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Object Permanence Milestone - Importance and Stages
As adults, we understand that objects exist even if we cannot see or hear them, but babies do not perceive the objects in a similar manner. For babies, whatever is not seen or heard ceases to exit. However, it is an important milestone for babies to understand and learn that even if they can’t see certain things, they are still there and this is what object permanence is all about.
What is Object Permanence
Object permanence is when your mind knows that even if you cannot see or hear something, it is there. When your baby is one month old, if you hide something from your baby or put it away, your baby thinks that it does not exist any longer, this is because his hearing and vision are still in a nascent stage. However, soon enough that is around 4 to 7 months of age, your baby understands that if something is out of sight or mind, it is still there.
Why is Object Permanence an Important Milestone
Object permanence is an important developmental milestone. Object permanence helps your baby to understand the world around him; he also learns to expect what may happen next. For instance, if you hide your baby’s toy under the blanket, he will look for it by lifting up the blanket. This gives your baby an idea that it is okay for things to disappear sometimes or give up things because he can get it back later. Lack of object permanence in the earlier months may frighten your baby. If you go into another room for some time, he may get frightened thinking that you have disappeared, as for babies what they can’t see, no longer exists. However, as your baby learns about object permanence, he learns that people exist, which means that even if they leave, they are there. And thus now when you come and go, he will be fine with it.
When Does a Child Develop Object Permanence
Here we shall discuss the stages of object permanence or how a child achieves this milestone:
1. Birth to 1 Month: Reflexes
In the neonatal stage, your baby understands and explores the world around him through his reflexes. Your baby relies on his reflexes such as sucking, startling or rooting in order to interact with the world around him. However, at this age, your baby has no idea of object permanence, but he is exposed to visual stimuli that means that he may detect movements, which is an important milestone at this stage.
2. 1 to 4 Months: Primary Circular Reaction
Your baby may respond to familiar images, objects or activities, though it may only be for a few seconds. Also, your baby may keep looking at an object or follow an object for some time. Around this age, your baby’s attention is more intentional rather than reflexive.
3. 4 to 8 Months: Secondary Circular Reaction
Around this age, a baby pays more heed to the world around him and may perform actions to generate a response. During this stage, your baby starts understanding about object permanence and may look for partially hidden things but may not look for completely hidden things. Your baby may take visual clues and comprehend about objects, but he is yet to understand more about object permanence.
4. 8 to 12 Months: Greater Sense of Exploration
Your baby is able to retrieve objects that you may hide from him, though it may seem a small task, it is a major cognitive development milestone. Your baby explores things and is more goal-oriented, which means his desire to look out for things is more intentional. However, your baby may find an object that you hide at a usual place and not understand that he can find the object at a different place.
5. 12 to 18 Months: Tertiary Circular Reaction
Around this age, your baby may be able to find an object that is within his visual field. This means that he may only look for an object that you may hide within his visual field and not beyond that. Your baby may do things to gain attention from other, which is a significant milestone for your little one.
6. 18 to 24 Months of Age: Emergence of Object Permanence
Around this age, your baby has a fair idea of what object permanence is. Your baby develops a mental representation of objects, which means that he may be able to find hidden objects too. By this time, your baby will be able to imagine a thing that he cannot see and thus he is able to understand about object permanence.
How Piaget Measured Object Permanence in Infants
Before the theory of object permanence was suggested, it was believed that cognitive development happens passively, that is it just happens. Jean Piaget, a psychologist, believed that cognitive development in babies and children is more vast and complex than it is understood to be. As per Piaget’s theory, babies do not just sit and wait for things to happen, rather they make constant efforts to understand new information, apply it to their existing concepts, and create their own representation of various objects around them. In simple words, babies understand and perceive various things around them by making use of their motor skills such as vision, touch, movement, and taste.
At first, babies have no clue of the world around them, and they believe and understand, only what they can see. Therefore, mental representation of various objects becomes very important in order to understand that objects continue to exists, even when the eyes cannot see them.
Jean Piaget calls these mental representations as schemas, which means knowledge of things in the world. For instance, a baby may have a schema for breast milk or bottle. As your baby grows, his schemas multiply and may become more and more complex. However, by the process of accommodating and assimilating, children tend to develop various new categories by increasing their already existing categories and may change their current schemas.
