"I love it when we're cruisin' together!"
It's so amazing how babies become mobile increasingly each day and Kirstin is ought to explore and test her boundaries (as well as mine!). It's an incredible milestone when she started crawling - her first sign of independence! She progress from sitting and crawling to standing and cruising (while holding on to a furniture). It's really quite a development at this stage! It makes me feel like I'm witnessing small miracles happen!
Aside from this, Kirstin is into fine-tuning the other aspect of her motor skills. She practices picking up small items like her favorite cheerios by gripping it between her thumb and forefinger. She also tries to put her blocks with holes in it to a ring.
To top it all, her language skills continue to develop quickly, too. She points or use other meaningful gestures, such as sign language or waving bye-bye or blowing kisses. She's able to say — and really mean! — "Mama" or "Dada" now, and to understand simple instructions: "Show me your tummy" or "Come to mommy." Her first word, I thought, was Mama but her daddy said it was Dada! I guess we'll just leave it as Baba (her term for bottle)! Lol! But she may also hear and comprehend — and then choose to ignore you! (Sort of like nature's way of preparing you when she becomes a teenager!)
I read though from baby articles that this is very common, that she's not deliberately being naughty; she's just constantly pushing buttons, trying to determine where the limits are and see what your reaction is - whether it makes you mad, sad, or happy!
Here's what experts say on how parents should deal about this:
It's time to introduce some basic discipline into her life. She's now old enough to remember what you say and do (any earlier than this and your rules would be forgotten almost as soon as they left your lips). Experiment to see how firm a tone your baby needs and how best she responds: A gentle "No, no" followed by distraction with a toy or song? Or a more forceful "No, dangerous!" along with physical removal from the potted plant or electric outlet she's intent on exploring?
Consistency, follow-through, and the presence of some kind of limits are more important than the specific rules or methods you choose to use. (Again, that's true for teenagers too!) While your baby may seem young for discipline and structure, remember that you are helping her learn to stay safe, as well as laying the foundation for self-control, good manners, and an innate sense of right versus wrong. In other words, you're building a good little citizen! But remember that if your baby hears no too often, the word will become less effective. Save it for the most important battles; for lesser ones, allow your baby as much choice as you possibly can, and look for alternative ways to redirect her: "That's not safe for babies, but you can play with this instead."
Aside from this, Kirstin is into fine-tuning the other aspect of her motor skills. She practices picking up small items like her favorite cheerios by gripping it between her thumb and forefinger. She also tries to put her blocks with holes in it to a ring.
To top it all, her language skills continue to develop quickly, too. She points or use other meaningful gestures, such as sign language or waving bye-bye or blowing kisses. She's able to say — and really mean! — "Mama" or "Dada" now, and to understand simple instructions: "Show me your tummy" or "Come to mommy." Her first word, I thought, was Mama but her daddy said it was Dada! I guess we'll just leave it as Baba (her term for bottle)! Lol! But she may also hear and comprehend — and then choose to ignore you! (Sort of like nature's way of preparing you when she becomes a teenager!)
I read though from baby articles that this is very common, that she's not deliberately being naughty; she's just constantly pushing buttons, trying to determine where the limits are and see what your reaction is - whether it makes you mad, sad, or happy!
Here's what experts say on how parents should deal about this:
It's time to introduce some basic discipline into her life. She's now old enough to remember what you say and do (any earlier than this and your rules would be forgotten almost as soon as they left your lips). Experiment to see how firm a tone your baby needs and how best she responds: A gentle "No, no" followed by distraction with a toy or song? Or a more forceful "No, dangerous!" along with physical removal from the potted plant or electric outlet she's intent on exploring?
Consistency, follow-through, and the presence of some kind of limits are more important than the specific rules or methods you choose to use. (Again, that's true for teenagers too!) While your baby may seem young for discipline and structure, remember that you are helping her learn to stay safe, as well as laying the foundation for self-control, good manners, and an innate sense of right versus wrong. In other words, you're building a good little citizen! But remember that if your baby hears no too often, the word will become less effective. Save it for the most important battles; for lesser ones, allow your baby as much choice as you possibly can, and look for alternative ways to redirect her: "That's not safe for babies, but you can play with this instead."
