Baby’s Developmental Leaps Leap 8 – Programs

Leap eight happens at around the 11th month. At this stage, your baby begins to use creativity. He starts to pick up objects and play with them. A spoon can become an airplane, a TV remote control can become a phone. In this phase, he also observes what adults do and tries to imitate them. This phase also brings some changes in sleep and the baby may express more the desire to not sleep.

This phase that begins the initiation of the first year is, for many parents, the beginning of childhood and the final phase of being a baby. However, in many ways, he is still a baby.

He will learn a lot about the world, this place that has become very interesting to explore. The Leap 8 phase reveals a baby who is more agile and also determined to get what he wants.

In this new leap, the baby is already prepared to explore and learn about the world of programs. This phase will give the baby a new way of thinking and performing tasks.

In the previous developmental leap, your baby learned to deal with sequences, understanding that events happen. In the case of the current leap, the programs are patterns of decisions, that is “if you do this, that soon happens”. Your baby comes to understand that the next expected sequence depends on what has just happened, instead of repeating a pattern all the time.

Besides Leap 8, babies go through another 9 developmental leaps .

Let’s understand what Developmental Leaps are and how it is possible to help babies to enjoy this phase smoothly.

What are developmental leaps?

For those who have a baby at home, it’s easy to see how quickly they change and develop, isn’t it?

Babies seem to adapt very easily to the world outside the womb and, suddenly, when everything seems like roses, they cry and have trouble sleeping, eating, etc.

Some mood changes in babies are due to their developmental process. It is very possible that the baby is going through what we call a developmental leap.

Developmental leaps are those times when the baby is learning a new skill. These moments are accompanied by some behavioral stress in babies, which we can say is normal, since the baby may be anxious about a new discovery, or feel afraid.  We can say that all changes in life bring discomfort, fear and anxiety, and, with the little ones, it is no different.

Babies’ behavior in the face of developmental leaps can vary from one child to the other. Babies are interested in the things that happen around them, or, in other words, in the sensations they feel with new discoveries, however, each baby expresses this in his own way. There are babies who are fascinated by everything they see; other babies prefer to hear sounds. There are those who like warmth and affection all day long. Each baby is unique and will act differently for each sensation.

However, we can simplify this process that babies experience and understand what is happening to the baby. Parents can help their child develop and also go through the leaps of development more smoothly. Just identify which jump your child is at the moment and follow the tips we have for each phase of your baby.

Eighth Jump Features – Programs

As we mentioned above, in this programs phase, babies begin to associate chores not as a sequence, but as a set of sequences, becoming a program. Example. Your baby realizes that putting the dish in the sink, turning on the tap, putting soap on the sponge, rubbing the dish, rinsing and putting it on the drying rack is just one act (washing the dishes). Now he understands that several sequences can reach an end result.

 

We will understand each step of this leap and how your baby expresses himself in this moment of new sensations and learning.

Starting programs

You can see that your baby has started programs when he has performed some actions that lead to his understanding of things. For example, when he picks up a coat to wear, showing that he wants to go out or when he takes a toy and starts playing make-believe, a doll for example that he plays with in the bathroom to pee on the potty. This shows that he already understands activities as a program and his associations are made through play. Encourage and teach your little one even more.

 

Your baby responds to programs

As your baby already understands that some actions generate reactions, he starts to respond to the programs. As an example, we can mention that the mother starts to put on her coat and the baby automatically already gets in the stroller, because he already knows that they are going to go out.

Playing with programs

As mentioned above, your baby can imitate programs while playing, such as feeding the doll, pushing a stroller and many other situations. Babies mimic small programs that they already understand how they work. In this phase, parents can encourage even more playing with the child and creating stories with dolls and strollers.

 

Talking

Some babies in this phase are very chatty, and they will love to tell stories.  Stories are programs that they already recognize. Stimulate conversations, listen to your baby, ask questions and show interest. They will love to be heard and will also learn even more.

 

How to help the baby during the Eighth Leap – Programs

Here are some tips to help your baby go through leap 8 in a more beneficial way for his development and also with more security about the changes that the little one has been developing.

Tip 1: Tales

Stories are also programs. At this stage your baby can concentrate and pay enough attention to stories or cartoons on TV lasting 3 to 4 minutes. This tip is really worth practicing. Tell book stories to your baby. He will love to live this experience and will learn even more about programs. Choose books that have sharp images and tell the story with emphasis and slowly. This practice will also bring benefits to your children in the school phase.

Tip 2: Time to draw

Drawing is also an activity. Put your baby to draw on a blank sheet. He will be proud of the doodles. He will also enjoy playing with pens, putting on and taking off the caps. The game with a pen cap is also part of this leap.

Tip 3: Building with toys

Building with blocks is a fun game and will also help your baby to understand another program, building things based on the sizes of the blocks. Take several blocks and show your baby how to build a tower, placing the largest blocks at the bottom and following the order of the smallest ones at the top. Soon, he will understand how it works and will know how to do it himself.

