So you have a 1 month old bundle of joy, and you're starting to get some sleep, and you're starting to wonder, what do I need to be doing to stimulate my 1 month olds development. Hi, I'm Dr. Donna with some advice on that, simple, but really challenging question for a lot of people. The first thing you need to do is, remember, that at a 1month old, they're still getting use to their environment. They're getting acclimated to their new sites and sounds that are in their house. So what you want to do is, you really want to hone in on those skills, the sensory motor skills. A few things that you can start with is just really simple props that you can either have around your house, or you can go and buy. One thing that you can do is, just get some simple rhythm sticks, and have them, just start tapping with your child, see if they'll start to follow it, they'll track it with their eyes, bring it down to their ears, see if they'll turn, okay. At 1 month they may not show any interest, but they'll know that it's going on. Another thing that you can do is, you can put some socks on their hands. Move the socks around, let them see the socks, let them feel the socks, let them get a sensation of that. Again, you're working on sensory motor. And with this age of the baby, you want to make sure that you go at their pace, go slowed pace, don't overwhelm them with too much. Another thing you can do, you can get a scarf, maybe you don't have one, you might have a bandana, use a scarf, create some movement above their eyes, let them see, again lets see if they're tracking it with their eyes, move it up, move it down real gentle. Your baby will show that they're getting a little distressed, they'll start to make facial movements, they may start to wiggle around a little bit, back off a little bit, give them a little chance to acclimate to these new activities. Another thing, shakers, everybody has a shaker, a rattle, again, just give them the opportunity to see it, to hear it, to track it. You can even put it in their hands, let them feel it, let them shake it. Another thing that you can do, get flashlights, you can get rattles, all these props you can get at home, you probably have around the house, or you can get little toys that make noise, let them feel it, let them see it, again, squeaky toys are great for this age. One thing that I really enjoyed with my daughter, and I'm a big believer in DVD's, putting DVD's, like if they're in a swing, or maybe just in their highchair, just give them some DVD's, interact with them. So there you have it, you got some tools and some techniques, good luck. I'm Dr. Donna.
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