WHAT SHOULD SHE EAT?

Some easy to digest proteins can be given during this phase, 1 or 2 tablespoons of protein food every day can be given along with other food. Cheese, soft, well-boiled egg yolk, tofu and cottage cheese can be given in small quantities. These are some interesting protein choices.

Some other food choices are of course, vegetables. Yam, carrots, peas and sweet potatoes can be boiled and then mashed. All these vegetables will provide her with the minerals and vitamins that she needs.    

Be sure to cut her food into small pieces so that she can chew on them and will not choke on them. The pieces should be as small as her thumbnail.

At this stage, it is important to start your baby on food that contain different textures. Sticky spaghetti, coarse dal, mashed potatoes, crunchy toasts, give her all of these. Each one’s texture is different.

WHAT WILL SHE DO AT THIS TIME?

Even at this age, your baby can be emotional. She will burst into tears if you reprimand her, or may make an outburst of rage if you take a toy away from her. But the very next minute, she will be all smiles like a burst of sunshine and will be once again take center stage with her pranks! People and their moods too can affect her, when a sibling is excited, she may also get excited, or if she sees another baby crying, she too might burst into tears!

She might frequently encounter moods of frustration, so be there to support her. She will get frustrated because her plans for activities far outweigh her ability to do so. For instance, she might be dying to walk around, but just can’t, yet. So you could help by holding her hands while she waddles around the house!

WHAT YOU COULD HELP HER DO!

If your baby has an older sibling or siblings in the house, their earlier sense of fascination and adoration for the little one would have turned into frustration by now. What they had imagined as a sweet, adorable infant is actually a terror to have around, what with her constantly getting into everybody’s way. Teach your older children to keep all their precious books, toys and other properties out of harm’s way, because your baby still does not know what caring or sharing is.
You will now see that your baby can follow simple instructions and is getting afraid of heights. She will also start beginning to protect her possessions, and loves to perform for audiences, in fact, she will repeat the act if she gets appreciated.

WHAT ABOUT HER SLEEP?

You have tried everything under the sun, and yet, with all that advice available, from friends, elders, relatives and books, your baby still does not sleep. So what do you do?

As in everything else, you are the  best judge. Here are 2 tips for you:

1. Once you start a course of action in getting your baby to sleep, see it through. If you have decided not to rock your baby to sleep or hold her in your hand, then stick to it. Even if she cries. Crying will do her no harm. Set the rules and see them through. Do not keep changing your time schedules ever so often.
2. Give your schedule time to work. Stick to your plan for at least a fortnight, and try not to interrupt it with a night out or a vacation. Every new course of action takes time to work, and your baby will need some time to adapt.

WHAT SHE WILL WEIGH

As she enters her 39th week, she will be weighing anywhere between 8 and 10 kgs. Her height too is increasing daily, by now she will be anywhere between 27 and 30 inches long.