Is my baby developing correctly? Is she on the right track? How can I help her develop? New parents have an endless parade of questions running through their heads. Our experts have tackled some developmental questions to put your mind at ease.

"It's hard to believe, but your baby is preparing to talk!" says Mindy Hudon, a speech and language pathologist certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). "From the moment he was born, your baby started communicating his basic needs to you. At birth, your baby's first cry meant, 'Hey, I'm cold!' You responded to his needs and warmed him. That was Baby's first form of communication. As he continues to grow, he will start to make sounds, understand and use words and eventually participate in complex conversations. And you won't have to wait too much longer for all of this to happen!"

Games such as pat-a-cake have lasted through the years because they work so well with, and offer so much to, infants, according to Rae Pica, a children's physical activity specialist and author of A Running Start: How Play, Physical Activity and Free Time Create a Successful Child (Marlowe and Co., 2006). "They provide opportunities for social interaction, imitation, touch, rhythmic awareness and yet another chance for Baby to hear your voice," she says.

Here are a few points from Pica to keep in mind when deciding what and when to play:

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