Object Permanence Games
Babies learn soon through fun and playful ways, and therefore as parents; you do not have to slog your way out to teach your baby about object permanence. The best way to help your baby learn any skill is by spending some quality time with your baby. It is only through interaction and experiences with parents and loved ones that may help your baby to master various skills and enhance his learning. You may buy object permanence toys or play the following games with your baby:
1. Play Leave and Return
This a good game that you can play with your little one. You can simply go from the room, leaving your baby with your partner or a caretaker and return in a while. It is a great way of teaching your baby that even when he cannot see you, you are there. Also, object permanence is not just about visual perception. You can even call out your baby from the other room to let him that you are there, even if you are not visible.
2. Play Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo is one of the best games of giving a hang of object permanence to your baby. You may play this game with your baby if he is anywhere between 6 to 12 months of age, as by this age he is getting the idea of object permanence. You may hide behind a curtain or a door and show your face to the baby and then hide again. Your baby may be able to understand that if you are not seen, you are still there hiding behind the curtain.
3. Hide Your Baby’s Favourite Toy
You can take your baby's favourite toy and hide it under the blanket for a while and then take it out. You can also leave a small part of it visible so that your baby can find it out on his own. You can make this game more interesting and challenging as your baby grows, by hiding most of the toy and making a smaller part visible. Alternatively, you can take the toy and hide it behind you and bring it in front of your baby.
The above-mentioned games are a fun way to make sure that your baby understands about object permanence. However, not all babies are alike, where some babies may enjoy playing such games, others may panic at the sheer thought of your disappearance. It is recommended that you handle the situation accordingly, if your baby is not okay, skip playing such games for some time.
If you want to know how well your child understands object permanence or any other query, get in touch with your baby’s doctor.
Also Read: 24 Months (2 Years Old) Baby Growth and Development Read more
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Astha Mishra
Mom of a 1 m old boy
13 mins ago
#megaphoto
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Rashmi has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
14 hours ago
Q. Can I check baby heartbeat in 9th week of pregancy?
Rashmi
Mom of a 9 yr 8 m old girl
14 hours ago
A. See that can only be monitored with a proper ultrasound or a machine which can check the heartbeat of the child otherwise there is no third way to figure it out further if you need to know more you can get a sonography done with your gynaecologist to have better clarity
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Common Troubles During Breastfeeding That No One Talks About
Being a mom to a 2-month-old angel, I was on cloud 9 on the day of my delivery. All my pain and crying stopped when I saw my little one. Mine was a vaginal term delivery, and she weighed 3.34 kg at birth. Things were pretty good and smooth till then.
Then came the session of breastfeeding. Being a doctor, I knew very well the importance of breastfeeding my baby soon after delivery. Like any other mom, my mind was prepared for feeding until the horrors struck.
Horror 1:
Being a first-time mom, my breasts had not yet started producing milk. It was a hassle from then, as she started feeling hungry soon after delivery and I couldn’t feed her.
Solution:
It took 4-5 days for my breasts to start producing colostrum and until then, she would keep sucking and turning more irritable. As advised by my obstetrician and her paediatrician, we resorted to formula feeding in the beginning.
Horror 2:
One of my nipples was retracted, but that would pull off slowly with the help of a massage. But the real horror didn't end there - even though I was vigilant of massaging and oiling my nipples during the antenatal period, nothing actually seemed to be effective as I developed severe nipple cracks and fissures. To accompany that, I had unimaginable pain when the baby latched and sucked, along with soreness and bleeding. I literally cried through each feeding session, and within a day, breastfeeding became a nightmare.
Solution:
As advised by my obstetrician, I used silicone nipple shields bilaterally and applied nipple cream after each feeding session. It took almost 30 days for the pain to reduce, and to be frank, it hasn't completely healed yet.
Horror 3:
As I started finally started producing milk 3-4 days after my delivery, my baby stopped sucking! I believe that it was because she either felt that it was useless to suck on something empty, or because she had sucked blood a few times accidentally. This lead to engorgement of both my breasts, causing another pain sequence.
Solution:
Self-expressing milk worked for a bit, but the real cure was pumping milk. I used a manual vacuum pump to express the milk and I fed her that.
Horror 4:
Due to extreme pain while breastfeeding, I was reluctant to feed her on demand and I would resort to formula feeding more frequently, which led to a decrease in milk production.
Solution:
Home remedies such as garlic, ghee, sprouts, milk, lots of water, eggs, and many other foods rich in protein and fat were added in my diet which, to some extent, did help me out. Above all that, I decided to breastfeed her on demand regardless of the pain I suffered.
