Table of Contents
31-week-old baby Let’s get outside the town, shall we? Traveling with a toddler, your baby’s eye color, and some safe-bathing tips.
Your baby's thirty-first week after birth
Okay, let’s put this out of the way first: 31 weeks! Can you even believe how big your 31-week-old baby has become!? 31 weeks is a huge milestone in terms of the baby’s growth curve because by now, they must be able to do quite a lot of adult-like things already- and no this does not mean faux activities like having pureed solid food and making noises or trying to crawl. We are talking big, serious things here like-
- sitting without support
- smiling often, particularly at recognizing similar faces, things, and foods
- picking up and holding objects on their own
- making sounds to indicate their feelings
- most babies will also be crawling and moving forward as they crawl
- imitation of speech and other sounds
You can now expect your baby to start having a lot of fun, each day being a whole new set of activities than before. Every time you sing to your baby, they will start responding in the form of eye-contact or loud giggles. They may even start to display a sense of humor of their own, they’ll start teasing you and will also become more social around strangers.
The little one, as a growing baby, will show attachment in the form of raising arms for a hug or asking you to pick them up when they see you around and they may also look increasingly fascinated by other babies and children. And oh, mirrors! What a delight it is going to be to place your baby in front of a mirror! Watch them try to chat with themselves. reach out to touch their reflection and just generally trying to make a friend with their own reflection!
Your 31-week-old Baby: Development And Physical Growth
1. Your baby's feeding
As a mother, especially if you are a working mother, you will need to now decide between breastfeeding, formula feeding, or a combination of both. This decision is important at this point because you will have to plan out your baby’s meals. Since breast milk essentially has all the nutritional supply your baby will need, most mothers tend to stick to that form of milk supply for the baby, so if you are one of those mothers too, you will now have to prepare a proper schedule to be able to justify your baby’s needs. It should also be understood that though you may have introduced solid foods to your baby, you can not make only solids a part of their diet until they are two years old- it can only be a supplement.
2. Your baby's sleep patterns
Your 31-week old baby’s sleep will take a critical turn due to the multiple factors affecting their previously relaced sleep like teething and increasing mobility. You can also expect them to get tired very soon and very easily and so, it is important that you minimize the attractions around them at night and help them sleep a peaceful sleep. If the baby wakes up at night still, breastfeeding or bottle-feeding is usually enough to soothe them back to sleep.
3. Your baby's eye colors
Typically, most babies are born with an eye color that will not be their real eye color as they grow up. this means that while they may be born with a brown/gray/blue eye color, as they grow up, the eye color may change owing to the role of melanocytes (cells in our bodies that secrete melanin to add pigment). American Academy of Pediatrics explains that melanocytes respond to light to change the baby’s eye color. This happens only over time since there’s no light in the womb and at least for the first couple of months after birth, you would anyway not be exposing your baby to a lot of sunlight. As the baby grows, the eye color can change in response to melanin, and it may take as little as 31 weeks or as much as three years to get there!
Your 31-week-old baby's health
Infant CPR
By the time your little one is a 31-week old baby, you’ll be feeding your baby with finger foods and other solids of sorts, and so, the chances of food getting stuck in their trachea instead of passing down their esophagus are high. If your baby is coughing, breathing, or crying, there’s not much to worry about as it means that they can receiver on their own. If the baby is showing signs of choking (their face turning blue, a choked-up face with no noise), you will need to call 911 and begin infant CPR on your own. It is recommended ll parents take a class to learn infant CPR or watch a CPR video on parents.tv.
Teething
Your baby may also show signs of being in pain at around week 31 due to teething and the following inability to sleep.
Tests and vaccinations at week 31
Vaccinations are important to keep your baby safe and protected from a range of diseases. By week 31, your baby will have to be given a range of shots including hepatitis B (3 shots), 3 shots of DTaP/DTwP, Hib, Polio, Rotavirus, measles, mumps, and rubella. Your pediatrician might also recommend Hepatitis A, HPV, Varicella, Pneumococcal, and Meningococcal. While most of these are to protect your baby from dangerous viruses, the most important shot, Hepatitis B, guards the little one against a live-damaging virus called the Hepatitis B virus.
When you go to the doctor’s office, make sure you measure your baby’s growth, get a thorough physical examination, and a review of the medical history to ensure that your baby’s development is on track.
What is happening with your sex life as your baby turns 31 weeks old?
