40 a c t i v i t i e s f o r t h e y o u n g b a b y
4 TO 6 MONTHS OLD
When a baby gets a little older she can:
• smile in response to a familiar voice or sound
• explore her body to learn what it is like
• make sounds that are like words but do not make sense (babble)
• bring an object in her hand to her mouth
• move an object from one hand to the other
• reach for toys she hears, feels, or sees
• roll over from her back to her stomach, and from her stomach to her
back
• get ready for sitting and crawling (for example, by trying to balance
while sitting on someone’s knee)
At about this age, a baby who is blind may begin to
repeat movements over and over.
A child who is blind often repeats
unusual movements over and over,
like poking her eyes, flapping her
hands, and rocking her body.
No one knows for sure why this
happens. It is probably because
every baby needs to explore and play.
If she does not know there are interesting
things around her, a baby will play with the only
thing she knows — her body.
You may notice these movements before your baby is 6 months
old. These movements may harm her development if they keep
her from paying attention to the people and things around her.
As she grows up, other children may not want to play with her
because her movements frighten them.
The activities in this chapter will give your baby many
opportunities to learn new things.
Encourage your baby to explore and
play, and she will probably make
these movements less and less
often.
helping children who are blind