Your Clever Toddler in Week 56: Wary of Robots

Therefore, if you buy a battery-powered, robot-like vacuum cleaner and turn it on, understand that your child might be wary, if now downright fearful, of it for a while. Once he mentally places it into the inanimate object category and comes to predict its movements, he'll relax. (This may take some time! Schedule cleanings accordingly, Mom.) Soon, your child will come to terms with the fact that inanimate objects move in a variety of ways—batteries, wind-up mechanisms, even remote-controlled motors—and you'll have to give your child less reassurance when new gadgets are underfoot.

Your Week 56 Toolbox

Related skills and topics this week
include …

• Week 22: Knowing Which Objects Move Themselves
• Week 32: The Onset of Wariness
• Week 33: Discovering Which Objects Bump!
• Cool Tool: The Perfect Playroom

Coming soon, look forward to: Week 57: Why Copying Builds Relationships
Review the most recent accomplishments: Week 55: Developmental Games To Play Now!

Curious about how else your toddler might be developing right now? Learn more about her clever brain and her growing body here:

• What's happening in Month 14?
• Here's what our pediatrician says you might be worried about this month.