Horror 5:
The nipple shield - the saviour I needed - was now my biggest headache. As she got used to latching and feeding while on nipple shields, when I gradually decided to feed her without it, she would turn incredibly fussy. She would never latch on or suck.
Solution:
As there were many sterility issues with using nipple shields, I had to train her to feed without them. It took several days for her and me to successfully start our journey of proper breastfeeding.
Some pieces of advice to all the new moms out there:
It is okay if you don't produce milk soon after delivery; a majority of moms don’t. So calm down and keep feeding your baby. Let her learn to latch properly while you find the best position to feed her.
It is okay to put your baby on formula feeding, provided you follow the procedure to the T and only give the amount advised by the paediatrician. But remember that breast milk is always best for the baby. Never be reluctant to feed.
Nipple soreness is a common issue in almost all first-time moms, and it will heal by itself. Apply breast milk to your nipples after each feed. Unsalted butter also helps. Train your baby to latch properly because a wrong latch can cause sore nipples.
Nipple cracks take time to heal as there is no rest to the damaged skin. The more you feed, the more time it takes to heal. Talk to your obstetrician about such issues during the antenatal period so as to prevent these problems at the early stage itself.
There is nothing wrong in pumping breast milk and feeding your baby in case of nipple cracks and engorgement, provided you follow the complete sterility procedure.
Use of nipple shields should be done very carefully. Boil them after each feed for about 5 minutes and store them in clean, sterile containers. Do not over depend on nipple shields as they can cause nipple confusion and potential latching issues.
It is important that your baby gets the initial colostrum from you as it takes care of all her health, growth, and immunity. The amount of breast milk you produce will gradually increase with time. It is important for moms to eat healthy, frequent meals and drink lots of water to ensure proper milk production. You can also take medication for the same under the supervision of your obstetrician.
Every mom is different, so never stand for any comparisons or taunts. Also never resort to any wrong practices and medicines that a non-professional would advise to increase breast milk because what you eat ultimately reaches your baby. She may fall ill.
Lastly, not all moms produce enough milk to satisfy their baby's hunger. Keep a check on weight gain, the number of stools passed, and frequency of urination. Ideally, a newborn uses 10% of their birth weight in the initial days post birth, and they gain back the weight within 10 days. From there on, they gain about 30 g per day. Passing stools 5-6 times and urinating about 12 times is expected in newborns. A total of 1 to 1.2 kg weight gain is ideal for a baby by the time they turn 1 month old.
It is okay to feed formula if you do not have enough breast milk. There is nothing to be embarrassed about it. Not everyone is perfect. Do not give ears to myths and old moms who scrutinise and judge you for the same.
Last but not least - keep calm, be happy, take care of yourself and rest when your baby sleeps because you need to take care of your body. Things don't end with childbirth; they go into a whole new phase. Talk to your better half or your mom about your worries. It is okay to feel sad sometimes because it is part of the job. Believe me, the pain is worth it in the end!
Disclaimer: The views, opinions and positions (including content in any form) expressed within this post are those of the author alone. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The responsibility for intellectual property rights of this content rests with the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with him/her. Read more
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Double the Joy! 16 Celebrity Parents Blessed with Twin Babies
We love celebrities. We love angelic twins. When we combine these two things we love, we get the perfect combination of cuteness and stardom. It can be fascinating to know more about celebrity parents of twins and how they handle the pressure of being mommy or daddy to not one but two precious babies.
Celebrities seem to live in a parallel universe where everyone has perfect bodies, 32 hours in a day, beautiful families, and careers to die for. While reality is often different from what gets portrayed onscreen, there's one thing that we can all agree upon. Looking at baby pictures instantly cheers us up!
Plus, when we're talking about twins, the joy just gets multiplied manifold! These famous twins of the proud celebrity parents are sure to win hearts. Let's meet the lucky parents who have been blessed with two bundles of joy at once!
Celeb Couples With Twin Babies
1. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/[/caption]
Angelina and Brad became parents to fraternal twins, a girl and a boy, on the 12th of July, 2008. They named the kids Vivienne Mercheline and Knox Leon respectively. Although no longer together, they are currently co-parenting their six children.
