The mental development of infants is different for each baby. There are general guidelines that relate to what a baby is generally able to do at a certain age, but individual babies may deviate from these guidelines.

 

Many factors play a role in a baby's development, such as the health of the mother, the health of the baby itself, how much time the baby is given and what mental stimulation it is exposed to. You can't compare two babies. While one sleeps many hours a day, another is very active and demands attention from the parents. Knowing and understanding typical signs of development will help parents know what to expect and what to focus on.

 

0-6 months

Even before a baby is 6 months old, it has learnt some basic rules of problem solving. Most problem-solving at this age centres on getting the attention of a parent. Babies learn to turn in the direction of a sound and respond to movement in the first six months. Most often, babies use their mouths to explore their environment by putting objects in their mouths. This also teaches them that they get their parents' attention as soon as they have something in their mouth. In addition, babies learn early stages of communication. They learn to cry when something is wrong.

 

6-12 months

Between 6 and 12 months, a new phase of problem solving develops. They quickly learn that certain behaviours help them to get their way. Crying, throwing food on the floor or touching forbidden objects give them immediate attention from their parents. Crawling is a form of problem solving. The baby wants to move around and works on a method to achieve this until it has learnt to crawl.

During this time, babies learn to play with toys that make them laugh.

 

Understanding the child's development and ability to solve problems gives a good insight into how the child is developing according to general guidelines. It is important to observe the stages of development. Problem-solving behaviour can be observed in young children from a very early age. For example, an infant already has a favourite hand that it uses, regardless of which hand is closer to the object in question.

Monitoring development is therefore particularly important, as every change in behaviour can potentially put the baby in danger. Within a few days, a baby can learn to pick up objects and put them in its mouth; if you as a parent still felt confident one week that tools or sockets cannot be found by the child, this may have already changed the following week.