Why Do Babies Blow Bubbles?
Source: ©Grain&Weave, In-Home Family and Newborn Baby Photography
It’s been two to three months since your beautiful bub came into the world and life is returning to a new normal.
While everything may not be perfect, by now you and bub have settled into a schedule and you have already started noticing developments.
You may have elicited a proper smile that isn’t just gas. Bub may be holding their head up for longer and starting to follow objects by sound or sight.
Then one day you notice your bub is gurgling, blowing spit bubbles or ‘raspberries’. The oxytocin-inducing cuteness is entertaining when friends come around and when you’re bonding with baby – but maybe less so in the middle of the night when you’re trying to sleep.
Get your camera ready – this is actually a massive developmental milestone!
Nevertheless, if you’ve ever wondered why babies are so obsessed with this action, it turns out you should be getting your camera ready – this is actually a massive developmental milestone!
A completely normal part of infant development between two and five months, blowing bubbles is a highly significant action in which bub is experimenting with their mouth and readying themselves for speech, using their tongue, chewing and drinking.
The babbling or humming that may be present is getting bub ready for making proper language sounds later on. Match this with a smile – a skill already potentially learned – and bub is fine-tuning their motor skills.
“From birth, babies are discovering how their bodies and their worlds work through sensory exploration. To us it might just be spit bubbles, but to them it is a sequence of actions that causes an effect and they are honing their skills. It is also part of their oral development,” says Tammy Gardiner, an early childhood expert and founder of the Sydney-based parenting service Sydney Baby Concierge.
Newborn photography stages captured at home in Sydney. ©Grain&WeavePTY
An increase in saliva at this time also means bub is getting ready for the first tooth. Amazing!
So it’s safe to say that blowing bubbles is just the tip of the developmental landslide that is about to occur over the coming months.
A UK study from Lancaster University even goes as far as to say infants who blow bubbles and lick their lips seem to learn how to acquire language earlier or at least easier than babies who don’t.
Dr Katie Alcock and her team were looking to assist children with early stage language skill difficulties, but also found that babies and toddlers who developed complex mouth and cognitive movements early on tended to have better language acquisition skills.
But while this miraculous life stage paves the way for a lot of future milestones, parents shouldn’t stress if not everything goes to plan – after all, every bub is different and learns differently. It doesn’t automatically mean there is a developmental delay.
Provide a variety of experiences for your child. It will make a huge difference to both parents and child.
— Tammy Gardiner, Baby Concierge, Sydney
“It is a fine balance when it comes to timing of milestones and when to worry,” explains Tammy.
“Ultimately, I tell parents to follow their gut. It can be useful to observe other children of similar ages as a guide, but it is important to remember that every child is different and there can be a range of several months in which children reach a milestone.
“If a parent is concerned it doesn’t hurt to see a professional, and as a general rule, when intervention is needed, the earlier the better.”
Tammy also advises the best thing parents can do to keep developmental milestones on track is to put aside the devices and busy schedules and simply spend quality time with baby, as well as allowing them plenty of tummy time.
Playing with the kids and interacting with them is by far the best way to boost their development. Family image captured by Grain & Weave in-home photography in Sydney.
“Talk to them and get down on the floor with them, interacting and having fun. Ensure that your child has time to simply be on a mat on the floor, provide lots of opportunities for tummy time, and read, sing and talk to your baby,” she suggests.
“Provide a variety of experiences for your child – get outdoors and don’t be isolated. Get out into the world and experience it with your baby. We are so lucky here in Australia with the weather – we can pretty much be outdoors all year round. It will make a huge difference to both parents and child.”
Every week there seems to be a new milestone. Why not capture your baby and family’s milestone moments with a Grain & Weave in-home photography experience?
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Article Study Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5106294.stm
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