Friday, March 18, 2011

Answers to Our Latest Baby Milestone Quiz!

In our latest quiz, we asked several questions about babies' milestones. Here are the answers!

1. How old are babies when they first can coordinate sucking and swallowing?

a. Before birth
b. 1 day
c. 1 week
d. 1 month

Answer: a. Babies can coordinate sucking and swallowing by about 28 weeks gestation. Amazing!

2. How old are babies when the newborn sucking reflex is replaced by the ability to suck voluntarily?

a. Before birth
b. 4 days
c. 4 weeks
d. 4 months

Answer: d. I bet this one surprised you. Of course, this change doesn't happen all at once but occurs gradually. At the same time that babies are able to suck on things voluntarily, they are also gaining control over motor skills that allow them to bring things to their mouths. Around 4 months, babies add a new way to explore objects - by  mouthing and tasting them. Keep that in mind when you are babyproofing.
3. How old are children typically when they can first use 1000 words?
a. 12 months
b. 24 months
c. 36 months
d. 48 months

Answer c. For many parents, the explosion in the number of words that their children use is one of more exciting parts of their babies' development. We shared a series about language development in the Fall of 2009. Babies learn words that they hear each day. So keep this in mind, your baby will be very good at remembering the words that you use.

4. How old are babies when they can focus and coordinate vision in both eyes at the same time?

a. Before birth
b. 1 week
c. 7 weeks
d. 14 weeks

Answer. d. Vision develops very quickly in infants. Other systems can take months or years to get up to speed. If you pay close attention, you will see that your baby gets better and better at following objects with her eyes as she gets older.

5. How old are babies when they can coordinate both hands so they can hold objects that are too big for them to hold in one hand?

a. 4 to 5 months
b. 8 to 9 months
c. 11 to 12 months
d. 14 to 15 months

Answer c. Motor skills that require both hands are far more challenging than most of adults imagine. An earlier significant milestone occurs when babies can pass objects from one hand to the other. Older babies can start to manipulate large objects by using both hands to hold them. For many children, it is several years before they can consistently catch an object tossed to them. So don't worry if your older baby drops objects when you try to play catch. Your baby will still have fun trying!

Next time: Some big news about our little blog.

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