Developmental Wednesdays

I'm introducing a new feature today - Developmental Wednesdays. Every Wednesday the post will be focused on some aspect of baby/preemie development. Everything from what to expect, positions to encourage specific movement, ways to interact and more. Development can be a huge area of focus and concern for parents of preemies so I hope you will find the information useful. As with all developmental expectations, remember to look at your baby's adjusted age not his/her actual age.

The following is a list from the Active Learning Series called the "Baby Can List." I found this to be a helpful chart that shows how your baby's skills change and develop as they going from being a newborn to a 5 month-old.

Newborn
- feel, taste, smell, and hear
- move arms and legs to play
- cry when in need of something
- enjoy being held and spoken to
- see things 8" to 12" away
- begin to turn head
- make eye contact
- look at clear simple pictures or designs
- grasp a small thing briefly
- make cooing sounds
- lift head to look around
- smile
- follow with eyes from side to side
- reach toward a toy
- show happy and sad feelings by making sounds
- sit supported, head steady
- turn head toward your voice or other sounds
- watch your mouth when you talk
- hold and shake a small toy
- see things farther than 12 inches away
- look at hands and feet
- bat or hit at things
- support head and chest with arms when on stomach
- try to roll over
- reach out when on stomach
- watch moving things
- answer a sound you make with another sound
- try to pull up to a sitting position
- bounce when held in a standing position
- enjoy looking in a mirror
- hold something in either hand
- play peek-a-boo
- recognize familiar people
Five months