Raising Children Network: the Australian parenting website
  • Suitable for 3-18Months

Thinking: babies

By Raising Children Network
 
 

Research shows that in her first 18 months of life your baby's brain is hard at work – making sense of the world and herself. Even when it looks like simple play, your baby is gathering vital knowledge.

Baby playing with his bell rattle
 

What to expect

Your baby is likely to:

  • look at things when you name them (from eight months)
  • begin to understand that she is a separate person
  • enjoy simple puzzles (by 18 months)
  • have an improved memory – she may think before acting (and might even avoid touching the oven because she remembers it is hot)
  • enjoy repetitive games and the same book over and over
  • be able to follow simple instructions (from 18 months).

Your baby soaks up new experiences, knowledge and learning now, including any opportunities to learn through play.

Detailed experiments become a feature of your baby's play from 12 months. These might include throwing a bowl towards the floor and watching it fall, emptying out the rubbish bin, or throwing toys at the wall. This is not being naughty. It's your baby learning about cause and effect: ‘If I do this, this will happen’.

Research shows that between 8-16 months your baby will want to thoroughly explore all the toys and objects within reach – banging, dropping and shaking them to see what happens. Cups, saucers, cats, pot plants – anything she can get her hands on will get a going-over.

Providing lots of opportunity to test out her environment will give your baby a chance to learn more and more every day. If you set up a safe environment and always supervise her, your baby can roam and learn with freedom.

Play ideas to encourage thinking

  • Help your baby put together basic puzzles from 12-18 months.
  • Provide lots of fun bath toys for dunking, measuring, floating and pouring. Plastic milk bottles and margarine containers work as well as shop-bought toys.
  • Read books and recite nursery rhymes together.
  • Provide materials which can be sorted, such as different coloured blocks or balls.
  • Provide toys that let your baby push a button to make something happen.

The more relaxed the fun, the more the learning takes off. Being a playmate rather than a teacher can also help.

All children develop at their own pace. If you're concerned about any aspect of your child's development, it is a good idea to visit your health professional.
 
 
 
  • Last reviewed11-05-2006
  • References

    Berk, L. (1997). Child Development, 4th Ed. Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon.

    Manning-Morton, J., & Thorp, M. (2003). Key times for play: The first three years. Philadelphia: Open University Press.