17 weeks old

EATING LESS FREQUENTLY
Your baby has a bigger tummy now, so she won't need to fill up as often. Four or five times a day will often do it, in fact, unless she's exclusively breastfed, in which case she'll still want to eat six to eight times a day.

Your baby may have doubled her birth weight by now, and she's still gaining, of course, despite her more mature eating schedule. (The content of your breast milk has also changed, with more fat and minerals to match your baby's nutritional needs.)

Don't expect maturity in her eating habits though: Your baby is easily distracted now, and feedings can become frustrating as she stops to watch a sibling or respond to an outside noise. You might try to minimize distractions by feeding her in a quiet, dimmed room.

PLAYING SOLO
By now, your baby can play with her hands and feet for a few minutes at a time. She's quite fond of doing one action over and over again until she's sure of the result. Then, she'll switch things up just a bit to see if the result is different.

Suddenly you realize it's strangely quiet in the bedroom and look in, only to discover that your baby, who so far has needed your attention for most of every waking moment, is amusing herself in her crib. You might be able to start reading the paper again — well, maybe just the headlines.