Week 29 with Triplets

Ever-changing interactions make for a fun week.

Playtime Continues to Evolve

Now that the babies are all solid in their sitting it has introduced some wonderful new dynamics into play time, and their interactions.

Back when tummy time was the goal of the day, it was fun to occasionally place them in a circle (triangle?) facing each other. They were so excited to look at each other.

That has now evolved into sitting them upright in a circle and placing a pile of toys in the middle, or even an activity table (legs removed) where each baby can reach some of the interactive elements.

This easily occupies them for a good thirty minutes. This could be extended by resetting the toys that were thrown out of reach or rotating the activity table.

The new element this week was, instead of putting a pile of toys on the floor, I gave them the entire toy storage organizer bin.

They loved reaching in and grabbing one toy at a time. After playing with something for a few moments, it would be dropped to their side and another toy retrieved.

We have yet to reach the stage where they fight over toys, but this might extend that better than a pile in the middle. The bin somewhat limits what toys they can reach.

Don’t get me wrong, they are quickly developing the idea that the most interesting toy is the one someone else is playing with. At this point, however, it’s only staring at the toy and rarely reaching for it.

By the end of the week, the bin itself became an item of interest. Lifting, tipping and moving the bin was quite a learning experience in itself.

With the babies sitting, it’s also led to some changes in the play space.

There’s no longer a reason for the babies to lay on their back to play. While I did end up removing one of the play gym activity mats, it’s still fun for them to sit upright on their own side and simply interact with the hanging toys by reaching forward.

Interactions Are Revealing Personality

There was a fascinating new exchange we saw a few times this week with the babies sitting together.

For awhile now the babies have enjoyed looking at each other and sharing smiles. We’re even seeing early attempts at communication, or at least interested in their siblings while they experiment with making sounds.

What was new this week started with Baby B.

On one particular day Baby C was not doing well with his naps and this made him noticeably tired and sad.

While all three babies were sitting in a circle playing, I noticed that Baby B was interacting differently with each sibling. Baby A was in a good mood and, when Baby B smiled at her, she would return a smile.

Baby B would then turn to her brother, lean down to get in his droopy eyeline and give him a more sympathetic smile. It was as if she was trying to cheer him up.

Baby B did this repeatedly, turning to each of her siblings and interacting with them uniquely.

Where this humorously fell apart was one morning when Baby B looked at her sister and then got quite upset. My best guess is that Baby A was not returning a look Baby B found appropriate. To be honest, we had a few moments that day where Baby B got visibly upset when things didn’t go her way.

Whose a Good Snacker?

Since the first of the year the triplet’s parents have been introducing the babies to more foods.

While I’ve been supplied with some jar food and crackers, it’s been a challenge for me to incorporate that into their daily routine just yet. I’m working on it.

That said, we did get a chance to give them teething biscuits on Thursday. They all enjoy them but have different approaches to eating.

If you’re not familiar with the teething biscuits, they turn mushy very quickly when the baby takes a bite.

At least on Thursday, Baby A ate her entire biscuit with minimal mess. Baby C did pretty well and Baby B was mostly wearing her biscuit by the end.

What’s most interesting about the biscuits is how they help the babies discover their fingers. Early development involves babies grabbing items with their whole hand. As they discover their fingers, fine motor skills develop.

When eating the biscuit, it’s difficult eating smaller pieces if it involves placing their whole hand in their mouth. Eventually they learn that holding bits in their finger tips is more effective.

Maybe this is common knowledge, but it was wonderful seeing it in action.