Has your baby ever headed straight for a wastebasket, making sure you notice? Does she reach for your glasses, almost waiting to hear you say, “No, no”? Your child is testing the limits. She is experimenting to see just where the limits are. Teaching children to behave has always been a challenge. What works best is to make it easy for her to do the right thing. That works better than trying to keep your baby from doing the wrong thing.

How can you make it easy to behave well? First, make sure your baby gets plenty of your attention when she is doing things right, not just when she is doing things wrong. She loves your attention and will do anything to get it. Give your baby safe toys and places to play. Pick up your baby and take her away from dangerous things. Be a teacher. Use words like "hot, tastes bad, and stop," instead of saying, “no” all of the time. Move wastebaskets, breakable items, and plants to a place where your baby can't reach them. Cover electrical outlets. Be patient and gentle. Keep showing and teaching your baby what you want her to do. Remember that one of the jobs of babies is to explore and learn about everything they can. Keep your explorer safe!

This newsletter gives equal space and time to both sexes. If we write him or her, we are talking about all babies. Every baby is different. Normal children may do things earlier or later than described in this FAQ. This FAQ describes typical children at each age. Each child is special and develops at his or her own pace.