Brand New Dad » Month By Month » 3 Months Old » Help Your Baby Every Day

Here are things you can do to help your baby every day:

• Babies learn by watching and touching things. They are exploring their world. Encourage exploration. Promote your baby's curiosity and exploration by holding things within his reach and helping him touch them.

• Exploring on his own is important for your baby. But don't limit it to that. Help him seek new experiences, like reaching for your hand and touching your fingers. Babies also like to feel things that are soft, fuzzy or smooth.

• Be your baby's teacher. Your baby learns about life by watching you and what you do.

• Babies learn when you do simple, everyday things. This is as simple as looking in your baby's eyes and making funny faces. Or let him touch your face and hair.

• Get excited with your baby about all the things he does and the sounds he makes. You and your baby will enjoy this. Make a big deal out of little things, like when your baby makes a little sound while you're talking to him. Let him know he is a great talker. Help him to learn to "talk" back and forth. When he coos at you, gently coo back. Wait and see if he "answers" you with another coo. If he does so, you should answer him. Do this with giggles, coos and other baby sounds.

• Do activities over and over again with your baby. Learning goes on each time your baby practices a skill. Let him try new things over and over again. This is as simple as helping him to pat his hands together.

• Protect your baby from disapproval. Don't tease or punish him. Never permit others to tease, punish or shake him. Punishment does not work with babies. Punishment can be very harmful to babies. It can cause the wrong lessons to be learned.

• Communicate. Use sounds, songs, gestures and words with your baby. When you do this, you help him learn about language and its many uses.

• Take good care of your baby. Watch him closely. Make sure your home is a safe place for him to explore. Try to keep an orderly, healthy routine. Your child will begin to know that some behavior is OK at some times but not at other times. He will also begin to know that there are reasons for this.