6 - 12 months

Big mobility changes here. Crawling, pulling up on furniture and eventually walking. This means everything within baby’s reach has moved up and beyond. Lower the mattress in the crib to accommodate your little stand-up comedian. With mobility comes the ability to explore and satisfy curiosity. Babies love to poke fingers in holes, electrical outlets and animal’s orifices. Curiosity leads them into, under and atop places they often shouldn’t be. They are mobile trouble seekers. This is that 24/7 cycle you’ve heard so much about. Adult eyes must never leave babies in this stage. Sharp edged furniture is shoved out of the way. Cabinet handles are secured with strong rubber bands. Electric plugs are filled with plastic guards. Pet food containers are removed from temptation.

By now your child has lots of toys, but would much rather play with pots, pans and spoons. Let them. Maybe they will love cooking some day and you will be the beneficiary of some fine meals. Large empty cardboard boxes are fun too. There is nothing like an empty space to crawl in to satisfy curiosity. Play with other kids is good too. It’s a fine opportunity to spread germs, get into toy tugging matches and poke into each other’s noses. It’s all part of building a strong immunity system. Washing hands is always a good thing, before and after. 

There is some controversy about infants watching TV . . .