Your little one is 4 weeks old! That means, you’ve had them one month ago! Already! Doesn’t time fly? You’re still in the Symbiotic Period and you’re beginning to know your little one and his cues a little better. Though you may notice they’ve been crying a more lately…
More Crying
Your little one has been sleeping a lot these past weeks (even if it wasn’t in long stretches). Now that baby has been growing, he is beginning to express more needs, and therefore crying more. So don’t be worried if you’ve noticed an increase in crying: it doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. The cries could mean that he’s hungry, tired, needs a nappy change, or maybe just needs to be comforted.
Physical Development
You may start to notice that your little one is developing his grasp reflexes. While he can’t quite hold onto items, he may grasp them (or your fingers) for a few seconds. While it can be tempting to give him rattle to grab onto, know that for now it’s not a voluntary movement that baby is making, it’s still a refelx – it may be a good idea to wait another month and a half (or two) before introducing these. You may also notice that baby is able to hold up his head more during tummy-time. Baby is getting stronger!
A Prepared Environment
In Montessori, you’ll probably have heard of the prepared environment. In baby’s first month, the best environment is one close to his parents, where baby feels safe. From the second month onwards, you’ll be able to set baby down on a movement mat, where they will continue to develop their movements, and begin to access various materials to interest them. While you’ve probably done this before baby got here, in case you haven’t, it might be time to consider making sure baby’s space is uncluttered, simplified and encourages concentration.
That’s right, you could have amazing items, such as the Munari mobile, and high-contrast cards and books in your little one’s environment, but if there’s so much going on around them that they can’t focus on these, baby’s not getting the most out of the material and opportunity offered to them.
Milestone Photos
This is also the perfect moment to take “milestone” photos. While you don’t have to do anything fancy for this, some parents like to use a mat, blanket, cards, etc. to take pictures of their little one, and be very creative with this. Also, if there is a particular outfit that you love that you’d like to remember them in at this age, this would be a great moment to capture them wearing it. You’ll enjoy looking back at these photos later to see your little one’s growth!
How’s this first month been for you? What’s been the highlight? Was there something in particular you were surprised by or struggled with more than you thought you would? Please share!
Would you like more out of this blog series? I’m inviting you to join “The Audio Diary“, a private podcast, in which you can have an exclusive look, week-by-week for an entire year, into how a Montessori expert and mother navigates creating intentional spaces for baby, integrating Maria Montessori’s philosophy, while experiencing normal parenting challenges.
