One of the first consequences a baby learns is that some things make her feel good. When she cries, someone will come. When she is given a bottle, the uncomfortable feeling inside goes away. When she puts her fist in her mouth and sucks, it soothes her.

Your baby realises that she can make things happen. And knowing that she can have an effect on the world, even on a small scale, is the first, most basic step in the development of self-esteem.

As she develops coordination and a better memory, your baby starts to figure out what different objects are for and, in a very primitive sense, how they work.

She learns that banging produces a loud noise, that waving her rattle produces a different noise, that when she touches the object her parents call ball, she can make it move. Life becomes even more interesting when she recognizes that balls that are different colours are still balls and all can be rolled.

During the second half of the first year, your baby's understanding that her actions have consequences becomes fully developed. As her hand-eye coordination continues to improve and her strength increases, she discovers more sophisticated ways of doing things. She learns that she can use one object to push another. If her bunny is lying on her blanket, she can pull the blanket toward herself to get the bunny. This is the beginning of problem solving: figuring out a plan of action to get what she wants.