Well, my baby girl is now 13 months old. She cruises around the furniture without a second thought. She pushes chairs around the dining room making “vroom” sounds like a little boy. She has even stood up for several seconds 0n a couple of occasions before she realized she wasn’t holding anything. But she will not walk. I really think she can, she just won’t.

It doesn’t help that I have several friends and acquaintances with babies who walked unusually early. For example, little Jesse was walking by himself at about 9 months. Big Connor was jogging across the room at 10 months. That’s about the same age that Kaylee was walking, and now, at just about 13 1/2 months, Kaylee dances. It’s so cute to see her up on her toes, twirling. And then I look over and see my precious daughter–so cute–just sitting there enjoying the show. When’s that girl going to get up and walk?!

If you read my post a couple months ago about wishing for teeth, then maybe you know I’m a little hyper about these things. I’m not worried that she won’t ever walk–I know she will. I know perfectly well that walking early or late has no more to do with intelligence than how early she had hair. And I’m not exactly comparing my daughter to the early walkers, because I know that those kids are unusual. I just want to see her take those wobbly little steps with a big, gorgeous (and toothy!) grin. I guess I’m ready for her to be a toddler.

My son was a couple weeks shy of his first birthday when he stepped out. And the whole family was there to see it, because it was Thanksgiving. I’m a little worried about my daughter’s big debut, because she and I are flying out of state in a few weeks for my niece’s high school graduation. What if she takes her first steps while we are away from Daddy? He’ll never forgive us…

The expert consensus seems to be that most babies take their first steps between 9-12 months, and they walk well just a couple months after that. Of course, they are all careful to say that many perfectly healthy kids don’t walk until they are 16 or 17 months old. That will drive me crazy if it’s true for her. A good friend of mine assured me that her twins didn’t walk until they were 16 months old. But they’re twins. I can easily write off that exception in development. I’ve also heard that the later babies walk, the more coordinated they are in the long run. I thought that sounded like a Old wives tale. Since I can’t find a confirmation for it, I’ll assume it’s not true.

However, Dr. Sears suggests that more easy-going babies walk later because they are more content with the way things are. My little girl is a very content baby, so maybe I should just hunker down and maybe even put the camera away for a couple months…

When did your baby walk? And have you ever heard that late walkers are more coordinated?

I can’t believe that our baby is about to hit the six-month mark. Half a year has really whizzed by! Here are some fun ways to play and learn with your 6-9 month old. Between the ages of 6-9 months, babies become more alert and mobile. They will enjoy playing with toys that they can push, pull, shake, rattle and roll.

This is a particularly important time to talk to baby; you can teach her some basic animal sounds,. Say, “What does a dog say? Woof!”, and your baby will likely respond by making or attempting to make, the same sound. Remember to repeat the sounds after baby makes them-babies love repetition!

Build baby’s motor skills by showing him how to stack and unstack blocks or plastic nesting cups.

Hold soft objects such as stuffed animals or balled-up socks in the air. You can say, “Up so high!”, then drop each object, one by one into a plastic container or basket, and say “Down so low!”. Watch to see if your baby picks up the objects and drops them into the container again.

At around seven months old, baby will start to recognize her own name when it is spoken. You can have a conversation with her using two toy phones. Speak into one phone, mimicking someone familiar to baby; this can be grandma, daddy, or even a fun character like Elmo. Repeat baby’s name often while she “listens” to you through the other phone. Pause often to let her respond to you. She’ll get a kick out of your voice if you exaggerate sounds and facial expressions.

Finally, you can teach baby about the concept of object permanence, which refers to the fact that things still exist even when out of sight. Use two large plastic cups. Place an object under each one; for example, a blue ball under one and a red block under the other. Encourage baby to lift or knock over one of the cups. Show surprise when he does, by exclaiming, “Look what you just found!”. Pick up his discovered object and talk about its name, color, shape, etc. After baby has picked up both cups, see if he tries to cover the objects with them again.

Using these toys, props and your imagination, you can come up with more fun ways to play with your 6-9 month old.

For many English-speaking children, the words “mama” and “dada” are two of the first words they learn to say consistently. Traditional logic dictates that the reason for this is because a baby is drawn to their parents, and (in most cases) their parents are the predominant people in their young lives. However, scientists believe they have an alternative reason.

