Crawls forward or backward, sometimes while holding an object
She is beginning to string two behaviors together.
She is developing small-motor skills such as the pincer grasp, used to pick up small objects between thumb and fingers
She can recall events in the recent past
She knows that toys don't disappear when they're hidden; they still exist somewhere
She starts to investigate the world.
Your baby's skull has developed enough for her to begin to articulate sounds. She starts with vowels and moves on to all the other sounds made in every language.
Toys with dials and levers, musical toys
Entertainment centres that encourage standing and cruising
Once baby can transfer objects from hand to hand, the achievement of sorting and building becomes even more enjoyable. The opportunity to explore more complex challenges strengthens self confidence.
What you can do to help your baby learn more with:
Help your baby concentrate on learning “empty” from “full” and “in” from “out” by first playing with the canister top off. Narrate as baby plays: “You’re putting the red block in. It’s round.” Deliberately say the shape and the colour, and whether it’s going in or out. When all the blocks are out, say “empty.” When they’re all in, say, “full.”
When baby is ready for shape sorting, put away all of the shapes except for the round ones. Set the canister aside, too, and use the top as a puzzle--this will make the shape-sorting process more visible for your child. Let your child experiment with getting the circle in the correct opening. If your child has trouble, point out the round opening and say, “Try this.” Baby might get it, but if not, have the patience for trial and error.
When baby has mastered the round shape, put those blocks away and say, "Now let’s try the square ones." And when baby can sort that shape, try the two shapes together - this may be the same day, or the next day, or in a week or so. It all depends on when baby’s ready.
Be there to prompt and encourage - "Great job!" - but know that babies learn more through experimenting and exploring and problem solving than when you do something for them.
All children develop at their own pace, and reach milestones at different times. The highlights mentioned in this web site are meant as approximate guidelines only. If you have any questions about your child's development, consult your healthcare provider.
