12 TO 18 MONTHS

Now your baby will master crawling so he can get where he wants to go. By the end of this stage, most babies will be standing upright, either alone or by 'cruising' along the edges of your furniture. 'Cruising' is when a baby holds onto an object, such as a coffee table, and uses it to balance while moving along its side.

Be especially vigilant about gating staircases and blocking off rooms that you would rather your baby didn't explore. Don't forget to look around again at your baby-proofing efforts. They might need beefing up now that your baby is so mobile.

HOW IS MY BABY MOVING?

By now your baby is sitting, using his hands every now and then for support. Soon he'll figure out how to get himself up to the sitting position from his belly to examine a toy closely with his hands or check out what's happening around the house. He is rolling over on his own, too.

Before your baby begins to crawl, he may begin rocking on his hands and knees, or `swimming' with arms and legs. Sometimes babies even crawl backwards first, since their arm muscles are stronger than their leg muscles.

Don't worry about the style of crawling your child chooses, and don't worry if your child never truly crawls at all. Some find other ways of getting around, from dragging themselves on their behinds to rolling across the room. As long as your baby is using both arms and legs, is using both sides of his body to propel himself, and shows interest in exploring his surroundings, there is usually no reason to be concerned.

Once he is crawling, your baby will love crawling over and under any obstacles in his way. Most babies especially enjoy climbing stairs, and such an adventure can be a great strengthening exercise - provided you are close at hand to prevent falls.

While fascinating, crawling won't keep your baby's attention forever. He wants to walk like you! Expect him to pull himself up on everything he can, from the coffee table to your leg. Teach him how to get back down by bending his legs and lowering himself to the floor.

Getting up but not being able to get down again is a common problem for first-time standers. He'll love having you hold his hands while he walks a few steps at first, and soon he may have enough confidence to let go and try a few steps on his own. Expect lots of tumbles and falls in the early days of walking, and look for the jerky, feet-wide-apart gait of a new walker. Have no fear - he'll be running soon enough.

Your baby also is developing her hand and finger skills. Instead of simply raking' objects toward him with his whole hand, he'll be grasping with his thumb and fingers (called a pincer grasp). He'll soon love to roll a ball to you, and he 'll delight in banging two toys together. By the end of this stage, he may be able to stack toys and will enjoy objects that have parts that move, or can be opened and closed.

COMMUNICATION

During these months, your baby might say 'mama' or 'dada' for the first time, and he will communicate using body language, like nodding and shaking his head. He'll pay even more attention to your words and will try very hard to imitate you - so be careful what you say!

Your baby will be testing his verbal skills as he prepares for his big speaking debut. He will be making more and more recognisable sounds, such as 'ga'. 'ba', and 'da'. He may even stumble onto a real word like 'mama', and he'll be thrilled at your excitement

Your baby will begin to express his likes and dislikes with body language, nodding in agreement or wrinkling his nose with displeasure. He'll begin to communicate what he wants by pointing, crawling, and gesturing. You'll know that your baby understands what you say to him when you ask, 'Where's Daddy?' and he looks his way; or you say, 'Go find the blue ball', and he crawls right to it. He should already respond well to his own name, and he should look up (and at least pause) when you firmly say, 'NO!'

By the end of his first year, your baby should be responding well to simple requests from you ('Wave bye-bye') and should be making some valiant babbling attempts at real conversation.

Continue talking to your baby using names as well as repetitive word games, like 'This little piggy' Ask her:'What's that?' and pause before you provide the answer. Soon your baby will be pointing and saying, `Bah?' as if he's asking a question.

Be musical and sing to your baby to encourage language learning. By listening to the words, he will learn to recognise and repeat them. Throw in hand gestures and vary the style and tempo of the music to keep your baby's attention. He will also respond to rhymes, which show him how playful language can be.

Read to your baby from large, colourful picture books, and encourage him to turn the pages. Give him a chance to 'read' and allow time for him to 'answer' your questions.

