Tummy time and Language

[Yummymummyyobe1]

Hi.

Our little one is 1 month 3 days old and we bought him a tummy time toy today as he is already trying to support his own head. So I have started to place him on his tummy with toys in front from him.

We also bought a leapfrog thing and a book thats is baby's first words and I am wanting to use this with him straight away.

My question being is it too soon to start doing the above and am I setting up my child to be stressed out? xx

If he looks like hea enjoying having a book read then carry on, if hes not getting stressed/upset then I think your fine.

I don't see any problem with either of these - we put DD on her front from a few weeks old, and we read to her all the time.

The only thing I would say is that DD was very happy with toys in front of her and being on her tummy when she was very little, but now at 18w she is starting to get frustrated with them because she knows what she wants to do with them, but she isn't physically capable of it. So sometimes you just have to move the toys because she gets angry and frustrated.

You know your baby best - if he is happy, carry on, if he gets stressed with any of it, wind it down a little.

Thanks. He does seem to enjoy it. The tummy time really helps as he is holding his head really well. He is also making some noises that sound like growls etc which the HV said are early signs of language. xx

Yes, they start to communicate very early on. The leapfrog thing and the 'baby's first words' won't help with language though - language comes from interaction and hearing a lot of language (spoken by a human being in the room, so tv doesn't count!). The absolute best, tiptop, number one, grade A thing you can do to help baby's language skills is read to them, and it's never too early to start. There's a language metaphor that its development is like an iceberg - in order to say that first word they need to have a colossal amount of language 'under the surface'.

A few CDs of nursery rhymes and even very short stories won't hurt your DC's language development one little bit and will give you a break!

FWIW, I have a dear friend who was obsessed with the idea of reading to her DCs and she and her DH have read to them morning and night for half an hour since birth. Her DCs' language development (they are 9 and 7) is pretty poor and their reading skills are not good. That is because the other aspects of language development (conversation, singing, poetry etc) as well as getting DCs to read to themselves were all thrown out with the holy grail bathwater of reading. Don't obsess over its importance.

(I didn't read very much to my DD as a baby, nor did DP. At 7, she is a very fluent and capable listener/speaker/reader and writer in two languages. We did do all the other stuff though!).

Octaviapink we talk to Harry all the time and sing nursery ryhmes. I do sometimes wonder if wants us to shut up as I talk to him about what we are doing and how.

Bonsoir The last thing I want to do is hot house him and actually hold him back.

xx

Bonsoir, did you wonder what sort of readers your friend's DCs would have been if they hadn't been read to since birth?

My youngest is 3 months old and has been going on her tummy from about 4 weeks. She doesn't like it very much to be honest, she rolls onto her back & tantrums if she's put back onto her front, but we're working on it!
As far as books go, she seems to like listening to whoever reads her sister her bedtime story. She'll sit very quietly and watch us read-she likes to see faces.
An interactive book (leapfrog usually are I think?) sounds fab, I have ipad app that uses flashcards and noises which she likes too.
It seems to be actually watching people do things like reading, talking & singing that babies like the most more than the toys though.

Octaviapink - they would be better readers if they had been taught to read for themselves! The mother in question was under some kind of illusion that DCs learn to read by being read to rather than being taught to read and encouraged to read for themselves.

Anything with lights, buttons and noise is a hit with tiny babies. So long as you're not overdoing it and overstimulating baby then whatever makes them happy is perfect.
Don't forget good old fashioned books and music. I had a cloth book that I used from a month or two old and my boys loved sitting on my knee for a cuddle to look at the pictures while I talked and got them to touch the pictures.

Thank you all. H Grandad bought his the Lamaze Spin and Explore the Sea Gym. It is brilliant as it encourages H to lift his head and feet. xx