Look out, world! Stepping up that already astonishing rate of growth and development, your baby may begin to crawl this month (if she hasn't already)! To nourish the bones that support all the new and exciting activity, your baby needs a balanced diet that includes calcium and phosphorus, critical for bone growth, along with protein and other nutrients. Vitamin D must be present for bones to absorb key minerals.

To crawl (and later, to walk), your baby needs more than bones and muscle: she needs balance. This comes from your baby's vestibular labyrinth, a part of her inner ear that includes the semicircular canals and the otolith organs. The otolith organs contain a layer of tiny calcium rocks called otoliths that lies on top of a layer of gel. The labyrinth wall where the gel layer attaches is full of hair cells. When your baby moves her head, it causes the gel layer to shear, and that movement is sensed by the hair cells. This information is conveyed to baby's brain and allows it to make corrections to her balance.

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Related Health Centers:

Infant Nutrition Health Center, Mother-Baby Bond Health Center, Mother’s Milk Health Center, Monthly Infant Development Calendar Health Center,Weekly Pregnancy Calendar Health Center