6 Months to 1 Year

A typically developing baby accomplishes amazing feats during the second six months of life. Legs that once seemed as sturdy as spaghetti usually become strong enough for baby to stand. Hands grab at and get everything in sight. Words – like “mama”, “dada”, and “bye-bye” – flow from your baby’s mouth.

Mobile infants explore everything around them, so it is very important that you make sure their environment is clean and safe and that areas on the floor have room for free movement. Be aware that babies develop motor skills at very different rates – an early crawler can be a late walker. It may help to get down on all fours to see your home from your baby’s viewpoint. Install outlet covers, baby gates, and other safety items as needed.

Your baby loves to imitate you at this age. She is learning so much about how things work and how people behave. She will realize that she is separate from you and may become distressed when you leave or when a stranger appears. A strong, loving relationship gives your baby the secure base from which she can explore her world.

Now is the time to begin teaching your baby the names of objects around her. Remember that she learns by listening to you. Talk and sing to your baby. Play games or sing songs that include her name. Make up your own songs us- ing melodies from such favorites as “Happy Birthday” or “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”.

Not sure what too small means? Use this as a measure

If a toy is less than 1 1/2 inches wide, don’t let a baby or toddler play with it!

Physical Development

As your child’s first teacher, you can:

• Provide clean, safe areas on the floor for free movement.
• Be aware that babies develop motor skills at very different rates – an early crawler can be a late walker.
• Make an area with sturdy furniture where your baby can practice pulling upright to a standing position.
• Give your baby blocks, rattles, and toys to hold and drop.
• Offer action toys, such as pull-string toys and busy boxes.

Typical 1-year-old Milestones

• Creeps on hands and knees or begins to walk
• Sits without support
• Holds, explores, and throws objects
• Switches toys from one hand to another
• Feeds herself with finger foods
• Identifies one or more body parts

Language Development

As your child’s first teacher, you can:

• Talk often to your baby. Describe her actions and build on them.
• Ask questions using visual cues and encourage your baby to respond by pointing or reaching.
• Make a sound and encourage your baby to copy you.
• Play simple games that put words with actions and sounds.
• Read short books to your baby as she sits on your lap.
• Show your baby large, colorful pictures and books of animals, toys, and people, while talking about what she sees.

Typical 1-year-old Milestones

• Can understand many more words than she can say
• Imitates simple sounds and says short words like “mama” and “dada”
• Shows intense interest in adult language
• Likes being held and read to
• Shows an interest in pictures
• Enjoys songs

Intellectual Development

As your child’s first teacher, you can:

• Give your baby boxes, buckets and cups for dumping and filling with water, or other safe objects.
• Provide nesting measuring cups, stacking rings and blocks that she can sort by color and size.
• Play games by dropping and hiding toys.
• Play peekaboo.
• Ask your baby to do simple things like come to you.
• Do things your baby can imitate like blinking your eyes, making animal sounds, or clapping your hands.

Typical 1-year-old Milestones

• Puts things in a container then empties it
• Drops objects on purpose
• Tries to build with blocks
• Finds toys that are dropped or that are partially hidden
• Starts imitating simple actions, such as blowing a kiss or petting a dog

Social/Emotional Development

As your child’s first teacher, you can:

• Introduce new people to your baby from the safety of your arms.
• Talk to your baby when you move out of sight so she knows you are near.
• Learn to distinguish what your baby means by “no.” Is she telling you she doesn’t want something or that she is tired?
• Provide opportunities to be around other children.
• Change your tone of voice and facial expression when expressing approval and disapproval.
• Play simple games with your baby.

Typical 1-year-old Milestones

• Shows anxiety at separation from you or when a stranger approaches
• Expresses negative feelings
• Shows interest in other children
• Shows pleasure in new accomplishments
• Enjoys playing games with you and laughs at funny sounds and activities
• Is aware of your approval and disapproval
• Begins to try to feed herself

Toys for Learning

• Rattles with handles, teething rings, and other safe objects baby can chew
• Push and pull and pop-up toys
• Washable cloth toys, dolls, and stuffed animals (make sure all parts are permanently attached)
• Unbreakable mirrors
• Sand and water play materials
• Lightweight blocks
• Simple 2-3 piece puzzles
• Cloth, plastic, or cardboard picture books
• Musical toys – bells, rattles, and lightweight banging instruments
• Texture balls and low, soft climbing platforms

A Few Book Suggestions

• At Home by S. Tucker – bright pictures of familiar objects
• The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boyton – a soothing, rhyming story of animals on their way to bed Hippety-Hop Hippety-Hey: Growing rhymes from birth to age three by Opal Dunn & Sally Anne Lambert – A collection of rhymes and how to use them with different age children
• Jamberry by Bruce Degan – a playful poem with musical words and fun pictures
• Mother Goose Rhymes (New York: Simon & Shuster, 1984) – Lots of wonderful, fun rhymes in a cardboard book
• Read Aloud Series by Rosemary Wells – a fun board book series that introduces classic songs like “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”

Temperament

Does your baby wake up from a nap immediately kicking and wanting attention or does she wake up slowly and get upset if you move her too quickly? During the second half of the first year, a baby’s temperament – a child’s natural way of reacting to the world around her – is apparent. Understanding how your baby responds can help you understand what is normal for your child, help you anticipate how your child will react to particular things, and give you tools to assist with your child’s adjustment.

There are nine elements that are used to assess temperament:

1. Activity Level – is she always moving or does she prefer to stay in one place for a while?
2. Distractibility – is she easily distracted or not?
3. Persistence – is she likely to get “locked in” to an activity or can she easily be redirected?
4. Approach and Withdrawal – how does she handle the new and stressful?
5. Intensity – is she loud when she’s excited or upset or is she mild in her reactions?
6. Adaptability – how does she deal with change?
7. Regularity – are her sleep, bowel habits, and rhythms predictable?
8. Sensitivity – does she adjust easily to differences in textures, smells, tastes, and temperature or not?
9. Mood – is she basically positive or negative in her reactions?

Based on your answers to these questions, you may describe your child as active, quiet, or somewhere in between.

Once you understand your child’s temperament, you can anticipate her reactions. If you have a very spirited child, you know that she is not trying to make things difficult for you by her emotional reactions to her “scratchy” clothes – this is simply her natural perceptions. You also know when she is her “usual self” and when she is not. When she’s not, you can make a decision about whether she might be sick or feeling stressed or moving into a spurt in development.