Attention, Baby 6-18 Months

To do list from the book Bright from the Start, Jill Stamm, Gotham Books

• At the beginning of this stage (six-nine month), deliberetaly attend to baby with frequent face-to-face time, bringing face within ten to twelve inches when speaking, using exaggerated facial expressions and mouth movements.

• Make direct eye contact with baby, trying to stimulate and maintain baby’s eye contact.

• Use rattel or other object for tracking across the midline, re-engaging baby’s eye contact continuously on the object.

• Point out objects while labeling objects and actions throughout the day.

• At the beginning of this stage (six-nine month), sometimes use parentese to engage baby’s auditory attention, then transition to child-direct speech in a conversational tone and speed.

• Note times of the day when baby is awake and alert. Use those times for deliberate interactions.

• Change/rotate toys or bright objects periodically for novelty.

• Say cute word “watch” when wanting baby to observe adult action. Make sure baby is focused before beginning the action. This starts te “routine”of a cue for attention.

• After gaining baby’s attention, use a quiet voice or be silent when modeling (demonstrating) a specific action to encourage baby’s attention to that action.

• Introduce only one variable (concept) at a time so that baby can concentrate on a single variable while other variables are held constatnt. For example, sort objects by color only; have all objects be the same size and shape, and only vary by color (such as red, blue, and yellow balls or red, blue and yellow socks).

• Toward the end of the stage (sixteen-eighteen months), introduce place mate as a “prop”to encourage baby to focus attention on where the activity will be.

• Keep baby out of baby carrier seat when not necessary for safety so baby can follow parent’s eye gaze.