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The Mind of the Baby

Unleashing Your Child's Potential

By Marie-Helen Goyetche

"I love it when after supper Alex cuddles up with me when I'm reading my paper," says Danny, father of 27-month-old Alex. "He pretends to read and he can stay on my lap for a good 20 minutes. I enjoy that and I'm sure he does, too."

They'll learn by watching other children, or other adult caregivers in their daily activities.

"The kind of play we're talking about isn't a separate activity that has to be somehow scheduled into a baby's day, but happens naturally as adults and babies are together," Gopnik says. "That's why it's impossible to say that 'x' amount of a particular activity is necessary."

Babies are learning when they're throwing their toys out of their beds. They're learning when they take a bath and they're learning when they get into your pots and pans in the cabinet. It all may seem insignificant but the baby is learning about noise, life and the environment. She is discovering her own possibilities.

An important part of the research has found that babies who were deprived of the adult interaction made children's development worse. Babies need the adult-baby interaction. When the baby didn't get the right quality care, the baby's knowledge suffered. Gopnik says she's worried that children aged newborn to 3 may not be getting enough quality interactions to reach the mental and emotional levels they should normally reach when entering kindergarten.