Baby Week38

Your Baby Development: 38 Weeks Old

How big is your baby? This week your baby will be weighing around 193/4 pounds and measuring 281/2 inches if he/she was of average size at birth. Your baby will be loving his/her new found freedom, but as a loving and caring parent you will have to impose certain restrictions on that freedom. When necessary, block off areas you don’t want baby to explore, especially medicine cabinets. By setting these limits you help baby to understand that he/she can’t always have what he/she wants, and that is a fact of life which we all have to face. At this stage babies who are the same age may not have the same development level. Each baby develops st his/her own rate simply because each and every baby is different. Don’t compare your baby with another, even with twins. He/She will develop at his/her own rate, and he/she will get there in his/her own time. As long as there is forward movement in his/her development, there shouldn’t be anything to be concerned about. At this stage your baby will enjoy many different activities. He/She may enjoy to dance, pull things apart as well as play simple games like “where’s the baby?” or “chase the baby”, and he/she may initiate games more than ever before. Your babies ability to understand different words is increasing rapidly. By reading stories to your baby you will help to reinforce his/her understanding of different words and improve his/her comprehension. HIs/Her actions will also show that he/she understand you, so when you say “show me….” and he/she points to an object he/she is showing you that he/she understands.

Baby Development Milestones This Week

Feeding Baby Finger Foods If you haven’t already started feeding baby finger foods yet, now is a good time to start. “Finger Foods” are small bite sized pieces of food, and the following may make good finger foods:

• Crackers
• Pieces of toast
• Pieces of cheese
• Small bits of meat
• Pieces of tortilla
• Well cooked pieces of pasta

The object of giving baby finger foods is to teach him/her to feed him/herself. He/She can’t spoon effectively yet, so finger foods will encourage him/her to practice his/her eating skills. Offer your baby a variety of different foods, and let him/her touch, taste and smell the foods. Remember to be patient, as it will take a lot longer when he/she is feeding him/herself. Baby Care Dealing With Burns With babies, a burn can be a very serious injury. It may be caused by contact with fire, electricity or chemicals, and usually occurs due to an accident or carelessness of those who are caring for baby. Burn symptoms can be categorized into three degrees:

• First Degree Burns: These involve the upper layer of skin, and the skin may appear swollen and red
• Second Degree Burns: These involve the deeper skin layers. The skin may have blisters
• Third Degree Burns: These involve all the layers of skin, and the skin may appear white.

If your baby gets a first degree burn, quickly remove any clothing which is covering the effected area. Run cold water for 15 to 25 min over the area. Do Not use ice or butter, as this could make the injury worse. Loosely cover the burned area with a sterile gauze, and call your pediatrician for advice. Should your baby suffer second or third degree burns, go to the nearest emergency facility as soon as possible. Toys and Play Get a long cardboard tube, like those used for wrapping paper. Sit across from baby and talk to him/her through the tube. Watch his/her reactions closely as you talk and make noises. Now give the tube to him/her and show him/her how to place it by his/her mouth. Watch what he/she does, you may just be very surprised. Quick Tips For This Week