21 weeks

Behavior and development

How does the baby develop?

At 21 weeks, your baby can:

Keep head steady when straight, raise chest to lean on stomach and support with hands;

Children will often pay attention to small objects (such things should be kept out of reach of children);

Screams of joy;

Start to cry when you leave the room and get excited when you come back;

Laugh at the funny gestures you make and try to make you laugh;

Reaching for surrounding objects;

Suddenly laughed;

Laugh when you laugh;

Always try to keep your head level with your body while sitting.

What do you need to do to support your baby?

Your baby will now be able to sense where the sounds are coming from and they will quickly move towards this new thing. One of the easiest ways to engage your baby is to make a tinkling sound from a set of keys. You can also use wind chimes to get your baby's attention.

If you want to get your baby's attention, talk to your baby. At this age, babies do not learn languages ​​from TV or radio. So turn them off and instead use practical conversations to help your baby develop language skills and word usage.

Health and safety

What should mom discuss with the doctor?

Cold

Your child will probably catch a cold in the first year of life. There are countless viruses that cause colds and it is almost impossible to avoid them. In fact, it is estimated that children get colds about 8 times a year.

Viruses are spread from the surrounding air and can attach to infected objects such as doorknobs and toys. Because your baby's immune system is not yet complete, your baby will be more likely to catch the flu. Moreover, at this age, your baby will be very likely to constantly bring his hand close to his eyes and put it in his mouth. Thus, any virus can easily enter the baby's body and cause disease. If your baby comes into contact with a group of other babies or has siblings, he is even more susceptible to being attacked by hundreds of other flu viruses. Common symptoms include runny nose, watery eyes, stuffy nose, cough, runny nose, irritability, and low fever. These symptoms usually last about a week.

You can use a nasal pump for your baby to get mucus from a stuffy nose and use a nebulizer or humidifier in your baby's bedroom. The steps above will help the mucus build up in the baby's nose thinner and thinner, so the baby will breathe easier. Remember that your child prefers to breathe through the nose rather than through the mouth. Therefore, a blocked nose will make your baby very uncomfortable.

If possible, lift the baby's head a few centimeters from the mattress to ease throat congestion. Never use pillows to lift a baby's head. If your baby's mattress cannot be lifted, you can put your baby to sleep in a car seat with a 45-degree recline.

Do not give medications to your baby without consulting a doctor. Usually, children younger than 6 years of age are discouraged from taking medications because these can cause serious side effects. Antibiotics will not work with the flu caused by the virus. If your baby has a fever, the doctor may recommend acetaminophen (paracetamol).

Call your doctor right away if your baby experiences the following symptoms:

Fever 38oC or higher;

Rapid, heavy breathing more than 60 times a minute, worsening cough, wheezing or gasping;

Eyes glumened. This could be a sign of conjunctivitis or an ear infection;

Ears are constantly jerking, crying when feeding or crying very abnormally when placed in bed, this could be a sign that the baby has an ear infection;

If your child gets worse after 5–7 days or the symptoms persist for more than two weeks.

Teethe

On average, your baby's first tooth will appear around the 7th month, although the tip of the baby's teeth may also pop up earlier (in month 3) or later (in month 12). Teething teeth are often genetic, so if a baby's parent teething early, he will be the same and vice versa. However, the symptoms of teething usually appear about 2 or 3 months before. These symptoms differ from child to child. Teething babies may experience one or all of the following:

Drooling;

Rash on the chin and face;

Mild cough;

Likes to tear;

Hurt;

Uncomfortable;

Refusing to eat or drink;

Diarrhea;

Low-grade fever;

Refusing to sleep;

Hematoma in the gums;

Pulling ears, rubbing cheeks.

Some folk tips have yet to be proven, but are believed to be effective in minimizing teething symptoms in children. These include:

Let your baby chew something;

Rubbing baby with objects;

Give your baby cold drinks;

Give your baby cold foods;

You can try the above methods to relieve your baby's pain.

Mother's concern

What are the things you need to care about?

Start with solids

You may need to pay attention to the timing, diet, and utensils of this meal in the future.

The right time: If you are breastfeeding then everything should be done when your milk supply is at its lowest (most women usually do least in late afternoon or early evening). On the other hand, if your baby seems most hungry in the morning, you can offer solids at this time. Start with one meal a day, then increase it with breakfast and dinner for the following months.

Create fun for your baby: If you do a great deal to prepare your baby for solids at 5pm but find that your baby doesn't want to eat, you don't need to feed your baby as planned. You cannot try strange foods when your baby is tired or upset. Plan meals when your baby is awake and happy. Do not overfeed your baby. Be prepared to build a long process to help your baby build healthy weaning habits.

Don't overfeed your baby: Start with an appetizer with a small amount of formula or breast milk. That way, your baby will not be too full when he starts to experience new foods and will not get bored of the following dishes.

Get ready for the long process of feeding your baby: don't cook baby food in a hurry just because you're busy. Feeding your baby is a time-consuming process, so make sure you allow plenty of time.

Play a supporting role: If you give your baby a chance to finish a meal, he will finish eating much more quickly. Before trying to put food in your baby's mouth, place some food on a table or high chair with a tray and give your baby a chance to peek, squash, crush, rub, or even taste the food. .

Start by engaging your baby: The first few meals will not be real meals, but simply a prelude to your baby getting used to the weaning foods. Slide a little of the food across the baby's lips and give him some time to react. If he finds the right taste, he will probably open his mouth wider for the next meal. You can then move the spoon deeper to make it easier for the baby to swallow. Be careful not to take the spoon too deeply, which can cause choking.

Know when to stop: Never force a baby to continue a meal when he or she has lost interest. Depending on the baby, signs that your baby wants to stop eating may include fussy, turn away, mouth closed, spitting food out or throwing food around.

Baby first weaning: Everyone agrees that the first perfect liquid food for babies is breast milk. But which first weaning food is best for babies? You can feed your baby whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Please consult your pediatrician to choose the first weaning food suitable for your baby.

Remember that you won't be able to accurately assess how your baby feels when trying a new food for the first time. Most babies will keep their mouth shut at first, no matter how satisfied they are with the food, especially the tart taste. Focus on your baby's next reactions when you want your baby to try a second time.