Baby’s Developmental Leaps Leap 9- Principles

Leap nine happens at around fourteen months. At this stage, the baby starts to want to dress alone, will also test his emotions and begin to negotiate. This phase is also the moment when he starts not wanting to go with people other than the mother.

In this new phase your baby is able to change the routines he has learned so far. And he likes to play with those possibilities. You will notice that your baby has become a good actor. He varies the programs infinitely and studies the consequences of them. At this stage, your baby begins to clown around, becomes familiar with the outdoors, begins to show more familiarity with things and with language. He imitates others, dramatizes daily life, practices emotions and starts getting upset to get what he wants, learning to be theatrical and demanding things. At this stage, the baby starts to become aggressive and selfish, showing what is mine and yours. He also begins to be pleasant and gain the good graces of his mother, to make jokes and to circumvent the rules. He begins to negotiate and bargain, and he begins to try out the YES and NO responses.

Besides Leap 9, babies have gone through another 9 developmental leaps before.

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.

Characteristics of the Ninth Leap – Principles

As we mentioned above, in the principles phase, your baby begins to have strategies to achieve his goals. He starts to think ahead more and understand if he needs to act calmly, with force, with care or in a thousand other ways.

 

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

Program Practices

Now that your baby already understands programs, he starts making strategies to achieve his goals, and he practices programs to find the best strategy. He can go down and up the stairs several times to learn and get better, as well as practicing other new skills.

 

Adaptation of programs

In the previous jump your baby was still attached to a sequence for something to happen. In that jump, he understood that the sequence could be changed. He already understands how things should be done, but it does not mean that he will do it the way he should.

Daily programs

Your baby now understands the flexibility of activities. What he learned to do one way before, now he can try new possibilities to achieve the same goal. An example is block toys, he can try to put the pointed block in the middle to build a tower. He has not yet realized that this object only fits on the top. He will work a lot with this in trials and error, testing new possibilities. Other day-to-day tasks will be very attractive for your baby to test flexibilities. Another example is when getting dressed, he needs to learn that the sweater is placed over the shirt while the socks can be put on at any time during this process.

 

Be pleasant and appease

Children in this phase already know how to use some strategies to get what they want, so we mention that. during this phase. tantrums start. Children want their wishes to be met. but they also know how to be nice and careful to get what they want. they learn to be funny and soothing.

 

How to help the baby during the ninth leap – Principles

Here are some tips to help your baby go through leap 9 in a more beneficial way for his development and also with more security about the changes that the little one has been undergoing.

Tip 1: Experimenting

Now that you know that your baby can strategize to achieve a goal, you can make him more comfortable to experiment. In this phase, babies learn more from experimenting than from speaking with adults. Baby is able to think of a thousand ways to get what he wants, Let him use his skill and creativity. Give your baby space.

Tip 2: Copy strategies

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: Copying strategies

Something very important about your baby at this stage is that he starts to copy people’s strategies. From the good to the bad, it is in this phase where example counts much more. If your child sees someone kicking objects, he will copy it. If he sees an adult eating with his hand instead of a fork, he will also eat with his hands. He will copy everything he thinks is important, if he copies bad examples, they need to be corrected with conversation, and also the adults around should act by not setting a bad example.

 

How to 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, he 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 everything will pass.

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 9 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 nine 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.