Harry is constantly busy exploring his environment, at times with his mouth, but mostly with his hands. He enjoys banging items together and will go to great lengths to retrieve items he has spotted underneath chairs, behind doors etc. He stands sturdily while holding on and maintains his balance while he concentrates on his toys or watches the actions of others.
Harry has become scared of the family cat as it moves towards him, possibly because it is now at his eye level. Harry becomes visibly distressed, shaking with fear and needing comforting as the (friendly) cat approaches.
Harry's language continues to develop and he now says 'Da da da' when he sees daddy, and 'Din na' when he is put in his highchair.
Questions
1 Harry is beginning to initiate games with family members. What do you think these might be?
2 Harry is now demonstrating that he has gained object permanence. What does this mean?
Answers to part 9 questions (16 December 2004)
1 A treasure basket is a collection of safe natural objects (taking into consideration size, small parts and surface texture) that can be explored by the infant, stimulating each of their senses. Suitable items include a wooden clothes peg, a large pebble, a large sea shell, a natural sponge, an orange (this needs replacing regularly) and a silk hankie. Ideally the adult observes rather than interacts during the exploration.
2 Harry's teeth are arriving a little later than average. The first teeth to appear are usually the four central incisors (lower then upper), often by about six months. These are followed by the four lateral incisors (upper ones first). From about 12 months the first molars arrive, followed by the canines between 16 and 18 months and the second molars just before the second birthday.
3 Once an infant becomes mobile, additional safety precautions such as socket covers, safety gates and fire guards are needed. Careful supervision of pet foods becomes important, as does the monitoring of items with small parts, particularly if there is an older sibling playing nearby.
By Sandy Green, an early years consultant and freelance trainer. She is also Harry's grandmother.
