How do I know if I'm providing appropriate learning opportunities?

[mrs.t]

DS just turned 8 months. He's always been very textbook in terms of milestones, or even a little ahead. I want to provide opportunities for him to learn developmentally appropriate skills, without "overteaching" him. He is very independent, he's been crawling and pulling himself up to stand, which is what he wants to practice most of the time. I sign to him, which I probably should do more consistently because he hasn't started to sign back yet. I read to him every day, and DH and I play with him a ton, but should I be doing anything more specific? Is there a book that anyone can recommend? I'm not trying to make him into the next child prodigy, I just want him to learn at a normal pace.

[yippiehippie]

SOunds like you're doing well to me. I'm a certified Baby Signs instructor and don't worry about him not signing back yet, around 10mo is more likely. Mine is the exact same age and we do about the same and, from the spirited baby thread, I know they've been at about the same developmental patterns. I've also coached gymnastics for kids as young as 4mo for 10yrs and I think it's important to get them around other kids, like in a class setting. The little Gym, Gymboree, My Gym, music classes, etc. are all good for their social, emotional, physical, and mental development. We do a lot of singing at home, too.

Relax, you're doing tons more than a lot of parents do;)

[AislinCarys]

About signing, the best tip I got in the baby signing class I took was not to introduce more than 1-3 signs at first (and choose useful signs to the baby, i. e. milk/breastfeed, food, drink, more, all done/all gone, potty/nappy change and possibly something like cat or dog, if you got one or cat or bird if your LO loves them). Once the baby signs back one sign you can introduce one new sign, and once they sign back the second sign you can introduce all signs you want!

I had been trying to learn signs to introduce to DD and found it really difficult to remember, and I think I would have forgotten most of the time if we had started with a lot of signs. But this way, once DD started s

[AislinCarys]

I hate that it has gotten so difficult to reply since the change, I may just leave mothering alltogether! My DD pushed a button, and then of course the marker was moved and I couldn't get it back. :(

I had written at top that I think you're doing fine.

Ant to continue the broken sentence, once DD started signing back, it was easy, I think I sort of learned from her.

[Redheaded_Momma]

What you are doing is wonderful. I like to take the kids around the house and name everything you see. This is the fridge, stove, burners, oven, microwave, sink, etc. Of course, that's if you haven't already done that.