Your Baby Development: 22 Weeks Old

How big is your baby?
This week your baby will be weighing around 15 1/4 pounds and measuring 25 1/2 inches if he/she was of average size at birth.

As your baby begins to move more, you may have to impose certain restrictions. You may need to block access to certain areas of the house in order to remove potential harmful situations. Your baby may resist these restrictions, but remember that this is not because he/she is being naughty, but simply because he/she is reacting in the only way he/she knows how.

Baby is learning from his/her playtime. He/She will listen to the noise which is made by different toys, as he/she doesn't yet realize that it is the toy which is making the noise and not his/her hand.

When he/she drops an object repeatedly, he/she is simply testing his/her world, and although it may be frustrating to you, it is fascinating to him/her.

Stranger anxiety is not an unusual feeling for babies. He/She may study someone he/she does not know, or resist to go to someone, or perhaps even cry out.

It's only natural, and is simply a phase which he/she is going through.

Baby Development Milestones This Week

Feeding Baby

Many babies like solids and eat solids with great gusto from the time they are first introduced to them. Other babies don't like the taste or texture of solid food and resist it.

If your baby doesn't want to eat solid foods, don't tussle with him/her over it. Continue to offer him/her a spoon of solids with every meal, and try to continue to introduce baby to the taste and texture of solid foods.

If baby continues to avoid solid foods, then you should call your pediatrician to ask for his/her advice on the matter.

Baby Care

Teething Symptoms
Teething signs can first appear weeks or even months before you even see baby's first tooth. As baby's tooth moves through bone and gum tissue, symptoms may appear and disappear.

The following may be symptoms that baby is teething:

• Refuses to eat solids
• Pulls away from the breast or bottle when nursing after initial sucking effort
• Pulls at ear
• Constant drooling

Giving Baby Medication
There will come a time when you ned to give your baby medication which has prescribed by your pediatrician.

One of the easiest methods of giving your baby medication is to purchase a medication syringe from the drug store. They are far easier to use than a medication spoon. The syringe enables you to measure accurately the correct dosage, and it is easier to administer the medication into baby's mouth than a spoon.

Toys and Play

A fun way for baby and parent to interact is to play trumpet on his/her stomach. After his/her bath or when you are dressing him/her, place your lips against his/her stomach and blow. The sound comes out like a bad trumpet player, and it tickles his/her stomach. Baby will love this game!