Development
7-9 Mths: Cause & Effect
Your baby wants to discover how things work and - more importantly
- how he can make things happen. He's also learning what makes you tick
- he can pick up on your moods and displays a wider and more complex range
of emotions.
At
this stage, babies put the things they see together with the sounds they
make. Your baby will shake a rattle over and over again to confirm his
hypothesis. Give him a new toy and he'll pull strings, push buttons, shake
or throw it, to see 'what happens if...'
My baby the scientist!
Your baby's memory increases so he can
keep a series of simple ideas in mind. As he remembers the sequence of
events that causes things to happen, he repeats it... and repeats it...
and repeats it. As you retrieve the toy he's thrown down for the umpteenth
time, you may be less enthusiastic about his 'problem solving' but he
loves it!
As he discovers that he can control what happens,
he gets very excited. Now is a good time to introduce games like 'peek-a-boo'
that reinforce the idea that things can go away and then come back.
Temper, temper!
Your baby recognizes when you're annoyed
or upset and may try to win you over. His own emotions are becoming more
complex and he may display a temper, when thwarted or frustrated.
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