THE SENSES: SIGHT

Your baby's sight has been maturing for several months, and he is able to see quite well and even focus on quickly moving objects. He is now putting his motor skills together with his new visual skills. He can spot a toy across the room, focus on it, crawl to it, pick it up, and turn it over for visual scrutiny.

He will delight in looking at the same picture book over and over again, concentrating on the familiar images. He will love objects with parts he can move or pieces he can connect, and he'll spend lots of time staring at these things, perhaps trying to figure out how or why they work. Familiar and loving faces are still his favourite thing to look at.

Don't place conditions on your baby's play by requiring him to accomplish certain tasks or meet specific goals. If play becomes instruction, your baby may become bored or (even worse) feel that your love or attention is dependent upon how well he performs the task.

THE SENSES: TASTE AND SMELL

By this age, your baby may have a pretty good idea of tastes he likes and those he doesn't. Don't be discouraged if he seems to prefer only one or two kinds of foods. By continually offering his foods with a variety of tastes and smells, you'll be sending the message that they are always available - and you'll be surprised the day he decides to try something new.

THE SENSE: TOUCH

Your baby is getting around more on his own as he masters crawling - perhaps even walking - skills. This means he can go and touch the things he wants to touch. After making sure there are no hot or sharp items that can hurt him and no small objects that he can put in his mouth, let your baby explore the textures and surfaces of your home and yard.

SLEEP

Just when your baby is beginning to develop in so many positive ways, certain sleep problems may start to crop up. These problems are often due to your baby's increased awareness of his 'separateness' from you. Separation anxiety may mean tears and fears (the baby's, not yours) when you try to leave him in his crib at night oe when he wakes up and took around for some sign that you are nearby.

It can be difficult to respond to your 8 to 12 month-old's night-time needs with the right balance of concern and consistency, but remember : this is the time to set the stage for future restful nights for the whole family. The important thing now is to try and keep the sleep experience a positive one for your baby.

While research shows the average number of hours slept at this age is 13 per day, the range of normal is still quite wide. Your baby is probably still taking two naps a day - one in the morning and another sometime after lunch. The naps can last as long as your baby needs them to be. Some babies will nap 20 minutes, others a few hours.

The naps will usually help preventyour baby from becoming too cranky to sleep well at night and will help him (and you) enjoy his waking hours more. If you feel the napping is interfering with his bedtime too much, wake him from the afternoon nap a little earlier each day. This way, you can gradually induce him to sleep a little longer at night.

By this age, your baby is picking his own positions for sleep and is sure to move around a lot during the course of a night's rest. Keep large stuffed animals out of his crib; they can still cause problems for him if they fall onto his face. Check for ties and ribbons that Can wrap around his neck. Get rid of objects or toys with sharp edges and corners. You have probably already made sure your crib is up to today 's safety standards; but if you haven't, check it out.

Once your baby is pulling himself up using the sides of the crib, it's time to remove the soft bumper cushions. The bumpers can give him a dangerous 'leg up' for climbing out of the crib and falling. If there is still a mobile hanging over the crib, take it down now. Don't forget to look around for other things that your baby can touch from a standing position in his crib. Wall hangings, pictures, draperies, and window blind cords can all be potentially harmful if they are left within your baby's reach.

GAME FOR BABY

Some games for babies in this age group include:

• Peekaboo: Cover your face with your hands, then remove your hands and say : 'Peekaboo, I see you!' Some babies have an insatiable appetite for this game ; you may be playing it over and over for a few months.
• Rasa Sayang Eh!, Buai Laju-laju and Tepuk Amai- Amai, Babies love to learn these nursery rhymes and anticipate the accompanying movements.
• One, Two, Buckle My Shoe A counting game ideally suited for climbing up and down stairs.
• Hide-and-Seek This game exploits your baby's understanding of object and person permanence. Hide your baby's toys - or yourself - and encourage her to seek.
  
  
  

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