Did you know that babies explore their world with their mouth because it is more sensitive than their fingers? When they put something in their mouth, they learn about taste, shape, texture, and temperature. Cameron is busy exploring her world right now. She reaches for everything in her sight and the things that she grabs go to her mouth. She doesn't necessarily
Cameron no longer gets "stuck" on her belly - yay! She can now easily roll and turn her body in any direction she chooses. Her arms and legs are getting so much stronger. She still isn't crawling but she can creep the entire way across the floor! She moves around on her belly by pushing with her legs/feet and pulling with her arms/hands. Cameron is a very determined little girl. If she sees something that she wants, she will do whatever she can to reach it... and she always succeeds. I give her plenty of uninterrupted time during the day to play and move on the open floor area in our kitchen:
I always put a few objects and toys around her just out of her reach which encourages her to move her body in order to get them. She talks to herself and sometimes yells in frustration until she finally reaches what she's after. Most people would help a baby trying hard to reach something. I would have myself until I read the book Your Self-Confident Baby by Magda Gerber and learned about the RIE parenting ideas.
I encourage anyone with babies to look at the blog post, Don't Help This Baby, which contains a video of baby Ruby (the same age as Cameron is now) and her struggle/success in reaching a toy. "Infants will astonish us with their innate abilities. The hard part is letting them. We unwittingly train our children to be more dependent and needy than they might be by doing for them what they could be capable of doing themselves. Yes, it’s quicker, easier and even feels more loving to hand a baby the toy she seems interested in, but by doing so, we discourage something truly precious. What would Ruby have learned if she had been handed her toy? (Raise your hand if you wanted to hand it to her. I did!) Or what if it had been moved right next to her? She would have learned nothing developmentally useful except that there are more capable forces in the world – adults – who will do things for her."
I always put a few objects and toys around her just out of her reach which encourages her to move her body in order to get them. She talks to herself and sometimes yells in frustration until she finally reaches what she's after. Most people would help a baby trying hard to reach something. I would have myself until I read the book Your Self-Confident Baby by Magda Gerber and learned about the RIE parenting ideas.
I encourage anyone with babies to look at the blog post, Don't Help This Baby, which contains a video of baby Ruby (the same age as Cameron is now) and her struggle/success in reaching a toy. "Infants will astonish us with their innate abilities. The hard part is letting them. We unwittingly train our children to be more dependent and needy than they might be by doing for them what they could be capable of doing themselves. Yes, it’s quicker, easier and even feels more loving to hand a baby the toy she seems interested in, but by doing so, we discourage something truly precious. What would Ruby have learned if she had been handed her toy? (Raise your hand if you wanted to hand it to her. I did!) Or what if it had been moved right next to her? She would have learned nothing developmentally useful except that there are more capable forces in the world – adults – who will do things for her."
I really love (most of) the RIE ideas and have been using them as a guide thus far with Cameron. She is a happy and content baby who is developing beautifully so I know that it is really working for us. Here are two Facebook pages that I follow and recommend that post great articles and advice on RIE parenting: Janet Lansbury - Evaluating Childcare and Magda Gerber (RIE founder)
It's baby food making time!! Yesterday Cameron and I walked over to the grocery store and loaded up on things to make baby food - avocados, pears, apples, bananas, peas, butternut squash, pumpkin, and organic brown rice. Today I prepared food and froze it so that we have a supply to start eating. I will do a separate post this coming week about all of the food prep and eating supplies/gadgets that we have because I love it all so much!
One of the things I made today was avocado puree (avocado blended with water). One little avocado (3.5 inches long) made 8oz of creamy avocado puree. We kept some out to eat today and froze the rest. Last week Cameron tried some mashed avocado but pushed it all out of her mouth. Today, she was sucking and swallowing - success!
Like last week, she wanted to feed herself today. I figured, why not? She can do it, she's proud of herself for doing it, and it's teaching her skills that she needs. It doesn't matter how old she is, if she is able and willing then I will encourage it! She gives me the spoon, I put some food on it and hand it back to her, and she puts it in her mouth and sucks the food off. She doesn't always hit her mouth on the first try but she gets it eventually. She had a great time eating today and I am so proud of my little independent girl!
Time for some baby-puppy love! Dulce is a dog that craves physical affection. When she needs some loving, she'll snuggle up right next to you to get it. I grabbed my iPhone and discretely zoomed in to capture the shot below so I wouldn't disturb the two of them. Dulce snuggled up against Cameron and Cam started rubbing Dulce's head and pulling at her fur, ear and collar. Dulce was loving every minute of it and Cameron seemed to enjoy the opportunity to inspect Dulce's head up close :)
In efforts to turn our back porch into an outdoor living area, I bought an outdoor rug. Now I can put Cameron on the ground and we can all spend a little more time in the fresh air. Dulce and Cameron love laying on their bellies and checking out the backyard together!
Grown-ups might never know the secrets told between a baby and her dog :)
It's baby food making time!! Yesterday Cameron and I walked over to the grocery store and loaded up on things to make baby food - avocados, pears, apples, bananas, peas, butternut squash, pumpkin, and organic brown rice. Today I prepared food and froze it so that we have a supply to start eating. I will do a separate post this coming week about all of the food prep and eating supplies/gadgets that we have because I love it all so much!
Like last week, she wanted to feed herself today. I figured, why not? She can do it, she's proud of herself for doing it, and it's teaching her skills that she needs. It doesn't matter how old she is, if she is able and willing then I will encourage it! She gives me the spoon, I put some food on it and hand it back to her, and she puts it in her mouth and sucks the food off. She doesn't always hit her mouth on the first try but she gets it eventually. She had a great time eating today and I am so proud of my little independent girl!
Time for some baby-puppy love! Dulce is a dog that craves physical affection. When she needs some loving, she'll snuggle up right next to you to get it. I grabbed my iPhone and discretely zoomed in to capture the shot below so I wouldn't disturb the two of them. Dulce snuggled up against Cameron and Cam started rubbing Dulce's head and pulling at her fur, ear and collar. Dulce was loving every minute of it and Cameron seemed to enjoy the opportunity to inspect Dulce's head up close :)
In efforts to turn our back porch into an outdoor living area, I bought an outdoor rug. Now I can put Cameron on the ground and we can all spend a little more time in the fresh air. Dulce and Cameron love laying on their bellies and checking out the backyard together!
Grown-ups might never know the secrets told between a baby and her dog :)
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"The greatest love is a mother's, then a dog's, then a sweetheart's."
~Polish Proverb
I found your blog through your birth story being posted on another site. I have been addicted ever since! You are a wonderful writer, and your pictures are so good! Your little family is such an inspiration. I love reading Cameron's weekly updates.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Emilie! We are glad to have you along on our adventures!
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