Infancy

Every infant is an active learner. While it may seem that many of the actions your infant engages in during the day are random and spontaneous, the fact of the matter is that virtually every movement and sound has a purpose that contributes to her understanding of the world.

Through clinching, biting, grasping, turning, babbling and bubbling, your infant is experimenting with all the resources at her disposal--using her body and its immediate surroundings to find out how things work internally and externally. Your infant thinks, but thinks with her body.

Provide him/her with things she can grasp, roll around, push into, hit at, caress, and, in other ways, interact with. Talk and sing to her frequently and respond to her own babbling with appropriate noises of your own. The sound of your voice provides important modeling for future language acquisition.

Hold him/her frequently and play "pat a cake" and other fun games that help develop him/her sensory motor awareness. Provide her with a range of new experiences everyday. In this way, you'll be helping her do what she does naturally--actively learn about the nature of life.

During the first year of life, a baby goes through a series of stages of physical coordination that won't be repeated. It is fascinating to watch this human development, this urge to be upright, to stand, to walk. It is a strong and exciting human urge that defies almost any attempt to stop it.

* Physical development in infants in general works from top to toe. First there's control of the head, then the trunk (sitting up), the body (standing), and finally, the legs (walking).

* It's common for a child to pull up to a standing position and then cry because he or she is unable to return to the sitting position. It's a frustration that lasts about three weeks until a child learns to drop. So don't get angry over having to help out repeatedly during this period, it will pass.

* You can help your baby walk by holding the baby's torso, rather than the arms or legs for support. Encourage walking in an area where the floors are not slippery or too hard for falls.

* Do take the time to mark these milestones on a calendar, a journal, or in a baby book. These wonderful, unforgettable events can all too soon be forgotten.