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Home › Articles › Guiding Baby's Development › The First Year

The First Year

Birth to 3 Months

By Kelly Burgess

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Doctor Visits, Immunizations and Common Problems
With today's emphasis on early release, your baby needs to be seen by his doctor within a couple of days after leaving the hospital. After that, the baby should be seen at one month, 2 months and 4 months. At 2 months, he'll get his first immunizations. These vaccines will protect him against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, hepatitis, measles, mumps, rubella and meningitis. And don't worry that the doctor is going to turn your baby into a pincushion. Most of these vaccines are combined, so he only has to have two or three shots.

Dr. Reddy says that he could fill a book with common problems and concerns. Instead, he recommends a book: Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5, by The American Academy of Pediatrics. He says it addresses common problems like colic, reflux, feeding problems and crying, and is an excellent resource for parents when they're trying to decide what's normal. Otherwise, Dr. Reddy says a parent should never hesitate to call the doctor if her newborn is crying inconsolably, is feverish, unusually irritable or has a color change to his skin.

Age-appropriate Toys
A newborn doesn't really play with toys, but providing visual stimulation from birth is important to baby's brain development, Harris says. Early on, provide high contrast toys, like mobiles, for him to look at. Later, mirrors and play gyms often fascinate curious babies.

Now that the "culture shock" of having a newborn has set in, get ready for the next exciting stage of your baby's life - ages 3 to 6 months.

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