How to encourage your baby..



My baby is 4 months and 2 weeks old.


It is so exciting watching her developments. She sits with supports.



Last 2 weeks, my husband bought this ABC mat for Isabella since rolling and scooting is her thing now.
She can roll all she wants on the mat.

She has started rolling since 3 months old and now she has learnt to scoot.
It is a preparation to crawling when a baby start lifting the butt and scoot to the front.

There are few ways of crawling..such as:-
1) rolling everywhere- the baby rolls from one place to another.
2)leapfrog- instead of crawling with their limbs, they jumped.
3)scooting.
4)bear crawl

and many more.

These are all the ways of crawling before they master the art of crawling and start cruising (furniture walk). Fear not as they are training their muscles to prepare for further conquest.

Isabella is pretty early in rolling and scooting. Usually babies start rolling by 4 months and scoot/crawl by 6-9 months.

Being an obsessed mother, I would make sure she accomplished her developmental milestones and observed each achievements well.
Good thing that I am a doctor so I know the age developments well.
You can also read baby books to know this, or articles on internet. Just make sure they are correct.


You can start by giving you baby tummy time as early as 2 months with observation.
You can do it by placing your baby on your chest.
She will be encouraged to lift her head, strengthen the neck muscles and learn to look around.
Besides, she'll enjoy the view of facing her mother or father.

She will learn to make eye contact and it will also stimulates her vision.
What we are teaching her is a social connection with others.
So, when she is in that position, what we do is we talk to her and wait for her respond.

Remember as her muscles are not developped yet, we should make every session brief and increase the duration according to her strength. Meaning, she will start whining when she gets tired, so that means times up.



In this position, she will get the 'bird view' and you will see how she will support her head and lower body.
She gets stronger and stronger.




Tummy time! Encourage her by placing her favourite toys in front of her.


Or a book.


Or many books.
The colorful pages is a way to stimulate a baby's vision.
By 6 months, usually the vision will be stable.
For early vision, a baby will be attracted to red and blue.


Read to her.
That way she can hear words and learn languages.
Sometimes, I made up a bedtime story about a princess name Isabella for her.
I will tell stories while looking at her face so that she can watch my lips move.

I sing ABC to her while breastfeeding, while driving next to her and many more nursery rhymes.
Your baby will react to you by smiling, grinning, laughing or even tried to sing along in her own way.

People think a baby doesn't know anything but they are wrong. A baby is a genius because her abilty

to learn and adapt. Their brain is like a sponge which absorb anything so why not make full use of this.


Baby learns coordination by grasping a toy. Her eyes will follow the toy's movement and try to catch it in her arm.
Then, she'll stuff the toy into her mouth because that is how she will learn to explore everything, with her sense.

Let her.


She will get engrossed in looking at the pages. I wonder what she is thinking.

And most of all is giving our devoted attention to our children.
Talk to our babies. She will listen and respond. And if she says something like baaaa.. repeat the word back to her and that will encourage her to say more.

When she does something wonderful like the first time she rolls, I kissed her and she rolled even more knowing that was an accomplishment.
It is sad if we just let our baby lie there on her own, feed her, put her to sleep but never stimulate her brain in form of play and words and let her grow up until she reach 4 years old.
Neglect that period even more because parents are busy working and handling the house chores.
There are so much to show and teach them.
Don't waste the young minds.
I always encourage my patients to talk to their kids in the form of teaching.
Not like blabbler or nag.

Encourage words for example you say,' see lorry'.
And a 2 years old will say back 'lorry'.

My nephew on my husband side is a 2 years old and he is repeating everything everyone says.
Exciting!!
I would take Isabella's flash cards and show him each pictures with the words. He would repeat them prefectly.
Owh I love teaching children.

I've seen my friends teaching their kids with flash cards and the children could recognized the object in English perfectly.
Congratulations!!

I hope I can do the same to Isabella. InsyaAllah.

I will say that my baby is a very calm baby and very easy to take care of.
She doesn't throw tantrum or whine or stay awake at night crying ever.
Very pleasant and everyone says that.
My husband and I have never been zombies since she was born.

So to whoever is pregnant now, be positive during pregnancy, always be cheerful, treat others extra gentle, calm and nice.
Patience. Say only good things and never utter anything that you don't wish your baby to be.
I was very patient towards people during my pregnancy, always smiling and greeting others. Patients kept saying good words to me and I believe words are prayer.
Listen to surah during driving and recite together if you hafaz them.
Read books to stimulate a baby's brain.

InsyaAllah your delivery will be very smooth, easy and short like mine.

Wallahualam.



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