As you go through the third trimester, the movements become more definite and more detectable. You are able to detect a kick from a punch as well as feel your baby flip and roll. As the baby gets bigger you start to guess what it is you see moving along your belly. Is it an elbow? Is it your babies foot?

Eventually the baby gets too big to do the flips and rolls, so he tried to stretch and play in other ways. He may start head butting you in your bladder, making you have to visit the bathroom constantly and find that nothing is coming out. He may stick out his elbow, poking you in the side as to say, “Mommy, I am here!”

If he is head down you might feel him stretching into your ribs, using his feet to push against your bones and muscles. You might feel pressure at the top of your uterus from the baby pushing on the inside. If you put your hand and push back you may feel a little ball. It makes you have to ask, is that his knee or his heel? You can start playing a game with your baby because he will probably move this body part to another position in your belly, which you can follow him and gently push back. You will be telling your baby, “I know you are there, I am here too.”

The movements of your baby are definitely the best part of pregnancy and as they get stronger in the third trimester, they make up for all the aches and pains you may have had in the first trimester from the morning sickness and fatigue you probably felt. The movements are normally the first thing a woman says that she MISSES about being pregnant, if not the only thing.

One of the first things that you will want to do, when a long distance grandparent, is start planning your trips to see your grandchild. This is particularly important if you are on a budget or if you must make expensive travel arrangements. Unfortunately, the high costs of travel often keep long distance grandparents home, but you shouldn’t let it. Preplanning can allow you to develop a money saving budget. All money saved can go towards the cost of travel. No matter what sacrifices you need to make, if any, they will be well worth it when you see your new grandchild.

Another step that you will want to take is speaking with your child to see what they need for their impending arrival. Being a long distance grandparent, you may be unable to attend baby showers or see first hand which new baby gifts were given. Before purchasing any supplies, toys, or clothes for your new grandchild, you will want to speak with the parents first. This will prevent unnecessary purchases and it will also enable you to purchase items that will be put to good use.

As previously stated, long distance grandparents may be unable to attend pre-baby celebrations, such as baby showers. If that is the case, you may want to take steps to create your own celebrations. If you have other friends or family members where you reside, you may want to collect baby gifts to send back home. If you will be arriving to see your new grandchild shortly after their birth, you may want to plan your own baby shower. This is actually a common occurrence with long distance relatives.

Another one of the many steps that you will want to take, as a long distance grandparent, involves keeping constant contact with your child. This will provide you with a direct link to your new grandchild. Be sure to state your wishes of being an active, long distance grandparent. You may want to take steps to set up an email account. This email account will allow you to regularly stay updated with the progress of your grandchild, through pictures. Also, something as simple as speaking to your new grandchild on the phone will help them identify you by sounds.

The above mentioned points are just a few of the many that you, as a long distance grandparent, will want to take into consideration. As your grandchild grows, you may want to take steps to send gifts out their way for each occasion, including holidays. For instance, a small Easter basket for Easter or a small bag of treats for Halloween, may make it appear as if you are right there enjoying each and every important minute with your family.

When your child moves from crib to bed it’s a milestone in his life as well as yours. There is no precise time for making this move, though typically it’s between the first and third birthday. The key to success is to be patient and allow your child time to adjust to the change.

Why move a child from crib to bed?
If a child sleeps well in his crib, don’t rush the change. Switching to a bed gives a child freedom and brings new issues for parents, such as the yo-yo syndrome or early morning wanderings. The most common reasons to switch:

• Your child learns how to climb.
  — Move your child out of the crib when the rail is up to the level of his nipples, since climbing out is more possible.
• Your child outgrows the crib.
  — Don’t assume it’s time! You may think that he’s uncomfortable, but he may be content in his little nest.
• Your child asks for a bed.
  — If she’s old enough, then go ahead and take the leap.
• Your child is learning how to use the toilet.
  — Even if your child uses the toilet during the day, it’s often a long while before bedtime dryness happens.
• A new sibling is on the way.
  — If your little one loves his crib, then ousting him to make room for the newcomer may add stress. If you feel that the time is right then make the change two months or more before your newborn arrives.

