Baby This Week: 26 Weeks Old

Independent sitting is itself an important skill, but it's also a big step toward learning to crawl. Once your baby can sit up, it's only a matter of time, strength, and coordination before that translates to a lunge forward onto hands and knees. A few babies start crawling (or getting around via some other form of early locomotion, like scooting) by 6 months, although most take off between 7 and 9 months.

Your baby's stronger neck and arm muscles allow her to practice rolling over toward one side, a milestone that will probably awe and amuse you. Your baby might adopt rolling as her primary mode of ground transportation for a while, or he may skip it altogether and move on to sitting, lunging, and crawling. As long as your baby continues to gain new skills and shows interest in getting around and exploring her environment, don't worry.

At this age your baby not only tolerates attention from others, she'll often initiate it. Though you may soon notice the beginnings of stranger anxiety, your baby will probably still be fairly indiscriminate: Chances are anyone who approaches her with welcoming eyes or a grin delights her and becomes an instant friend. But don't worry — she still needs and craves lots of love and attention from you.

Your baby is also learning that her behaviors, both the ones you like and the ones you don't, engage you, so starting now (and for years to come) she'll do just about anything to get your attention. Right now almost everything she does is endearing, but as she gets older, she's more likely to get into mischief to provoke a reaction from you. Just don't forget to give her positive feedback when she's being good. It's a great way to start teaching right from wrong.

One thing will become clear: Your baby is beginning to expand her attention-getting repertoire to include more than crying. You may notice her wriggling, making noises, blowing "raspberries," and so on. Over the next three months, she'll develop a uniquely personal way of letting you know what she thinks, wants, and needs.

- BabyCenter.com