Babies grow and develop at a quick pace during the first few months of life, and goes through some very rapid physical growth and brain development. They learn to develop language skills, learn social skills, and also develop emotionally as well. Most babies grow and develop in a predictable pattern; however, all babies are unique individuals, and some babies will develop faster in some areas, while slower in others. So when you read about the baby development milestones, please keep that in mind. The important thing is that you are the most important guide in your baby's development, and it is your caring, loving, and nurturing that will help you baby achieve the best optimal development in life.
At 19 weeks old, your baby should be quite active now, and might even be a real handful at times. An average 19 week old baby weighs around 14 to 15 pounds, and measure around 25 inches. Being much more active and alert, your child will eagerly explore all around their surroundings. He or she will be able to roll over from front to back, and also roll around and wiggle around on the floor. Babies at this time have much better hand and eye coordination and can easily grab toes and feet, reach for and grab objects in his or her hands, and even put those objects in the mouth.
At around 5 months old, our daughter sure liked to grab and hold on to her toes!
As your baby grow and develop, you'll gradually notice a slow change in their sleeping and napping patterns. As they get older, they will sleep for longer hours through the night, nap a bit less during the day time, and will be awake for longer periods of time and is much more alert. Babies at this age should be getting around 14 to 15 hours of sleep each day, where night time sleep should be around 11 to 12 hours, and daytime nap should be around 3 hours.
It is important to keep in mind that infants and toddlers need a lot of sleep, and when they don't get enough sleep, they will be tired, cranky, and irritable. Because of this, it is very important for the child to develop good sleeping habits, and parents can help this along by establishing a predictable daily routine and schedule. We're all creatures of habit, and can get very comfortable with a predictable and consistent daily routine. If you have a set daily meal time, morning and afternoon nap time, and bedtime at night, your child will quickly develop and get used to this daily pattern and will develop very regular sleeping habits.
At 19 weeks, your child turns his or her head towards the speaker, and will pay close attention to your mouth movements. He or she will also have some interests in colorful objects and pictures, and also begins to know what they like or dislike. By this time, babies may be able to babble out sounds such as "baba" or "mama", and this is when parents get that first "oh my gosh, he just said mama!" moments.
Make an effort to encourage social interactions with your baby by often talking to your child. It doesn't matter whether they understand what you are saying or not, but it's simply important to talk and read often to them to help them learn and develop early language and social skills - the more the exposure, the better. You can talk to your baby about anything that comes to mind; read children's books with colorful pictures; sing songs; read nursery rhymes; play peek-a-boo; or anything that engages and interests your baby.
Watch a 2 year old toddler read, and see how this child's reading skill develops at 3 and 4 years old.