What kind of bed should my child move to?
There are a number of options for a child’s first bed:

• Toddler bed
  These are small, low and child-sized. They have guard rails on all sides, and come in playful designs.
• Regular bed
  A common choice is a mattress, box springs and bed frame (with all sides protected from fall-outs). Consider a double or bigger size to accommodate the night-reading ritual.
• Mattress on the floor
  A popular choice is a mattress or futon on the floor. This provides your little one with a big-kid bed, but one that prevents any painful falls.
• Bunk bed
  Hold off on a bunk bed until your child is 6 years old, when it is considered safe.

How do we make the change?
Which approach is best for you will depend on your reasons for making the change, your child’s personality, and the size of his room. Here are a few options:

• Big-kid bed hoopla
  Some children enjoy having an official Big Kid Day party. Set up the bed, decorate the room and add a few sleep-related gifts like books and stuffed animals.
• One-step-at-a-time
  Take the mattress out of the crib and place it on the floor in the place as the crib was. This gives your child the same sleeping surface and view of the room as he’s accustomed to. Place guard rails around the sides to create a crib-like enclosure. Keep the same bedding and crib toys. This is a mid-step between the crib and a real bed.
• The gradual introduction
  Set up the new bed in the same room with the crib. Allow your child to play on the bed and nap there. Do your bedtime reading in the new bed. This will help your child get used to the bed gradually.

Patience and encouragement
No matter which path you choose – be patient. Big steps toward growth often happen in spurts, and your child may be excited to welcome the change one day, but wary of it the next. Maintain your nightly bedtime routine and help your child develop a positive association with his new bed, since he’ll be sleeping there for many years to come.

Copyright Elizabeth Pantley. (McGraw-Hill, 2003)

About the author:
Elizabeth Pantley is the author of several books, including Gentle Baby Care : No-cry, No-fuss, No-worry — Essential Tips for Raising Your Baby, The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night, Kid Cooperation (with an introduction by William Sears, MD), Perfect Parenting, as well as her latest The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers and is also president of Better Beginnings, Inc. She is a popular speaker on family issues, and her newsletter, Parent Tips, is seen in schools nationwide. She appears as a regular radio show guest, and has been quoted in Parents, Parenting, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, American Baby, Working Mother, and Woman’s Day magazines. Visit Elizabeth’s web site http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth.

Your baby is so excited. Now they can go get that toy across the room on their own, instead of waiting for you to bring it them. They can also get the little piece of food on the floor, the shoe by the door, or the cords to the computer too if you do not have the house properly baby proofed. Once your baby starts to crawl you need to double check daily that there is nothing around that can harm your baby.

Crawling is a natural step for your baby that comes after your baby can sit up and after they discover that tummy time isn’t such a bad thing. It will either start by your baby moving from a sitting position to being on his hands and knees, or pulling his legs up underneath him while on his tummy pushing himself up with his hands. Your baby may get in the crawling position several times before he ever starts to crawl.

Before your baby starts to crawl he will probably sit there and rock back and forth. Some babies may not realize that they can move at first, while others may be scared of the instability of having one hand off the floor. Eventually though they will learn that by moving one hand and one knee, they can get some where!

Some babies start off with a modified version of crawling call the “army crawl”. This is where they learn to crawl on their elbows before they ever bring their knees up beneath them. While we think this could hurt, for some reason babies don’t get rub burns on their elbows and they are able to get around this way very easily. Some babies are content to crawl like this for months, before ever bring their knees up. This is a case of, “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it”.

For some reason some babies find crawling backwards easier than crawling forwards. If this is your baby, don’t be surprised if he never crawls forward before he learns to pull himself up and walk. He is crawling and getting himself where he needs to be, so what is the point in learning it differently!

There is no definite time that your baby will start crawling. It may happen before he is six months old; it may not happen till he is closer to a year. All babies are different and learn things at different rates. If you are afraid your baby is behind, talk to your pediatrician about it at your baby’s next well check.

Chances are, if you introduce the sippy cup to your baby with anything but juice, or another sweet drink in it, he will not be in a hurry to drink from it. Nipples are much easier for the baby to get formula or breast milk from, than a sippy cup. Most pediatricians will tell you NOT to give the baby sweet drinks in a sippy as a way to get them to drink from it because it can lead to the baby ONLY wanting to drink juice from that sippy cup, making the switch to formula or breast milk that much harder.

