4-Month-Old: Week 1

Babies love to check themselves out in a mirror. In fact, faces are your baby's favorite things in the world to see at this age. Hold your baby in front of a mirror and watch his delight. He won't understand that it's his own reflection until he's about 7 or 8 months old, but he'll enjoy the view. And the motion of his hands in the mirror will capture his attention.

How your baby's growing

Researchers believe that your baby can now understand all the basic sounds that make up his native language. Between this time and 6 months of age, your baby will develop the ability to make some vocal sounds, which means you may hear the words you've been dreaming about, namely "ma-ma" or "da-da." While child development experts say it's too early for your baby to connect those sounds with you and your partner, that won't make hearing them any less exciting.

You can encourage your baby's attempts at communication by mirroring or imitating his expressions and sounds. He may try to imitate you now, too. Say "baa" and he may try to say it back.

Reacting when your baby makes noises or tries to say something will help your baby learn the importance of language. It'll also help him better understand cause and effect. It's great for his self-esteem, too. He'll begin to realize that what he says makes a difference.

• Learn more fascinating facts about your 4-month-old's development.

Your life: Getting back to exercising
No new mom has ever loved the body that arrived with her baby. If you're still wearing a few leftover maternity items or dread looking in the mirror, you may decide you're ready to kick into high gear about making some changes.

Unless your doctor has told you otherwise, your body's ready to exercise. Even now, however, your joints and ligaments may still be loose from the effects of pregnancy, so go easy at first, perhaps with a low-impact exercise class.

Exercise won't affect your ability to breastfeed, but take care not to do exercises (such as certain kinds of weight training or yoga positions) that will make your breasts sore.

You can also involve your baby in your new exercise routine. Put her in a stroller or baby carrier when you go for walk, or in a baby seat or crib so she can watch you riding a stationary bike. You may want to seek out a gym that has a nursery so you can work out while your baby's being supervised close by.

Find ways to fit in exercise around your busy life. Consider workout DVDs you can use when your baby is quiet or sleeping. If you work, park a little farther from the office and squeeze in some walking, or look into a lunch-hour program at a nearby gym. If you pick something that's simple or convenient, you'll be more likely to stick with it.

Don't be too hard on yourself, though. While it's healthy to care about your body, getting in shape takes time. You'll undo all the great mental benefits of exercise if you stress too much about your appearance. Your body did an amazing thing when it created your baby — give it some credit, too!

3 questions about: Ear infections

What's an ear infection?
An ear infection — also known as acute otitis media — happens when bacteria and fluid become trapped around your baby's eardrum. An infection results that causes swelling and usually a fever.

What are the symptoms?
• Lack of hunger: Ear infections can make chewing and swallowing painful.
• Diarrhea: Ear infections are often caused by a virus that also affects the digestive system.
• Tugging and yanking at an ear (although sometimes babies do this for no reason at all).
• A sudden change in mood, particularly following a cold. Pressure in the ear can hurt, making a baby irritable.

How is an ear infection treated?
Surprisingly, they usually go away by themselves. To avoid having an infection become serious and to bring comfort to the baby, most pediatricians prescribe an antibiotic and may also recommend infant's acetaminophen.To prevent frequent ear infections:
• Keep your baby away from tobacco smoke, which can have a negative effect on the immune system.
• Continue breastfeeding if you are already doing so, as studies show that breastfed babies are less likely to have ear infections.
• Be sure your baby has had all her vaccinations, particularly Hib and the pneumococcal shots, which have been shown to reduce the incidence of ear infections.