Sleep, Social Response And Head Control

Your baby is 10 weeks old today and she is becoming much more predictable.  Her routine probably has her  taking three naps during the day – morning, noon and late afternoon.  Your baby may be sleeping through the night, too.  At this age, sleep experts usually consider ‘sleeping through the night’ as sleeping for five straight hours on average, but some babies at this age may sleep for extended periods.  Both of my children were pretty bad sleepers, but I have many friends whose children slept really well from day one.  In that sense it is really important to encourage good sleeping habits early on. 

As your baby’s sleeping habits develop so does her communication skills.  She has been vocalizing various sounds, cooing and chuckling for some time and now she is starting to vocalize in response to social situations.  For example, when you are having quality time with your baby and playing, talking and/or singing to her, she is vocalizing maybe an “ah” in response.  Even though your baby won’t say her first word yet she is beginning to understand that there is an exchange in communication. 

Your baby’s neck muscles are now stronger to hold her head steady when she is sitting upright.  You will notice that when she is lying on the floor on her tummy, she is lifting her head completely off the ground and looking at her environment.  Tummy time has made quite a bit of difference in strengthening all the muscles that enable your baby to hold her head steady.