHING and everything?
2. Is your dog reactive to sudden motion?
3. Does he startle easily?
4. Is your dog sensitive to noise? If so, loud, soft or sudden? High or low pitch?
Adults in charge of supervising a baby must never allow the dog to remain in the room alone with a baby for even a second! This is a consistent key factor in most reports of attacks with newborns and dogs. This point must not be taken lightly. If the adult is not there for the dog to defer to and the baby makes noises the dog may be the first to respond and possibly tend to the baby. This is very dangerous as dogs communicate and relate very differently then we do as humans. What can caretakers and parents do to prevent such incidents?
It is best to introduce baby swings and all baby equipment to the family dog prior to the arrival of the baby. Baby swings have all sorts of gadgets these days! They vibrate, make music and even rotate. It is important to know your dog’s individual sensitivities and prepare him well ahead of time. Some points to consider with baby swings:
1. Once in motion some dogs find the natural desire to chase hard to control around baby swings.
2. The noise of a vibration device in the swing can have an irritating humming noise for some dogs.
3. Spinning objects that are meant to be visually stimulating to an infant may be enticing to a dog to catch.
4. Noises of the music may be irritating to some dogs’ sensitive ears.
It is important that family dogs learn how to behave calmly around all baby equipment prior to its use with an infant. Practice before your baby is home with a doll in the swing. Some dolls make noises and blink eyes etc. It sounds silly but it does help you role play and visualize the real situation. This allows a time for your dog to safely explore as you teach him how you want him to behave. Reward positive and appropriate behavior. Make this a positive experience. Ignore unwanted behavior and teach desired behavior. You do not want the first time your dog sees this new equipment to be when you REALLY are hoping the baby will go to sleep! Many dogs learn that the swing is just part of the new furniture and ignore it. This is ideal but still does not mean that it is safe to leave the room when a real infant is resting in the swing. Refreshing and practicing obedience now goes a long way towards a smoother transition once baby arrives.
Have a plan for the situations such as the phone ringing. Here are some ideas.
1. Close the door to where the baby is.
2. Take dog with you.
3. Put a leash on your dog in the house to keep him near by or to use as a tether to furniture to safely secure him.
4. Use a baby gate that you must physically lock in place to gate off area when the baby is. (Not for those that like the high jump!)
5. Offer your dog some great outdoor activity in a secured area.
As always it is NEVER safe to leave a baby and dog unsupervised for any reason at any time.
Most of all ENJOY YOUR BABY!
Jennifer Shryock B.A. MPH, CDBC
Certified Dog Behavior Consultant
919.961.1608
Creator of Dogs & Storks programs
U.S. Rep for http://www.doggonesafe.com
For more information visit http://www.familypaws.com and
