46 weeks

Behavior and development

How does the baby develop?

By week 46, your baby may be able to:

Know clapping or waving goodbye;

Walking while holding onto furniture;

Point to what the baby wants to ask for;

Show great interest in reading. Your baby can turn pages in a book.

What do you need to do to support your baby?

Over the past few months, the baby must have experienced many times of anxiety when being separated from parents. This is completely natural, because babies love and depend on you a lot. Please refrain from going too long. If it is imperative that you leave your baby, treat it sensibly when you have to leave your baby in the nursery or leave the baby in the babysitter at home. It's important to know that your baby will be happy again soon after the parents are away, so don't upset your baby with a long, tearful goodbye.

You can help your baby feel more independent by not being around him all the time. Of course, your baby still needs to know that you are around to feel more secure. If your baby goes to another room, wait a few minutes and then follow him. If you have to go through another room, call your baby to the same room when you arrive. You need to pay attention not to rush to your baby when he calls you because this action only makes him more dependent on you.

Health and safety

What should mom discuss with the doctor?

Most doctors will not have regular checkups for your baby this month. This turns out to be a good deal, as children this age don't like having to sit still while seeing a doctor. Babies who are anxious about meeting strangers may also dislike doctors, no matter how friendly they are. You can always take your baby to see the doctor if you have any urgent questions that can't wait until the next visit.

Mother should know more?

Most babies at this age are nearing weaning time. Babies are also extremely active and may at least have a tooth injury. This part of the article will provide you with knowledge of the two above issues to help you take care of your baby better:

Weaning

If you are still breastfeeding, the timing of weaning (both breast milk and bottle) is a personal decision depending on your individual situation and your baby's situation. You can make a decision based on your baby's readiness to wean: that is when your baby doesn't seem interested or distracted while feeding. You should also decide whether or not to wean by considering your own mood and readiness: today you may feel that weaning will be extremely easy, but the next day you will feel cold. I was confused when I had to perform this strenuous task. Many mothers continue to breastfeed until their baby can walk steadily. However, there are also quite a few people who practice weaning when a baby is one year old.

If you decide to wean your baby, gradually reduce the number of feedings each day. If your baby is breastfeeding, you should give your baby formula or cow's milk (if your doctor allows it) instead. If your baby is on a bottle, try switching to a cup. Many babies will reduce the number of feedings each day until completely weaned. You can also try shortening the time your baby drinks milk to make weaning faster and more effective.

Weaning should be an easy process, not a psychological obstacle to your baby. Here are a few tips to help your baby wean more easily:

Give your baby more attention and in the time it should be breastfed like before, stay with your baby and play with him;

Try distracting your baby if he seems to want to be fed. You can distract your baby with an item of interest or offer him a glass of filtered water from his own glass;

Ask someone else to bring your baby to bed when he shows he wants to feed before bed;

If you are breastfeeding and your breasts become engorged during weaning, try using a clean gauze bandage and hand expressing milk on a gauze for the first few days;

If your baby doesn't seem like it when it comes to weaning, stop and wait a while before trying again.

The baby's teeth damage

One day, the existing baby teeth will soon fall out and make room for permanent teeth, so don't worry if your baby has a chipped tooth. Such tooth damage is very normal, because every day a baby can fall countless times every day. However, make sure it's just a matter of your baby's appearance.

First, check your baby's teeth. If you see them having any sharp edges, let your baby see the dentist as soon as the opportunity. Your dentist may advise you to have your baby smooth the surface of the edges of the teeth or treat them with plastic fillings or porcelain.

However, see your baby's dentist right away if:

Your baby has a toothache (even though it appears a few days after the baby has a tooth);

The baby's chipped tooth is loose or becomes infected. You may notice this if your baby's gums are swollen;

You should see the middle part of the chipped tooth turn pink.

Symptoms like these may mean that the cracks in the teeth have affected the baby's nerves. In that case, the dentist will need to make a diagnosis with an X-ray to decide whether or not to extract this tooth or treat the baby's nerves. Untreated nerve nerve injury can damage the permanent tooth being formed in the baby's mouth. Regardless of the outcome, try to stay optimistic and calm because your baby will surely stumble a lot more times during the current walk.

Mother's concern

What are the things you need to care about?

By week 46, there are many things you can take care of while caring for your baby. One of them is teaching your baby to potty.

Unless you have started potty training before, you should wait until your baby is 18 to 24 months old to potty. Babies will be ready to potty when they are physically and emotionally ready to help them properly potty on their own.

Physically

Signs that your baby is physically ready include:

Babies urinate quite often and at fixed times;

Your baby can wait at least two hours to urinate;

Your baby flushes out the bladder each time;

Babies pull on their own pants and can go in and out of the toilet or sit on a potty.

Other signs that your baby is ready are when he or she understands toilet-related words and is able to follow your simple instructions.

In terms of emotions

The following emotional signs will help you know if your baby is ready to potty:

Babies recognize and understand that they are peeing in a diaper: they squat in a corner or even let you know that they are done.

Babies seem upset when they have to change their diapers.

Once the prerequisites are in place, your child is ready to learn how to potty.