If your little one has not started to drool, he or she will probably do so soon. Your baby's salivary glands have been working since he or she was in the womb, but now everything goes into the mouth and your baby is probably producing more saliva than he or she can swallow. It's time to break out the bibs! These are not the larger bibs you use when your little one starts to eat, but the smaller, more comfortable ones, that even might have come with an outfit or in a layette set you received. Many of you may choose to permanently attach a bib in order to keep your son or daughter's outfit dry and reduce your laundry burden, but remember to take the bib off while your little one is sleeping. Strangulation by bib is not really common, but it is not unheard of either.
And here's a little bit of information that you probably didn't know-your baby's drool coats toys and any other thing that goes into his or her mouth with disease-preventing proteins. That's a good thing, as everything ends up in children's mouths right up through toddlerhood. It is also being discovered that our children's natural immunities are being compromised by our obsession with making sure that everything is 'hospital clean and sanitized' when it comes to our babies. Common sense is the rule here. No, you don't want your child gumming the handle on the shopping cart unless it has been well disinfected (Yuck!), but disinfecting the pacifier or toys every time they hit the ground at home is not a necessity. A quick rinse if it has dust or pet hair on it should be sufficient, and that is not absolutely necessary either. Every place you take your child may not be as clean as your house, and by 'hospitalizing' his or her immediate environment, you may be making him or her much more susceptible to the most common germs and illnesses. It is okay to be protective of your children, but experts are warning that over-protection can actually put your little one at risk for serious illnesses and more often for common illnesses and excessive allergies. Relax! You will drive yourself to distraction worrying about everything that goes in your little one's mouth and you'll end up running to the doctor's office much more frequently. DO, however, pay attention to small items. These can be a choking hazard and should not be within your infant's reach. The rule of thumb is that if it will fit through a toilet paper roll, your baby can possible swallow it and get it lodged in the wind pipe. You certainly don't want that to happen.
Your son or daughter is most likely sleeping for longer periods of time too. Breast fed babies may be going from eating every 2-3 hours to waiting 4-5 hours between meals, while bottle fed babies may be going as long as 6 hours, especially at night (well, hopefully at night). Most babies will have two to four longer sleeping periods with longer awake and alert periods in between. It is also interesting to note that sleep patterns tend to stay the same through childhood. A light sleeper will remain a light sleeper, while an early morning riser is liable to stay that way. If your little one is a long sleeper or prefers shorter power naps, that tendency may remain the same, sometimes until reaching puberty. You can adjust the daytime/nighttime schedule a bit by keeping your baby up for more hours during the day so that all of you can get more rest at night, but that is liable to mean you'll be dealing with a really cranky baby come early evening...and in some cases this doesn't work at all, because some babies can sleep through anything. Again, it is trial and error to find what works best for your family and at this point your little one is pretty much in charge of the schedule.
Your baby is learning to rock! At this age most babies are starting to roll from their back to one side or another and back again. It will take another month or so for the full roll-over motion as stronger development of the neck and arm muscles are needed to accomplish that feat, but it does mean that you can no longer leave your little one unattended on an elevated surface. If in an infant seat, securely strapped in, this is still okay, but at this point you need to be aware that he or she can move and topple off of surfaces like the bed, a sofa or the changing table. Some babies are so wiggly you'll have to keep one hand on their tummy as you change diapers and before you know it you'll be chasing your son or daughter to get a diaper back on after bath time as he or she learns to roll and then to crawl and finally to walk!
Along with being a proud father, Joseph enjoys writing and gardening. One of his favorite web sites is Garden Harvest Supply which offers perennial mums and mulch mats.
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