Week 43

Days 295 to 301 · 42 weeks 0 days to 42 weeks 6 days old · about 10 months A typical baby this week measures about 72 cm (28.3 in) and weighs about 8.8 kg (19.4 lb). Babies vary widely, so what counts is your baby following their own curve on the growth chart. Many babies now climb as well as crawl, stand at furniture for longer and may take a few steps while holding your hands. Their understanding of words keeps growing, and so does their sense of humour. For you, ten months in, life with a baby may feel more familiar, even when it is still tiring. This week covers climbing, the dropping game, helping words along, a medicine cabinet check, biting during breastfeeding, dressing a wriggly baby and safe fun at the playground.

Day 295 · 42 weeks 0 days old

Your baby is discovering they can climb

One minute your baby is crawling across the floor, the next they are halfway up the stairs or standing on the sofa cushions. Climbing often appears around 9 to 12 months, sometimes before walking. It is a wonderful sign of strength and curiosity, and it brings a new set of safety checks.

Look around for anything that could act as a ladder: a low stool near the kitchen counter, a chair beside a bookshelf, a toy box under a window, open drawers. Move climbable furniture away from windows and counters. As you read in Part Four, anchor bookshelves, dressers and televisions to the wall, since a climbing baby can pull them over.

Rather than banning climbing altogether, give your baby safe places to do it. Firm sofa cushions on the floor, a low foam step or a sturdy ramp let them practise without a long drop.

Stairs are a good place to teach a useful skill. With you right behind, let your baby climb up a few steps, then show them how to come down backwards on their tummy, feet first. Keep the stair gates closed at all other times; teaching the skill does not make stairs safe without you.

Try this: Make a small climbing course on the floor with sofa cushions and pillows, and stay close while your baby explores it.

Day 296 · 42 weeks 1 day old

Dropping things on purpose is an experiment

Your baby drops a spoon from the high chair, watches it fall, and looks at you. You pick it up. They drop it again, this time with a delighted squeal. You may wonder if they are testing your patience. In a way they are, but mostly they are testing the world.

Dropping and throwing teach babies about cause and effect, gravity, sound and distance. Does a spoon fall the same way as a piece of bread? What noise does a cup make? Will the toy still be there when it rolls out of sight? This builds on the object permanence your baby began to grasp a few months ago. It also teaches your baby that you respond, which is a social game in its own right.

You do not have to keep picking things up forever. When you have had enough, say kindly, "Spoon is staying on the floor now," and move on. Tying toys to the high chair with string or cord is not safe, as it can become a strangling risk.

Give the urge a proper outlet instead. A bucket or box to drop blocks into, a bath toy to splash with or a soft ball to throw are all good options. Try this: Give your baby a few blocks and a metal pot, and let them drop the blocks in one by one to hear the sound each makes.

Day 297 · 42 weeks 2 days old

Everyday talk is how words grow

You do not need flash cards or special programs to help your baby talk. The most powerful tool is ordinary back-and-forth conversation, many times a day.

Talk about what your baby is doing and looking at, in short, clear sentences. "You found the duck. A yellow duck. Quack!" Use a lively, slightly higher voice with a sing-song rhythm; babies pay closer attention to it. Repeat key words often, because repetition helps them stick.

When your baby babbles, respond as if it is a real comment: "Oh, really? You think so?" Then pause and give them time to answer. These turns, the little exchanges back and forth, matter more to language growth than the number of words your baby simply hears in the background.

When your baby points at something, name it. When they make a sound that is close to a word, say the word back clearly, without correcting them. If they say "ba" while reaching for a ball, you might say "Ball! You want the ball." Background television cuts down on this kind of talk, even if nobody is watching it. Turn it off during playtime when you can.

Try this: During one ordinary routine today, such as a diaper change or getting dressed, describe each step out loud and pause to let your baby reply.

Day 298 · 42 weeks 3 days old

Time to refresh your medicine cabinet

Your baby is bigger now and more likely to pick up the colds, fevers and bumps that come with crawling, daycare and new places. It is worth checking that your home first-aid supplies are ready, before you need them in the middle of the night.