- As new parents, it is only normal for partners to keep their sex life in the back seat and make their newborn a priority above all. A lot of times parents are also so busy taking care of the baby that they feel tired at the end of the day, causing them to prioritize sleep above sex. This becomes the case even more so when you don’t spend too much time with your partner and your conversations are always baby-oriented when you do. If you are looking to boost your see drive as new parents -which we highly recommend you do – here are some tips that can help-
- Try to rekindle the connection with your partner. Dirty talk with them, flirt with them, or perhaps send a steamy text in the middle of a workday to prep them up for a surprise in bed at night
- Find some alone time. You may want to hire a nanny or use one of your parents/relatives to take care of the baby for some time as you and your partner take time to go on a dinner date. Add some wine and let the love flow!
- Pay attention to your partner. One of the best ways to attract your partners to simply pay attention. Listen to what they are saying when they try to talk to you, perhaps, just look into their eyes and know that you appreciate them.
- It is the tiny things that count! Surprise your partner with maybe a couple of gifts or perhaps, even a new lube if you are ready to go head down in the game! Something totally unexpected is sure going to be a massive turn-on!
- As you get a hang of your baby and your life, do not forget to reactivate your sex life and bring back the excitement!
Milestones Of A 31-Week-Old Baby
Your 31-week old baby will gradually develop cognitive, emotional, and physical milestones. Every day will be a new experience, as the child will be unlocking a new milestone keeping in line with the development.
By this age, your baby will be able to achieve the following milestones:
- Sit without support
- Smile often, and at a lot of new things
- Play hide-and-seek or peek-a-boo
- Pick up several objects with his fingers and hold them firmly
- Make different kinds of sounds to indicate various things
- Probably be able to move or crawl forward a bit
Imitate speech sound
Final Thoughts: Tips on traveling with your 31-week old baby and how to keep them safe during the hyper-active bath times!
- As your baby grows, you may want to take a trip and travel the countryside with your partner but you also may not be too sure about all the things you’d have to carry when you travel with an infant. Now, though it may be difficult to carry all the paraphernalia, we recommend you accept that traveling is not going to be like pre-baby (at least for the next 10 years) and so, here are some tips to help you focus on finding ways to making traveling with your baby easier.
- Carry a lot of extra baby essentials like diapers, burp cloths, baby wipes, and baby clothes– just choke your diaper bag with the extras until there’s no more space. It is never a good idea to depend on ‘buying at the destination as you never know if you’d get exactly what you need.
- Invest in an umbrella stroller. These lightweight strollers are so easy to transport and offer seamless mobility when you’re on the go!
- Also, carry a lot of toys to keep your baby entertained. The chances of your baby creating a fuss when you travel are huge!
- Keep yourself and the baby – especially- hydrated. If you are taking a flight, you should also nurse your baby during take-off and landing to relieve the air pressure
- Plan the trip around your baby’s sleep and feed schedule – but do not assume it will always work and keep your backup plans ready. For example, it may sound ideal to take the flight at your baby’s sleep time but you can never be too sure it will work out.
A 31 Week-Old Baby: General Care Tips
- Start introducing a variety of vegetables and fruits to your toddler in various forms i.e. pureed, mashed, or finger foods.
- When it comes to the sleeping pattern, you must create a routine to ensure he falls into the habit of sleeping soundly.
- Encourage curiosity.
- Whenever you get time with him play games, to improve bonding.
- Ensure that you are giving the baby an adequate amount of breast milk balanced with solid foods.
- Start developing his cognitive abilities by introducing different types of toys.
- Be patient and try understanding if and why your baby is being upset.
- Create a positive environment at home so that your baby is getting good attention.
- Smile and laugh often with your 31-week old baby.
- Keep a diaper bag ready with toys, extra diapers, feeding bottles, tissues, and extra underwear handy.
- Identify the personality traits of your baby and nurture any talent that you notice.
- As important it is to care for the baby, it is even more important to take care of yourself as a parent. If your baby is taking a nap try taking a nap with him.
- As parents, take little breaks and also help each other out to care for your little one.
Keeping your baby safe during bathtime
As a growing baby. your little one is not only going to get a lot more active but as a 31-week old baby, they’d also be rather curious and would want to reach out to everything that they can locate in their sight. While you make the bathtime fun, also try to keep the space safe.
Once your baby hits the 31-week old mark, it may be a good idea to transition from the baby tub to a big baby bathtub. They must already anyway be overgrown for their little baby tib and using the tub in such a case could be unsafe for the baby. It may be a good idea to also use a bath mat and a cushioned spout cover to protect your baby’s head from a potential faucet injury.
It may also be a nice time to incorporate some baby-safe shampoos and a lot of squishy toys in the bathroom to help keep your baby distracted as your scrub their little body. But remember to thoroughly clean the toys time and again as they are a hotspot for mold culture.
For one last tip, as you put your baby in the tub, always make sure you check the temperature first and be sure to not fill the tub too high- perhaps just waist-high. Happy bathings!