2. Sanjay Dutt and Manyata
Sanjay Dutt and his third wife Manyata are also blessed with twins. The little ones have beautiful names: the boy is called Shahraan and the girl Iqra.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Source: https://www.masala.com/[/caption]
3. Jlo and Mark Antony
Jennifer Lopez, one of the world's hottest singers and actresses, married Mark Antony, the soulful singer, in 2004. She gave birth to a son Maximilian David and a daughter Emme Maribel in 2008. Needless to say, these famous celebrity twins' snapshot became the highest paid picture at the time.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Source: https://www.hellomagazine.com/[/caption]
4. Ricky Martin and Carlos Gonzalez Abella
In 2008, Ricky Martin became a father to twin boys Matteo and Valentino with his life partner Carlos Gonzalez Abella.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Source: http://www.famous-lgbt-news.blogspot.com/[/caption]
5. Celina Jaitley and Peter Haag
This gorgeous, doe-eyed dame married Austrian businessman Peter Haag on 23rd July 2011 in Austria. This celebrity mom gave birth to twins, Winston and Viraaj Haag, on 24th March 2012. In September 2017, the couple became parents to another set of twin boys, although the incident turned out to be 'bittersweet'. Arthur and Shamser were born on 10th September, but Shamser lost his life due to a serious condition soon after his birth. Celina took to social media to announce the birth of her new babies, and mentioned that while the loss of her baby was heartbreaking, a part of him lives through his brother who survived.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Source: https://www.instagram.com/celinajaitlyofficial/[/caption]
6. Celine Dion and Rene Angelil
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Source: https://people.com/[/caption]
The famous Canadian singer took the help of IVF treatment and delivered two healthy fraternal twins on 23rd October 2010.
7. Mariah Carey and Nick Canon
The melodious singer’s twins are as famous as she is. Her twins, Moroccan and Monroe, were the paparazzi’s favourite even before they were born. The celebrity mom can often be seen playing in the park with her twins.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Source: https://www.thewrap.com/[/caption]
8. Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Brodericks
The Sex and the City star welcomed twins Marion Loretta Elwell and Tabitha Hodge in 2009. They were born through surrogacy.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Source: https://www.eonline.com/ap[/caption]
9. Muhammed Ali
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Source: https://www.itv.com/[/caption]
The undefeated boxing legend was the proud parent of twin daughters Jamillah Ali and Rasheda Ali-Walsh.
10. Shatrughan Sinha and Poonam Sinha
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Source: https://www.business-standard.com/[/caption]
The veteran actor and politician is father to gorgeous daughter Sonakshi Sinha and two fraternal twins, Luv and Kuush Sinha. The handsome men are steadily making their place in the film industry.
11. Sunny Leone and Daniel Weber
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Source: https://www.instagram.com/sunnyleone/[/caption]
This couple has made it to our lists on couples who chose adoption and surrogacy, and make an appearance yet again in this list too! Sunny and Daniel became parents to twin boys, Noah and Asher, earlier this year.
12. Karan Johar
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Source: https://www.instagram.com/karanjohar/[/caption]
KJo welcomed his 'double bundles of joy' via surrogacy in February last year. The twins, Yash and Roohi were born prematurely, and despite the initial complications that are common of premature births, they are happy and healthy today.
13. Hiten Tejwani and Gauri Pradhan Tejwani
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Source: https://www.instagram.com/gpradhan/[/caption]
The TV actors who got married in 2004 had twins, son Nevaan and daughter Katya, back in 2009.
14. Karanvir Bohra and Teejay Siddhu
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Source: https://www.instagram.com/bombaysunshine/[/caption]
It's impossible to not have come across these two and their twin girls who are making waves on the internet with their adorable shenanigans. Bella and Vienna are famous on Instagram; and one look at their account managed by their mom will show you why!
15. Roger Federer and Miroslava Federer
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Source: https://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/[/caption]
The power couple got lucky twice when it comes to twins! Miroslava gave birth to twin girls, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva, in 2009, and were blessed with twin boys, Lenny and Leo, in 2014. The quartet makes for a gorgeous picture!
16. Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Source: https://www.instagram.com/nph/[/caption]
The stars became parents to girl-boy twins, Harper Grace and Gideon Scott, back in 2010 via surrogacy.
Nothing raises the cuteness quotient like lovely twin babies. We sure love our celebrity parents of twins for bringing these bundles of joy into the world! Read more
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Babyhug - Quality products crafted for baby's comfort and happiness!
My search for baby products started during my ninth month of pregnancy. I was introduced to the Babyhug brand on the Firstcry.com App. I have already bought Babyhug's clothes, toys, cot, pram, baby carrier, feeding pillow and bottle cleaning brushes. With each product my trust and bond with this brand has further cemented.
