Montessori Baby from 0 to 52 Weeks: Week 8

Your little one is 8 weeks old! That’s two months out in the world already! While you’re still in the 4th trimester, we’re approaching the end of the Symbiotic Period (though your little one will still need you quite a bit!). You’ll notice that your little one is becoming more alert and is interacting more with you.

Growing Skills

So far, your baby has been developing and refining a variety of first skills. They are tracking movements with their eyes (you’ll definitely have noticed this if you’re using the Montessori visual mobiles), they’re probably starting to examine their hands and experimenting with them a little: opening and closing fists, putting their fingers in their mouth, etc.). Baby is probably interacting with you more : they’re making eye contact and showing you their first real smiles. You may also have noticed that they’re getting stronger as they hold their head a bit longer during tummy-time.

Sleep Development

While some parents might be blessed by the sleep fairies, most babies’ sleep cycles haven’t established yet (you’ll need to wait a few more weeks for this). That said, around 8 weeks babies hit a developmental milestone and they may start sleeping for longer stretches.

Little things that can help baby sleep well is to make sure they get to feed on demand and that they don’t get overtired. If they’re sleeping, let them sleep. Sometimes it may seem like they’re sleeping “too much” during the day, but it could very well be that they need it. Getting tips for sleep can be tricky, but sometimes simple is what does it.

Things we did with our little ones that worked for us: neither of my little ones ever napped in a darkened room. They only ever slept in a dark room at night. I feel like this might have helped their body to adjust to the day/night rhythms. I also let them nap however long they needed – yes, even if that meant that they slept for a good chunk of the day.

Trust Yourself

I know that as we navigate parenthood, particularly with our first little one, it is easy to try and listen to *all* the experts and to compare our experience and our little one’s development with others. But let’s take a breath. Our little one is unique. What works for one family might not work for your family. So while I occasionally share some tips, they’re ones that worked for my family and may not for yours. And this is valid for any advice you receive from anyone. In occasionally sharing about my experience, I hope it may give you a different perspective and/or reminds you that you are allowed to do things differently from “the norm”.

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.

Looking for another post in this series? You can find them all here: “Montessori Baby from 0 to 52 Weeks“.