As your baby becomes 43 weeks old, there are so many things that keep her busy. Firstly, she is trying to reach the next milestone of learning what she can do and what you will allow her to do. She’s learning different tastes of food that she likes and food that she doesn’t like. She’s learning different ways to communicate both verbally and non-verbally. Your baby will be in a stage of sensory development where her brain is processing, downloading and installing updates so to say.
At this age, you might notice that your baby imitates everything you do. She might try to feed you something using the spoon while you are feeding her or bang on the computer keyboard while you are writing an email or try to rub you instead with soap while you are washing her. Babies learn a lot by watching you but take care not to exhibit negative behaviour like yelling in front of them as they make pick up that too. Your baby will be able to understand a sense of belonging now and will start to identify toys as hers. If you have been pointing out body parts to your baby while naming them all this while, at this stage, you will finally see her pointing correctly to her eyes, nose and ears when you prompt her. She will also crave social interaction. Some babies at 43 weeks can walk already and probably crawl over cushions and people’s legs. So make sure your house is baby proofed for safety.
You can expect to see the following 43-week old baby milestones at this stage:
By this age, your baby is already eating solid food and drinking water from a cup. If you are a working mother, you don’t need to pump breast milk each time for your baby when you are away for short periods. But you might worry you won’t be able to pump enough breast milk to keep his needs met during the day if you are away from her at your workplace. If you have arranged for a carer for your baby, don’t worry they will have their ways to comfort your baby. It is important you keep pumping breast milk every 3-4 hours even when you are away as it prevents your breast from becoming full and painful. You can then give this milk to your baby’s carer for times when you are away. Calculate the volume of milk based on your baby’s needs. Expect an average feed of 70-80ml. Tell the carer to offer breast milk to the baby in a cup with meals when you are away if she uses techniques like patting, rocking or cuddling your baby before sleep time.
Since your baby is processing mentally, developmentally and physically at 43 weeks of age, she will be less likely to sleep at night. She will have an extremely disturbed sleep, and as parents, you might find it difficult to keep getting up to resettle your baby again. To get through this period, you can try resorting to co-sleeping – meaning sleeping with your baby on the same bed so that you can immediately be on hand to help her go back to sleep in case she wakes up. This is one way to approach nighttime parenting but make sure to observe safe sleeping guidelines for your baby.
Here are a few tips to care for your 43-week old baby:
The doctor usually will not schedule any medical checkups at the 10-month mark for your baby.
The doctor may advise a blood test if your baby shows signs of anaemia to check her haemoglobin, iron and lead levels.
Your baby may need the 3rd dose of the IPV (polio) vaccine at this age and also the final dosage of the Hepatitis B Vaccine (both to be taken between 6 to 18 months). Based on your doctor’s recommendation, your baby may also need an influenza vaccine shot.
Here are a few games you can play with your 43-week old baby:
You can teach your baby to play patty cake along with the words and gestures so that she can practice her hand mobility.
You can play this game while your baby is getting dressed, asking her to hold out her arms for you to pull the dress on her head.
You can play hide and seek with your baby in the house. Make sure never to hide for too long and to have the house baby proofed for this.
You can play a racing game with your baby on who can crawl the fastest across a room and back. This will help her pick up the concept of distance and speed.
Here are the times you need to consult a doctor during your 43-week old infant development:
At 43 weeks, babies are playful and love to explore. But she might also develop fear towards many things like the sound of dishes or a vacuum cleaner. This is because as babies grow, they become more and more aware of the dangerous things in our world. To help your baby get over these fears, you can get her used to noises by doing such activities when she is awake. Or another option is to buy your baby her toy vacuum cleaner and ask her to clean with you. It will be very cute to see your little one mimicking your actions alongside you. This will help her with her fears as well as help her motor skill development and mobility.