I prefer to carefully select all the baby items on the basis of product quality, baby's comfort and my budget.
The one product which my baby adores is the Babyhug I Love Mom Applique Twist N Fold Activity Play Gym. My baby started exploring toys with his hands by trying to touch and feel them. At the same time he was getting bored of resting on his back all the time. I needed a toy which could entertain him and maintain his attention span for long. My search on Firstcry.com App introduced me to activity play gyms. I selected and bought Babyhug's activity play gym for my baby.
FEATURES:
1 soft cushioned multicolor mat
'I Love Mom' sewn on the mat
2 flexible and detachable bars
5 soft toys hanging on the bars
1 multicolor pillow
Twist and fold mechanism for quick assembly and storage
Suitable for 3 months old and onwards babies
Made of baby friendly materials
HOW TO PLAY: Baby touches and pulls the hanging toys with his arms and legs while on the tummy time or laying on the back or sitting
BENEFITS:
Bright colors attract attention
Improves hand eye coordination
Enhances motor skills as baby streches arms and legs
Can be kept on bed, sofa or clean floor
Easily carry anywhere you go
Full body excercise
Mat detachable. Independently usable for sleeping or playing
Toys detachable so rattles, soothers, mirrors or any other toys can be hanged
Easily washable by hand
Engagement for long duration
The best thing I liked about this activity play gym for my baby is that after putting him on the mat, he easily engages himself and plays for a long time, then gets exhausted at the end and sleeps peacefully on the mat itself. Also from time to time I keep changing and replacing his favorite toys, pacifiers and rattles on the bars to keep him engaged.
Babyhug's Activity Play Gym has been a total value for money product for me! Seeing him having so much fun on it, I have recorded videos and keep sending them to his grandparents. For all the time he spends on it, I am able to complete my household chores in the meanwhile.
You can also try your hands on different fabulous Babyhug products. So as they say 'Happy Baby, Happy Mom!' Read more
Dr Ghouse has added a new answer
Father of a 6 yr 4 m old child
17 hours ago
Q. my son is now 7 yrs and and last 3 three days ,he is complaining that he had bad and negative thoughts and this is too hilarious that.
we r too worried ,pls suggest 🙏
Dr Ghouse
Paediatrician
17 hours ago
A. it is quite natural small babies will be having different moods different types of behaviour please continue to interact the baby engage activities like drawing painting even clay sculpture o k
Rashmi has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
15 hours ago
Q. Hi this is pooja I am 6 weeks 3 days pregnant n m 31 yrs old my doctor prescribed me this interjection called choriotec 5000 once a week for a month .. I have already took two times but now my lil scared so can u pls tell me anyone here is it safe to take more ??? It’s not harmful nah ??? Pls ans dr
Read moreRashmi
Mom of a 9 yr 8 m old girl
15 hours ago
A. Your doctor must have given it to you for a particular reason so I’m just going to advise you to follow what she says yet if you have a doubt or you’re scared about anything then why don’t you just prospect with your Dr as to what what purpose are you taking this and what is meant to be done in case you do not take the injection or you do not want to take
Dr Ghouse has added a new answer
12 hours ago
Q. Mam last perioda mujhe 10 april ko aye the aur aj mene pregnancy test kiya hai to 1 line light ayi h to mujhe kya krna chahiye
Dr Ghouse
Paediatrician
12 hours ago
A. beta HCG test kare ok. if there is no relief it is better you see your doctor for proper examination particularly physical examination if there is need for doing investigations to find out the problem and treatment ok
Dr Ghouse has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due in 7 months
11 hours ago
Q. can I eat egg daily?
now I am in 1st trimester
Dr Ghouse
Paediatrician
10 hours ago
A. yes you can eat egg daily even in first trimester. if there is no relief it is better you see your doctor for proper examination particularly physical examination if there is need for doing investigations to find out the problem and treatment ok
Dr Vandan H Kumar has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
9 hours ago
Q. #asktheexperts
Which are the safe sites to hire japas in New Delhi (EDD July)
Dr Vandan H Kumar
Paediatrician
9 hours ago
A. you can always ask questions related to the health of child and mother in this section and it can bez either related to diet or food or vaccination or any type of medicine goingz on and given by your doctor.
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Darshana S. Macwan
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20 mins ago
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Guardian of a 2 m old girl
1 hour ago
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1 hour ago
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