Your Brilliant Baby in Week 36: Deferred Imitation

Want your baby to use a tissue to wipe his nose? Hope your child learns to put his napkin on his lap? Insist your child wears a bicycle helmet once he learns to ride a bike? Expect that your child read every day? You know the parenting drill by now: Allow your child to see you exhibit these desired skills. Your baby learns most efficiently by watching you, plus it overrides all other forms of learning—and your presence will become even more crucial to her habits later. If you don't wear a bicycle helmet and tell your child to do so, he may do as you say right then but later when on his own, he may copy you by not wearing his helmet. Call it deferred imitation!

Your Week 36 Toolbox

Related skills and topics this week include …

• What's happening in Baby's ninth month?
• Use our Development Tracker to check off your child's 8-12 month milestones.
• Here's what our pediatrician says you might be worried about this month.