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Baby Development Questions

Expert Answers About Your Child

By iParenting Staff

A: The best way to encourage vocabulary is to TALK, TALK and TALK some more. You are your baby's best model, and you can help your baby enrich his vocabulary by exposing him to various words and experiences. Walks in the park, grocery shopping and bathing are great activities which are filled with wonderful vocabulary.

As you are walking in the park, talk about the birds chirping, the kids on the swings and the dogs running. While shopping, talk about the fruits, vegetables and all your baby's favorite foods. Name his body parts as you bathe him, and talk about how the water feels warm and the bubbles "pop." As your child grows and learns words, start to teach him synonyms (another word that means the same) for the words he knows. For example, if he knows "big," then talk about how things are "huge." You are all he needs to enrich his vocabulary!

A: When we in the medical field discuss a baby's ability to sit up, we distinguish between sitting up with or without support. You have not indicated which stage you are asking about. Fifty percen of babies sit with support by 3 months, and almost all by 4 months. Infants will generally start to sit without support at 5-6 months, but it is usually 6-7 months before 50 percent will sit on their own.

Rolling over begins at about 2-3 months, and most babies roll from front to back first. By 4-5 months, 50 percent of babies will roll over, and by 6 months almost all will.

Both of these milestones address an infant's muscle tone. Remember, these are general guidelines, and babies move at their own pace. If you are concerned, address this with your physician. Individual milestones are only important in assessing a baby's overall health; missing one or two is frequently not a problem. However, if a child misses many milestones, it can be an indication of severe problems, and must be identified early.

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