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Cognition 1 - 3 m
Starting to Make Sense of the World
Your world as a family is starting to take shape, as your baby begins to realize that there are order and rules to his world. His memory is longer, his abilities are developing and he is beginning to understand the basics of cause and effect.
Causal Relationships
When your baby is hungry, he cries. The breast or the bottle soon appear. This provides him with exactly what he needs. As this routine in repeated, your baby recognizes the pattern. He still does not understand how this "miracle" occurs, but he has learned that there is a tangible association between crying and having nourishment provided. By the end of the third month, your baby's understanding of simple causal relationships will become even more apparent. While playing with toys, for example, you will notice that accidental hand movements soon become intentional. This indicates that your baby now understands the causal relationship between an action – extending his hand – to the very compelling result – his favorite toy moving or making a sound.
Gaining Control
As your baby's behavior becomes less random, he begins to understand that he possesses control too! For example, the first few times his thumb makes it to his mouth may be quite by accident. But you can bet that your baby will gradually try to repeat this pleasurable experience once it has happened; first by trial and error and then quite intentionally.
- Begins to understand the connection between crying and having her needs satisfied.
- Expects certain familiar situations, i.e. may begin to suck before the bottle or breast is put to his mouth.
- Shows signs of understanding cause and effect.
- Let your baby control her environment by making objects available that she can manipulate, such as hanging toys. Her movement will eventually become intentional and help her understand causal relationships.
- Avoid over-stimulation - your baby cannot concentrate on more than one activity at a time, and only for a very short time. Over-stimulation can easily cause distress
A Look at Baby's First Year of Sleep
