7 weeks - www.kidspot.com.au baby’s first year update


	Baby's First Year Kidspot

Welcome to week 7!

This Week Your Baby Is:

Kicking

At birth, your baby's movements were all either involuntary or reflexes, but as the weeks have passed he has begun to gain control over some of his movements. At about seven weeks your baby will make the wonderful discovery that he can kick his legs with purpose. And once he gets going, he'll particularly enjoy kicking his legs in the bath - all that water to splash - and those moments when he doesn't have a nappy on to cramp his style.

With different tempos of leg kicking he'll be able to communicate to you his excitement at seeing you, or that he's unhappy, or even that he's over-tired. Who knew that leg kicking could say so much!

Discover other developmental milestones your baby has reached

Hot Topic:

The Arsenic Hour

The infamous Arsenic Hour usually becomes the feature of most households with a baby between 4 and 6 weeks and can continue until she's 12 weeks, at which time it will begin to disappear.

Arsenic Hour describes a period in the early evening (sadly, it rarely is a short as an hour!) when your baby is particularly unsettled. She'll want to feed more or less constantly, and she'll only doze - usually in your arms - rather than falling into a settled sleep. There are a few theories about what actually causes this behaviour - normal development, over-stimulation during the day, over-tiredness, a fall-off of your milk supply. Whatever the reason, what is known is that after this period of fussiness, your tricky baby will suddenly calm, become tired and sleep well for the next couple of hours - a just reward!

Use our crying checklist to help you survive Arsenic Hour

Kidspot Tip:

Dealing with a fussy baby

Some babies fuss more than others, and enjoying a fussy baby can be difficult when you're feeling tired and frazzled yourself. If your baby has a fussy period every day, try to clear this time of obligations so you don't wear yourself out even further. Fussy babies are generally calmest when they're held, so as much as you can try to keep your baby with you. Some mums let their babies snack and snooze on the breast for an hour or two in the early evening as a way of calming them. While this may seem hard to do - you're a busy woman with a list of chores a mile long - it does seem to help keep the stress levels down for both mum and bub.

Discover the benefits of baby massage