A useful basic kit includes:

A digital thermometer, as described in Part Three.

Infant pain and fever medicines suitable for your baby's age, as advised by your pharmacist, with the oral syringe that comes with them.

Saline nose drops and a nasal aspirator for stuffy noses.

Oral rehydration solution for vomiting or diarrhea.

Bandages, gauze, medical tape and a cold pack.

Your baby's doctor's number, your local emergency number and poison information number.

Check expiry dates and throw out anything old. Doses for babies depend on weight, so read the package each time and follow the dose for your baby's current weight, or ask your pharmacist. Never give aspirin to a baby or child, and do not give two medicines with the same ingredient.

Store everything up high and locked, out of reach of a climbing baby, including any medicines in handbags or on bedside tables. Many child poisonings happen with adult medicines left within reach.

Try this: Take ten minutes tonight to empty your medicine cabinet, check the dates and make a short shopping list of anything missing.

Day 299 · 42 weeks 4 days old

If your baby bites while breastfeeding

With new teeth and new curiosity, some babies try a bite at the breast. It can be startling and painful, and it can make you nervous about continuing. Most of the time, biting is a short phase that passes in days or weeks. A baby who is actively feeding cannot easily bite, because their tongue covers the lower teeth. Biting usually happens at the end of a feed, when your baby is losing interest, distracted or teething. Watching for the moment the sucking slows and ending the feed then can prevent many bites. If your baby does bite, stay as calm as you can. Slip a finger into the corner of their mouth to break the suction, take them off the breast and say a simple "No biting" in a quiet, firm voice. Put them down briefly or offer a teething toy, then try again a little later. A big reaction can upset some babies, while others find it so interesting that they try again.

Offering something cold to chew before a feed can soothe sore gums. If a bite breaks the skin, keep the area clean and watch for signs of infection. Call your care provider if a nipple wound is not healing, or you develop redness, heat, a hard painful area or a fever.

For your partner: If biting has made feeds tense, take over the bedtime wind-down for a few nights, so the feeding parent can rest and you can offer a teether before the feed.

Day 300 · 42 weeks 5 days old

Dressing a baby who will not lie still

Day 300 may well find you trying to put socks on a baby who is crawling away. Many babies who once lay calmly on the change mat now roll over, protest and escape. Dressing has become a wrestling match.

Try dressing your baby sitting or standing instead of lying down. Many babies cooperate better upright, especially if they can hold onto your shoulder or the edge of the sofa. Keep a special toy or two that only comes out at changing and dressing time, so it stays interesting.

Turn dressing into a little game of cooperation. Hold the sleeve open and say "Where's your hand? There it is!" Many babies will start to push an arm through a sleeve or lift a foot for a sock around now, an early step toward dressing themselves. Name each body part as you go, which also builds vocabulary.

Choose easy clothes for busy days: stretchy fabrics, wide neck openings, snaps at the crotch and elastic waists. For shoes, as you read a few weeks ago, barefoot is best indoors, with soft, flexible shoes only for outdoors. Try this: Next time you dress your baby, do it with them sitting on your lap and ask them to help push each arm through, waiting a moment before you do it for them.

Day 301 · 42 weeks 6 days old

Making the most of the playground

Your baby can get a lot out of a playground now: the swings, the sand, a low slide and plenty of other children to watch. It is good for their balance and senses, and a good change of scene for you.

Look for a toddler area with a soft surface such as rubber, wood chips or sand, and equipment built for small children. Use a bucket swing with a high back and leg holes, and push gently.

One common habit is worth avoiding: going down a slide with your baby on your lap. If your baby's shoe catches on the side, the force of your weight behind them can twist and break their lower leg. It is safer to let your baby go down a short, low slide on their own with your hands steadying them, or to skip the slide for now.

Check equipment before your baby touches it. Metal slides and dark rubber can get hot enough to burn skin on a sunny day, and sand may hide sharp objects. Remove drawstrings from clothing, as they can catch.

Then let your baby explore at their own pace. Next week begins with the months when many babies take their first steps, and playgrounds will only get more exciting.

Try this: Visit a playground at a quiet time this week, and let your baby crawl in the sand or grass before you try any equipment.