Baby This Week: 46 Weeks

Your baby may now be able to bend over to pick up objects or play with toys. Now that's balance! For you, it's also a babyproofing wake-up call. Keep hazardous items in locked cabinets or move them to higher ground. Consider keeping one or two low cabinets full of baby-safe objects such as toys, board books, and stacking plastic storage containers. They'll help quench your little one's curiosity while offering practice in taking objects out and putting them back in.

Wordlike sounds are now spilling out of your baby, and he's able to use some of them meaningfully. As his brain continues to develop, so does his ability to reason and speak.

Encourage your baby's interest in language and his understanding of two-way communication by being an avid listener and responding to his sounds. To polish his memory skills, play games like patty-cake and peekaboo.

Words and wordlike sounds are now spilling out of your baby, and he's able to use them meaningfully. As his brain continues to develop, so does his ability to reason and speak.

Encourage his interest in language and his understanding of two-way communication by being an avid listener and responding to his sounds. To polish his memory skills, play games like patty-cake and peek-a-boo.

At this age, your baby can probably imitate word sounds and inflections. He may be able to follow simple one-step directions, such as "Please bring me the ball" or "Pick up the spoon." Help him learn by separating multistep commands into easy-to-follow single steps, reinforcing them with gestures.

Remember to cherish this brief but remarkable period when your baby's communication skills are emerging: They're perhaps his most important skill!

- BabyCenter.com