Now is when your baby will show signs of trying to move around on her own and probably will also spend a lot of time smiling and chatting with anyone who gives her attention. Your baby is also beginning to associate the sounds she makes such as “da” and “ma” with you and your partner because of the way you respond to her. At this age, you will see lots of changes in your baby as she grows and develops under your loving care.
All of this time, you were the one doing everything for your baby. Now, however, she is starting to show signs of becoming independent. She is going to be developing and learning very fast, and as her parent, it is up to you to help and encourage her along the way. At the age of 25 weeks old, your baby’s brain is starting to develop more to recognise more things. She is going to show you signs that she is ready to move on to more solid food and will even be able to roll herself over. Teething can be a huge problem at this age, and if your baby is crying a lot, drooling or has a low fever and swollen gums, this is probably why.
Each and every month brings a new change in your baby as she steadily grows, observes and learns about the world around her. Here are some of the milestones she is going to reach in this month.
Feeding your baby some sort of cereal a few times a day as well as her usual feeding of breast milk or formula is probably what you have been doing all this time; however, it is now time to start weaning her onto more solid food. Your baby will prefer sweet flavours and so start feeding your baby simple and mild tasting vegetables such as avocados, sweet potatoes or carrots. Some mothers prefer to start with the slightly more bitter foods such as green beans just so that their children do not get too addicted to those sweet flavours.
You can try adding some finger foods such as Cheerios or crackers, but be sure to keep an eye on your baby in case of choking hazards, which are bound to happen as she learns how to eat solid food for the first time. Introduce different food to your baby slowly, one each day, and keep an eye out for any allergic reactions.
Here are some sleeping habits your baby will be having:
Here are some tips on caring for your 25 weeks old:
It is best to take your baby in for all her check-ups. You can even speak to your doctor about giving her the flu shot as she is old enough to get it. Your baby will be due to having her third dose of PCV13, Hib, DTaP, Rotavirus, Hepatitis B and Poliovirus vaccines when she is taken for her six-month visit. Make sure to schedule her nine-month doctor’s visit.
There is nothing more than your baby loves more than playing with you. Not only is this fun and gives you time to bond with your child, but this helps in her physical, mental, social and emotional development. Here are some games and activities that you can try indulging in with your baby
All you need for this is a simple photo album that has the plastic that you can slide the pictures into. Put some pictures of you, your partner, your child and other caregivers and relatives. When you sit together, show her the album and let her keep it for herself. She will be mesmerised by all the colourful pictures and may even show excitement as she recognises the faces in the pictures.
Your baby is going to be utterly fascinated by almost everything you show her since everything is new to her. Go around showing her what happens when you turn a light switch on and off, encourage your baby to ring the doorbell and you can even try allowing her to turn on the tap (as long as it is the cold one). This will help her to learn how certain actions have certain results.
If your baby has not yet started to smile, babble makes eye contact, sit unassisted and does not respond to sounds; you should pay your doctor a visit.
Not every child will grow at the same pace. They each have a way of reaching the milestones at a time when they are most comfortable. When it comes to premature babies, they are a bit more likely to take longer to reach their milestones, but there is no reason why they should not eventually. Raising babies takes a lot of time, effort and patience but with the love and guidance from parents, children are all capable of growing into well-rounded people.