Baby This Week: 49 Weeks

Your baby understands more than she says, and she's aware that everything around her has a name. Help satisfy this curiosity by pointing at familiar objects and naming them: "Ball." "Truck." "Airplane." Few 11-month-olds are ready to say these words, but they file them away for future use. Soon you'll be able to say, "Where's the ball?" and she'll show you. If her first words sound strange, she may be repeating them the way they sound to his ears: "da-ee" for "doggie," for example.

It's a good time to introduce your baby to the concept of helping out. Though she won't be able to get it just yet, by the time she's a toddler she'll be excited to assist in putting toys away and picking up spilled snacks. Emphasize "please" and "thank you" and you'll set the stage for her to repeat these words back to you someday!

Though at this point his vocabulary likely consists of only a couple of words besides "mama" and "dada," your baby can probably babble short, fully inflected sentences that sound like she's speaking a foreign language. Act as though you understand.

Your baby may be able to respond to simple questions and commands, especially if you give her some clues with hand gestures. For example, ask "Where's your mouth?" and point to it. Or try "Hand me the cup" and point to the object. She may even answer you in her own way, using her own gestures, such as shaking her head for "no."

Because she's receptive now, it's a good time to begin to teach your baby how to help out. Emphasize "please" and "thank you," and make toy cleanup time fun by turning it into a game. Though she probably won't get the idea just yet, it's not too early to start. Break the task into very small parts. At this age, he'll need you to work with her by her side.

It's up to you to help your baby make connections between objects and their names — the more you do, the faster your child's vocabulary will grow. 

Keep talking to your baby and labeling things. Count stair steps as you climb them, and point out the names and colors of the fruits and vegetables at the grocery store. Read your baby a picture book and ask her to point to or name familiar objects.

 Solicit her opinion once in a while: Ask her if she'd like to wear the red or the blue socks, or if she'd like to play with her blocks or his stacking rings. Give her only two choices — both of which are right in front of her. She may not answer, but then again, she may surprise you.

- BabyCenter.com