 

How do you deal with the changes and the setbacks of each leap?

As we mentioned above, during each leap, the baby may have some not very pleasant changes in appetite, mood and some setbacks in sleep.

It’s par for the course, isn’t it? Even we adults have some difficulties in dealing with the new and with changes.  Imagine for the little ones who don’t know anything in this world.

See below some tips that can ease the insecurity and irritability of the baby during these phases of change and be able to enjoy his development in a more peaceful way.

Tip 1 – In these phases of change, babies try to feel safe, even though the new discoveries are fun, they are afraid, and, because of this, many babies may need more holding. That way he will feel less discomfort at this stage;

Tip 2 – Babies feel safe when they hear their mother’s heartbeat. This sound is familiar to them and brings warmth and security, so you can use a kangaroo or sling to keep your baby closer and bring more comfort to him.

Tip 3 – Stimulate your baby’s skills with every leap. That way he will develop with your support, will feel more relaxed with the changes and will have a lot of fun with the new discoveries.

Tip 4 – Be patient with the changes your baby faces. As difficult as it may be to start a new leap, over time he will adapt and get through it.

What are the other leaps in development and when do they happen?

 

The leaps in development happen more or less at specific times. Of course, each baby will have his own time, so we cannot say the exact moment, because each baby is unique. However, we can analyze approximately by the baby’s age and also by his behavior. So, it is important to observe the changes that your baby undergoes, whether in humor or also in the new things he has been doing.

 

In addition to leap number 8 that we described above, there are 9 more leaps in development. Let us understand below what they are and when they occur:

 

 

• 1st Leap – Discovering sensations: Leap one happens approximately in the 1st month. At that moment the baby is already discovering the sensations of his body and also what happens around him. The touch of the mom’s hands, sounds, and many other things.

 

 

• 2nd Leap – Understanding the patterns: Leap two happens approximately in the 2nd month. At this point, the baby is already discovering shapes with contrast and also has a firmer neck, so it can be placed face down to further stimulate his development. In this phase, the baby requires a little more security that he will seek in the mother and during breastfeeding.

 

 

• 3rd Leap – Improving his skills: Leap three takes place approximately in the 3rd month. At this stage, the baby can already see objects clearly and should gradually try to follow them. He already tries (and many already can) move his eyes and head in the direction in which the object is moved. In this phase, the baby can also play with a rattle and hear the sound. He may also begin to cry louder than before.

 

• 4th Leap – Recognizing sounds: Leap four happens approximately in the 4th month. At this stage the baby already begins to emit more acute sounds, and when the father and mother are not around he can make sounds for the purpose of calling to them. This phase can also bring more crying, but it is the phase that the baby begins to play alone more often.

 

• 5th Leap – Making relationships: Leap five happens approximately in the 5th month. At this stage, the baby begins to become more curious to know what happens to and with some things, such as throwing an object on the floor, pulling clothing on labels, earrings, etc. He will also show dissatisfaction when the parents are away from him. In this phase, the baby can get flustered, crying more. Holding and breastfeeding are great allies at this stage.

 

• 6th Leap – Starting to integrate: Leap six happens approximately in the 7th month. At this stage, the baby is already beginning to understand words and demonstrate that he understands some of them. In this phase, he also begins to clap and to want to crawl. He’s going to show more affection for his mother and want to be closer.

 

• 7th Leap – Curiosity about what is and what the things are for: Leap seven happens approximately in the 10th month. At this stage, the baby already begins to understand that objects have specific functions, and he tries to use it in the right way. For example, a ball is to be kicked, a spoon to eat, etc. At this stage, he also begins to demonstrate more of his will, to eat, not to sleep, to play, etc.

 

• 8th Leap – Playing with objects: Leap eight happens approximately in the 11th month. At this stage, your baby begins to use creativity. He also observes what adults do and tries to imitate them. This phase also brings some changes in sleep, and the baby can further express the desire not to sleep.

 

• 9th Leap – Desire for independence: The ninth leap happens approximately at fourteen months. At this stage, the baby already begins to want to dress alone, will also test emotions and start negotiating. This phase is also the time when he begins to not want to go with other people, only with his mother.

 

• 10th Leap – Control of his body: The tenth leap happens approximately in the first year and a half. At this stage, the baby already knows how to control his desires and also understands more clearly his parents’ will. However, expressing himself is still difficult. He may lose his appetite a little and also have nightmares at this stage.

 

Now that you’ve understood how developmental leap eight works, take the opportunity to learn more about these other leaps we mentioned above. The more you understand how each leap works, the easier it will be for the baby and also for you to go through the changes in a calm, meaningful way. Every new step in the development that your baby takes is fun for him, and he has the desire to improve and train new skills. Just encourage and congratulate him so that he can move forward more and more.