Child development at 21 weeks after birth

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Dr. CCII Tran Thi Linh Chi - Head of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology, Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.

When entering 21 weeks old, the baby starts to be more independent, knows how to hold the bottle by himself, to sit on his own... but at the same time, he also starts to fear strangers and clings to his mother more. You should not be too worried because this is actually a big step forward emotionally for your child. Please help your baby, those around you, and yourself, get through this phase smoothly.

1. 21-week-old baby milestone

This week, you may find that your baby is already well aware of the sounds of your voice and the voices of others familiar to him. You may find that your baby smiles more, simply because he recognizes the sound of his voice. Your baby may also turn his head to locate you when you are talking to him from a position that may be further away from him. Did you know that your voice can be incredibly powerful for your baby? You often talk to your baby with simple stories. This has been shown to help lower levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) while giving your baby more benefits. Your baby will better perceive all sounds including your voice as well as the sounds around her, which will help her brain develop more complete.
At this point, your baby can also express his feelings much more clearly. Self-expression comes from facial expressions and body language. Here are some of the different emotions your baby can show:
Fear: Your baby may cry and hold out his hand to you, signaling he wants to be cuddled and comforted by you. Anger: Baby may display a loud, hissing cry. May be pushed away and difficult to soothe until your baby's needs are met. Happy : Baby will smile more. Boredom: May stare blankly. Sometimes accompanied by crying is good. This is a magical time, you can watch your baby grow from a newborn baby into an expressive, emotional child.

2. 21 week old baby's crawling activity

Baby's rotation is getting more and more flexible. And moreover, he has the ability to turn himself in both directions. Your baby can crawl, too, although he may not be ready to crawl on his hands yet (Between 7 and 10 months is a more typical time for this if that happens at all.) Some Baby skips crawling altogether and switches directly to standing and walking. So don't panic if your baby doesn't show any signs of crawling or crawling yet.

3. Talk to a 21-week-old baby

Now you may also notice a change in your baby's voice. In addition to the usual babble, your baby may be experimenting with some intonation, pitch, and changes in volume. By now, your baby should know his name and will turn to you when he hears you call his name.

4. Baby's favorite food

Continuing to offer a variety of complementary foods in addition to breast milk or formula (which remains your baby's primary source of nutrients) will help your baby develop normally. As your baby's palate expands and develops, you may notice that he drinks less than usual. Therefore, you should reduce the amount of milk for the baby at this stage, because the baby begins to adapt to complementary foods in the baby's diet.

5. Teething in a 21-week-old baby

Has your child got his or her first tooth? Oddly enough, your baby's teeth start to form during the early months of pregnancy, but they won't really appear until your baby is 5 or 6 months old, or sometimes much later.
Even if your baby still has gums, he can still start teething. This process actually begins one to three months before the first tooth actually appears. Symptoms of your baby's teething include drooling, coughing (due to excessive saliva), chin rash (re-salivation), swollen gums, and fussiness when feeding. Your baby will want to chew on anything he can suck on. So be sure to have baby safe items for your baby to chew and suck on such as: teething toys, chilled rubber teething rings,...
Before the first tooth breaks through the gums , you should start practicing some good oral hygiene habits. Keep your baby's gums clean by wiping them with a damp cloth or using an infant toothbrush. It will work to clean the residue of food and milk in your baby's mouth and it will help him get used to the feeling of having his teeth cleaned. It also means that your baby will have less of a struggle when the teeth come in.
Baby's drool. Before and during your baby's teething, there will be a lot of drool coming out. If you do not have a cleaning method, this situation will cause you a lot of trouble. Because, baby's drool is a lot, and it can flow everywhere including clothes and objects in the house when the baby comes into contact with or stands close to those objects. The most helpful advice at this time for you is that you should stock up on bibs for your baby and some baby cleaning tools. When you're at home, you can use cotton towels to blot your baby's drool.

When a child shows abnormal signs of health, parents can take the child to Vinmec Health system for timely examination and treatment.
As a key area of ​​Vinmec Health System, Pediatrics Department - Vinmec International General Hospital always brings satisfaction to customers and is highly appreciated by industry experts thanks to the following advantages:
gathers a team of leading doctors and doctors in Pediatrics: including leading experts, with high professional qualifications (professors, associate professors, doctorates, masters), experienced, having worked in different hospitals. big hospitals like Bach Mai, 108.. The doctors are all well-trained, professional, have a heart - reach, understand young psychology. In addition to domestic pediatric specialists, the Department of Pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) who are always pioneers in applying the latest and most effective treatment regimens. . Comprehensive services: In the field of Pediatrics, Vinmec provides a series of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatric and Vaccine,... according to international standards to help parents take care of their baby's health from birth to childhood. from birth to adulthood Specialized techniques: Vinmec has successfully deployed many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in Pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery - skull surgery, stem cell transplantation. blood in cancer treatment. Professional care: In addition to understanding children's psychology, Vinmec also pays special attention to the children's play space, helping them to have fun and get used to the hospital's environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical treatment.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.

Reference source: parents.com; mamanatural.com