Your Clever Toddler in Week 53: Recognizing His Own Name

If you're on the phone with Grandma and you start relaying a story about how your toddler pulled herself up on the coffee table and proceed to pour her sippy cup of water all over the table and onto the floor, you'll likely see interest (OK, maybe even a sly grin) written all over your child's face.

Therefore, be careful. Get in the habit of talking to Gram and others about the positive and pleasant behaviors your child exhibits, and resist recounting just those that are negative or perplexing. For now your child doesn't understand every word, but he does know when he's the topic of a conversation.

As your child's receptive language skills improve, when you talk about him and what he's done you inadvertently reinforce the actions you're describing—both positive and negative. Sure, cute anecdotes may include tales of favorable behaviors you'd like your child to repeat, but if you tell the whole family about how he wielded a four-letter word in the grocery store ... well, that's the sort of negative behavior you don't want an encore performance of, which is precisely what you might get if your child overhears you.

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 13?
• Here's what our pediatrician says you might be worried about this month.