How do you know if i'm doing the right thing?

Question

My baby girl is growin up and responding to so many things. she is 8 months. How can I teach her more. Sometimes I feel like she is bored and needs more stimulation, But I do so much with her already.

Thanks so much for all the great responses. A a mum you need positive support. I do all the things your telling me. She will even sit for 10 minutes with a book rflicking the pages.
I will however try the baby sign thing. She will be learning German as well as english (my man is german) so the signs are international I suppose.
Thanks again.

Answer 1

read her books. before bed time. or something. i don't know. i just started reading my daughter books. she is 15 months old. and she loves books. she blabbers to herself and flips through the pages and points at the pictures as if she is telling the story. it's cute. but i feel bad for not being there for her to tell the story.

it's okay for a baby to feel bored. you need to let her learn how to entertain herself sometimes, otherwise she will be depending on you and others constantly to keep her happy. you will never be able to leave her alone to play by herself. your baby would be more self content this way.

Answer 2

YOu probably are already doing the right thing. Your daughter sounds very lucky to have a mummy who wants to spend so much time doing things with her.

You should make sure that she's having plenty of exposure to children her own age. If you're not already a member of a Mother and Baby / Toddler group, then join one. It will give you the opportunity to see what other activities mothers do with their babies and give your daughter the chance to interact with children her own age.

Make sure you take her out at least once a day, even if it's just down to the park. The fresh air will help her to sleep better at night. As you're out and about make sure you talk to her about what you can see and what's going on. Toddler farms, swimming, zoos even museums with hands-on stuff to look at are all great fun for children.

If you haven't started already, try baby sign. Your daughter is about the right age to start learning and responding to it. My daughter signed for the first time when she was 8 mo and now, at 18 months, she can sign simple sentences. Its a great way to communicate with young children, it stops a lot of the frustration when a child wants to tell you something but doesn't have the words and learning baby sign will give you the opportunity to exercise your own mind!

But don't forget that giving your daughter time to learn to play on her own is healthy too. It'll help her to develop her confidence and independance and will also give you the opportunity to gather your own thoughts.

Answer 3

If you want to increase the amount of stimulation she gets mentally, try reading to her. It doesn't matter what you read, it can be way above her level. (once she can talk this wouldn't be the case). And turn off that telly! Also, taking her out to different places for her walkies is good. Someone I was talking to yesterday said that when you take a child out in a push chair the child needs to be facing you so you can talk to her as you go along and discuss what you see and point things out etc. Both this woman's kids grew up super bright so there may well be something in it.

Answer 4

All babies need stimuli to develop, but like adults have a limit. It is impossible for an adult to concentrate on one thing for a long time before mental fatigue sets in. Why should it be different for babies?
Play mats are very stimulating as they have various activities in the same place. Babies will often play with the same item for a long time and then apparently switch off. This is because the item has gone out of their range of vision. Anything out of this range ceases to exist for them.
Talking to your baby is excellent stimulation. However you need to talk normally. None of this baby ga-ga, goo-goo nonsense. Your child is acquiring language skills as well as those innate language skills it already possesses. Anyone doubting the innateness of language should ask themselves why children never make syntax errors with language, but they do with grammar. e.g. a child would never say "the house red is", but they do make logical mistakes like "I sitted on the chair."
Repetition of sounds is useful. Colours, names of favourite objects and people.
Above all routine is vital for a baby. The baby comes to expect things in a cetain way and if that routine is broken, the child is left confused.
Being a parent is a hard task. Wondering how best to bring up your baby shows you are doing it right, but you should also allow your baby time and space to discover things for itself. If you did everything for your baby she will learn to become dependent on you for stimulus and will not learn how to do things for herself.
Good luck from a father of 2 boys aged 8 and 3.

Answer 5

Sometimes it's OK for babies to be bored! They can get over-stimulated as well as under-stimulated. Some quiet time is necessary for all of us, so don't feel like you have to entertain her 24/7. Have you taken her to a playgroup so she can get used to other children? Do you read to her and play with her? Do you involve her in normal household activities as well as taking her to special places for the day? If so, you're doing just fine! Don't worry.

Answer 6

Include her in whatever you're doing if you're not playing with her or have to get on with something.

When my daughter was six months old i started taking her to baby sign classes (ok all you can take the mickey now cos she doesn't have any hearing impairments). the idea is that baby sign language helps the babies communicate earlier, and at seven months old my daughter could ask for milk, a snack, a sleep and many more. all the signs are taught thru song so its fun for them to join in with the actions. my daughter is now 2 and advanced in her speech and i thank baby sign for that!

www.tinytalk.co.uk

Answer 7

8 months? I believe she's still very young to start learning lots of advanced stuff at the same time. Go slowly and when she's bored just play with here a few minutes to take her for a walk outside.

Answer 8

Take on board PottyDott 's answer (one of the first 4 answers). I've studied Child Care and if the child does seem bored, keep the routine the same - just change the activities you do with her.

Answer 9

What kind of things is she responding to? At 8 months following are the things your baby will do or should be doing.

At 8 months:
Your baby's now exploring objects by shaking them, banging them, dropping them, and throwing them before falling back on the tried-and-true method of gumming them. The idea that you do something to an object is beginning to emerge (using a comb to tidy her hair), so an activity center with lots of things your baby can bang, poke, twist, squeeze, shake, drop, and open will fascinate her.

Your baby will also be fascinated with toys that have specific functions, such as phones. If she can't hold it up to her ear herself, do it for her and pretend to have a conversation. Over the next few months, she'll start to use objects for their intended purposes — brushing her hair, drinking from a cup, and babbling on her play phone.

Watch for her to start pointing or looking at the correct picture when you name an object — especially if it's something familiar (such as eyes, nose, or mouth) or beloved (like a dog or a rubber ducky).

Also, at this stage, your baby likes to see things fall down, get picked up (by you, of course), and then get thrown down again. She's not trying to drive you mad. She just finds the spectacle interesting and naturally wants to see it again and again.

Your baby's vision — previously about 20/40 at best — is now almost adult-like in its clarity and depth perception. Though your baby's short-range sight is still best, his long-range vision is good enough to recognize people and objects across a room. He may see a toy on the other side of the room and try to crawl toward it. His eyes are also probably close to their final color, though you may see subtle changes later.

Your baby may start looking for dropped objects and may use his index finger to point at them. He can easily use his fingers to rake up a piece of food and hold it with his fist closed, and he's learned to open his hand to drop and throw objects with greater precision. He's probably beginning to master the pincer grasp, too — the delicate maneuver that lets him pick up small objects with his thumb and first finger.

Your baby's also a fan of poking things and getting his little fingers into holes, making this a great time to cover outlets around the house.

There'll be times when your baby is afraid of things he can't understand. Even things that didn't bother him before, like a ringing doorbell or a whistling teakettle, may frighten him. When this happens, the most important thing you can do as a parent is comfort and reassure him. Tell him that you're there and he's fine — a hug or a snuggle may be all he needs. All the best

Answer 10

8 months? Just keep the stimulation going - sights, sounds. Clinton jokes.

By 2 years old, kids can learn anything that they can DO. They begin to learn abstraction. (My youngest brother played chess and knew 2/3 of the world's countries on a map before age 2).

I think the biggest mistake most parents make is UNDER estimating their kids' ability to learn. Once language is developed, instill the love of READING. Once reading is in place, PUZZLES to drive REASONING. Once both are in place, CHALLENGES to drive INDEPENDENCE.

But don't worry... most parent's don't have a freaking clue what to do - and the kids turn out so-so. With your level of interest, you're bound to do better!