One way to break your baby from their bottle is gradually. Cutting down the number of bottles you give during the day and only offering sippies. This works well for some mothers, if you have the patience and time to do it. Most will start by cutting out a bottle at a time for a week, normally starting with the morning bottle and offering just a sippy cup. Every few days or week cut out one more feeding till you only offer a bottle before nap and bedtime as a way to help their baby relax and fall asleep. Eventually cut out that nap time bottle, teaching your baby to fall asleep without the comfort of the bottle, hopefully making it easier to remove the bedtime bottle as well. Some mothers believe this it he kinder, easier way to wean from the nipple to the sippy cup.

The other way to break your baby’s habit is cold turkey. Cold turkey however requires a lot of patience and willpower on the part of the mother. When my daughter was 9 months old I decided to wean her off the bottle cold turkey. At that point she had no interest in the sippy cup. To avoid confusion I took away the pacifier at the same time.

If you are going to wean your baby cold turkey, you have to be prepared. Stock up on your baby’s favorite food and snacks. However, don’t be surprised if your baby doesn’t want them at first. Have a sippy of formula or milk waiting for your baby and available to your baby at all times throughout the day. Offer him the sippy, and food, but do not give in when he cries for the bottle. Don’t be surprised if the first and even if through the second day your baby refuses the sippy cup and all most of the food you are offering him. Remember, if your baby gets hungry enough he will eat. At this point it is a battle of wills between you and your baby. The first day will probably be very hard for both of you. There will be a lot of crying and screaming from your baby. By the end of the day you will be exhausted if not screaming to yourself as well.

The second day will go about the same, hopefully by the evening though your baby will have started to give in a bit and be willing to drink some from the sippy, and eat the other foods you offer. By the time the third day comes to a close, the worst is over and your baby has probably completely given in. The sippy is as welcome to them the morning of the forth day, as a bottle would have been, and they are back to eating and drinking as normal. This cold turkey method works well for most, if the mother has the willpower to stick to it.

There is no “right” way to wean your baby off of the bottle. It is best to make the decision based on your family and on their needs, planning appropriately ahead of time.

To have the most rewards from playing with Music and the baby, follow these simple ideas:

• Young children tune in to the sounds of music;Â
   
• Their body movements also manifest happiness through music spontaneity;
• The baby may acquire musical concepts by playing with sounds, singing, moving, and listening; 
• Experiencing music is a chance a baby has at pre-verbal learning;
• The baby should be encouraged to use his body as a musical instrument for physical experience;
• The child learns music by personal experience and discovery. It’s necessary to promote positive effective growth, using success as a motivating factor;
• Knowing by perception of oral images and movement is the basis of music expression;
• The baby is only able to find the meaning of music when he acts on a piece of music;
• The discovery of her own movements and environment enables the baby to form concepts and function to order his inner musical world;
• The baby shows s/he has musical concept without verbalizing it when s/he displays consistent response to a certain class of stimuli;

When choosing locomotion, you can experiment with walking, running, jumping, hopping, lunging, galloping, and skipping. The movements to the music can reflect energy, speed, and dimension, level in space, flow, and direction.

When choosing to use the voice, you can play low, high, somewhere in between. The voice can be loud, soft, somewhere in between. Playing with the sounds, one can stop immediately, last a long time, keep sounding, and get louder or softer. In order to make melodies, your voice can go up or down with different shapes, in steps with wider spaces, by sliding. It can be jerky, you can sing words, hum, whistle, go tra-la-la, go oo-oo-oo, or sound sad and lonely. You can do what you want with your voice, and the baby will profit from your actions.

You can use the drum, the rhythm sticks, the tambourine, the triangle, the melody bells, the piano, and the guitar to stimulate your baby in order to have precocious experience with music.

Improvise, choose a song and sing it with the baby, and play music games with the baby (examples: Statues, marching, ‘Contrary Mary’, ‘Follow the Leader’, ‘either-or’, play what I play, etc.).

No matter how simple or complex the activity, play with music with your baby. S/he will love it and you will both have fun and benefit from it!

About the Author:
Dr. Eliane Leao is a native of Brazil, South America. She has a background in Education from Purdue University (Masters) and a PhD in the Department of Educational Psychology from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP)/Purdue University (Ph.D.). Dr. Leao has also three Bachelor’s degrees, one in Piano, another in Musical Education, and a third in Voice. Dr. Leao is currently a professor of Music Education and Music Therapy conducting research on the influence of Music in Early Childhood Learning. Visit her website for more information on Babies and Reading, Music, and Learning and for a Free Ebook on these subjects at www.baby-can-read.com.