The study involved taking brain scans of two or three day old newborns while they were hearing made up words. The scans pointed to limited or no response when the word had no repetition in it (such as “napena”), but increased activity when the word had repetition (such as “mubaba”). The scientists believe that part of the reason “mama” and “dada” are so commonly found in early language is because of the structure of the words.

And English isn’t the only language to employ repetition in parent terms. French, Italian, Swedish, and Spanish all use “papa” or “pappa” for father, for example, leading the scientists to speculate that human brains are “hard wired” for this type of early language development.

Source: Why ‘Mama’ and ‘Dada’ are baby’s first words via MSNBC.

For today only at Amazon.com, save on this developmental toy for baby.

This soft toy encourages the use of baby’s motor skills by responding to touch with specific sounds and is currently on sale for only $16.99.

Some products features:

• Electronic sounds when legs are pulled
• Developmental features
• Colorful satin ribbons, patterns, textures, and crinkle
• Floppy bean bag feet
• Lamaze makes a great gift

This toy also qualifies for Free Super Saver Shipping.

This morning my daughter slept until 8:00, which is a luxury I never really get to indulge in since my son usually wakes up around 5:00. I checked on her around 7:30 and saw how comfortable she was snoozing under her covers, and that’s when it hit me: I was jealous of her. I wanted to be sleeping soundly instead of folding clothes while my son practiced his death-defying leaps off the laundry basket. I wanted to wake up to a hot breakfast that I had nothing to do with preparing because it was made while I was still snoozing.

It was a fleeting thought, of course, because I do still remember how frustrating it sometimes was to be a young child. I remember not liking having my day planned out for me by someone else. I didn’t like my parents telling me what to eat, what chores to do, and I didn’t like not knowing how to do things for myself. I distinctly remember being awfully frustrated because I couldn’t tie my own shoes.

In other words, being four years old isn’t all glitz, glamor, and sleeping in until 8:00. She’s hard at work learning about the world around her and rapidly expanding her extensive repertoire of abilities and knowledge. She probably gets more frustrated throughout the course of the day than I do, but I just don’t realize it because she doesn’t admit it. So when it boils down to it, I guess she deserves to sleep in occasionally while I’m busy doing chores and entertaining her early-rising brother. After all, she has a lot on her mind, and sometimes a little extra sleep is just the thing to recharge.

Learning Through Senses ? The Key To A Child’s Development

(NC)?The first few years of a child’s life are full of new and exciting experiences that are absorbed like a sponge through the five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight and sound. From birth, newborns are bombarded with a busy world that they must learn to master. It is the senses that pave the way for a child’s development throughout his or her life.

“From birth, parents must choose toys and learning tools for their child that are fun and enjoyable to play with and that also foster sensorial growth to ensure a more complete development process,” says Dr. Kathleen Alfano, leading child Researcher and Director of the Fisher-Price Child Research Department.

A baby can start to develop hand-eye coordination, watch moving objects and be able to distinguish color and form within the first few months. Toys that will help develop these skills include the Peek-A-Blocks line from Fisher-Price – a creative and fun alternative to classic building blocks. Different series of these clear, stackable blocks are filled with everything from cute animals to fun shapes and foster the development of different senses. Touch Sensations blocks are made of different textures for baby to explore and Sound Sensations include blocks that ring and squeak.

Finding toys that will stimulate a few senses at a time are also helpful in sensory development, as a child will have to learn that in most situations, combining senses are crucial to perception. The Winnie The Pooh 1, 2, 3 Exploring Tree from Fisher-Price will keep a baby engaged and captivated from the time he/she can sit up to the time he/she can stand. Along the base, basic infant activities nurture hand-eye coordination, while Winnie The Pooh sits atop the tree among a flurry of soft, bright butterflies.

Introducing a baby to sounds, bright colors and action-based toys will make playtime more fun and enjoyable and is a good way to enhance a child’s creative abilities and imagination from an early age, teaching him/her to unlock the wonder and excitement of the world around them by simply making “sense” of it.

- News Canada

About The Author
News Canada provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web. News Canada is a niche service in public relations, offering access to print, radio, television, and now the Internet media, with ready-to-use, editorial “fill” items. Monitoring and analysis are two more of our primary services. The service supplies access to the national media for marketers in the private, the public, and the not-for-profit sectors. Your corporate and product news, consumer tips and information are packaged in a variety of ready-to-use formats and are made available to every Canadian media organization including weekly and daily newspapers, cable and commercial television stations, radio stations, as well as the Web sites Canadians visit most often. Visit News Canada and learn more about the NC services.