Babies
Take a look at some baby
clothes. See how tiny the arms are on shirts. Imagine getting your feet into
baby-sized socks. Once, your feet did fit into such tiny socks. You wore
clothes that small when you were a tiny baby. Every human being is born as a
tiny baby.
HOW
ARE BABIES BORN?
Babies grow inside a part
of the mother called the womb or uterus. The growing baby is called a fetus.
First the heart, brain, arms, and legs of the fetus form. It takes about nine
months for a fetus to grow into a baby that is big enough to be born. Some
babies are born earlier than nine months. Doctors must give these babies
special care.
When the baby is ready
to be born, the mother goes into labor. The mother’s uterus pushes the baby out
through a passage called the vagina or birth canal.
Pregnancy
Babies grow inside their
mother’s body for nine months. During that time, the mother’s tummy gets larger
as the baby grows. Babies are born once they are fully formed.
NEWBORNS
ARE HELPLESS
Newborn babies, or infants,
spend most of their time sleeping. They are not strong enough do anything for
themselves.
Parents or other grown-ups
must feed newborns. The infants eat by sucking liquids. Many infants drink
their mother’s milk. Older infants drink milk or baby formula from a bottle.
Infants wear diapers.
They cannot control when they poop or wet themselves. Grown-ups must change
their soiled diapers and give them baths.
Newborn babies cannot
talk, so they cry when they need something. They cry when they are hungry or
their diapers are wet. They cry when they are too hot or too cold. Parents or
big brothers and sisters have to figure out what a crying baby needs.
Newborn Baby
Newborn babies are
helpless, but they can see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. They cry to let
people know they need food or comfort.
Mother and Baby
A five-month-old boy loves
his mother’s smile and voice.
BABIES
USE THEIR BRAINS
After about three months,
babies start to notice things around them. They may watch colorful toys or turn
to look for what makes the sound of a rattle. Before long, infants can smile.
Look at some pictures of you as a baby. Are you laughing, smiling, or frowning?
Babies also learn who
they are. They love to see themselves in a mirror. You probably noticed
yourself in a mirror by the time you were six months old. By 18 months, you
could look in a mirror and know, “Hey, that’s me!”
BABIES
GROW UP
Babies grow very fast
in their first two years. They get bigger and taller. They grow teeth, and
their muscles get stronger.
First they get strong
enough to lift their heads, roll over, and sit up. Then they can stand, crawl,
and walk. Every baby learns to do these things at a slightly different age. You
probably learned to walk when you were between 13 and 18 months old.
You probably could talk
a little bit by the time you were two years old. At first, babies just babble.
They say “goo” and make other sounds that don’t mean anything. Then they learn
to say words such as “mama” or “dada.” Babies can usually say simple sentences
by the time they are two.
Babyhood is over at about
age two. The next stage of growing and learning, childhood, begins.
Self-Awareness
Babies become interested
in mirrors around age 6 months. By 15 to 18 months, they understand they are
looking at a reflection of themselves. The girl in this photograph is 21 months
old.
Learning to Walk
Babies have to learn how
to walk. Most begin walking by 15 months of age, although some do not begin to
walk until 18 months. Then comes running and jumping!
