Home : Baby Development : Month 8 : Week 31

Your Baby Development: 31 Weeks Old

How big is your baby?
This week your baby will be weighing around 17 1/2 pounds and measuring 27 1/2 inches if he/she was of average size at birth.

Your baby may have learned to use his/her thumb to pick up and hold objects. This accomplishment helps to develop a "pincer grasp", now baby can hold an object longer and examine it more closely. He/She can pass it smoothly from hand to hand, and may shake or bang it on the floor, or bang two objects together.

In the next few weeks the pincer grasp will become more refined and enable baby to pick up very small objects, such as crumbs and bits of lint, so be aware of small items baby may pickup and put in his/her mouth.

Baby has been working hard on his/her crawling techniques. He/She may be fairly adept at getting around now, and may follow you around the house, so be cautious when opening and closing doors and cabinets that you don't get a little set of fingers caught in it.

Just like an adult, babies can also experience stress. When your baby is under stress it may change his/her sleeping habits, he/she may sleep longer or shorted, more deeply or more lightly.

Any of the following can contribute to an increase in stress level:

• Change in her routine
• Separation anxiety
• Teething
• Development advances

Baby Development Milestones This Week

Feeding Baby | Food Allergies

Although a food allergy can occur at any time, the chance of your baby having one is relatively low, only about 6% develop food allergies. It occurs most frequently in infants when they are introduced to solid foods or when they first drink cows milk.

It's important to know the signs and symptoms of a food allergy, should one arise. As you add new foods to your baby's diet, make note of what you offer. If baby has a reaction, you'll have a better idea of what may be causing it. Different allergies may cause different symptoms, but the basic symptoms include:

• Bloating and gassiness
• Congested nose or runny nose with a thin clear discharge
• Itchy nose
• Itchy skin
• Sandpaper like rash on face
• Watery or itchy eyes
• Upset stomach
• Diarrhea
• Red rash around anus
• Vomiting
• Fussiness

If you suspect that your baby may be having an allergic reaction to any food, if you have been introducing him/her to one new food at a time, then you should be able to pin point the cause of the allergy. If your baby does develop a rash on the skin you can bath him/her with a mild non drying soap, or use a lubricant cream to decrease redness or itching. Remove the potential allergy causing food from his/her diet.

you should call your doctor immediately if baby develops any breathing difficulties. If the skin rash becomes infected, or doesn't appear to be going away.

Baby Care

Sore Gums
Baby may be cutting new teeth soon, and this could have all sorts of effects. It could interfere with his/her sleep, develop a low grade fever, experience mild diarrhea.

Earwax Blockage
Wax is made in the ear to protect the canal that leads from the eardrum to outside the ear. Too much earwax can cause a blockage, and symptoms of this include:

• The earwax itself
• Ear pain
• Pulling, rubbing or tugging on an ear
• Decrease in hearing

If you suspect that baby is suffering from earwax blockage, you can clean only the outside of the ear. It may be tempting to clean the ear canal as well, but don't as it is too dangerous, and you could make things worse. Ear drops can be used to soften the wax, however, this should only be done if directed by your pediatrician.

Usually earwax takes care of itself, and it will more than likely move out of baby's ear by itself. When it reaches the outside of the ear, then you can clean it. If the earwax blockage continues, or if baby's fever is persistent, then you should contact your pediatrician.

Toys and Play

You can help baby to develop his/her coordination in his/her hands and arms. Gently tap together two pot lids or spoons, let baby watch you for a while and then let him/her try the bang the objects.

Another great game for baby is the dump-and-fill game. Let baby play with a plastic container filled with other toys and objects. Let baby dump all the toys and objects out and show him/her how to put them all back.