As baby is slowly becoming more independent, his mission of seek and destroy will become more apparent. No shelf is too high and no cupboard door too difficult to open. You may find it very hard to get your baby in the buggy or the car seat – it is extraordinary how strong little ones can be! While chasing after baby, you will find that his communication skills are becoming more developed and distinct as he points to objects of interest and shows what he would like to do.

Your baby’s physical development:

By now, baby can get into a sitting position from lying on his stomach. He is interested in small objects and can pick them up with his finger and thumb (so-called pincer grasp; please make sure to keep dangerous objects out of baby’s reach). Baby loves to play games, such as patty-cake (clap with hands), play with a ball, peek-a-boo and wave bye-bye. He will look out for anything to hold on to in order to train his leg muscles because standing without help is now his next big goal. Baby may also be able to cruise along furniture or even stand alone for moments. He may already be able to drink from a cup independently.

Along with his advanced ability to crawl, baby will be eager to climb up stairs and small chairs or even ladders.

Baby’s emotional development:

His growing independence and activity allow him to communicate in ways other than crying or screaming. The way baby can connect with his environment and the people that he feels close to will become more defined. At the same time he will feel less frustrated as he can convey his needs and feelings more accurately and baby can see that adults respond to him actively. His social abilities are becoming more defined too, and he will love to be around other babies. In fact, seeing lots of familiar and new faces is very important for baby in order to get to know human gestures and mimics and to learn to understand non-verbal language that we use all the time.

Baby is eager to imitate faces and expressions as well as sounds and finger movements. He loves to look at pictures as he is increasingly able to recognize them and to make connections.

By now, baby can also obey an adult’s command as his interest in seeking approval for what he is doing grows. At the same time he can show feelings of guilt.

There are a lot of games and activities that he will enjoy now. Take a look at our activity list for some inspiration here.