They're able to pick up small pieces of food. The one that we test is a raisin, but anything like that around 10 to 12 months. And each of those are showing greater ability to handle even smaller things that require more skill. I don't think you should try to specifically stimulate various parts with the exception of language, which I'll get back to in a second. But the idea is to give them various kinds of toys, allow them to play with different size objects again, making sure they're all safe for the baby who might choke on something.
Language is a different story.
Language occurs because children hear other language. And it's critical from the beginning to talk to your baby, to read to your child, to sing to them, to have them hear the spoken word. To have that as part of the interaction, because that's what gets them to learn how to make sound. Dr. Neal Kaufman is a professor of Pediatrics and Public Health at UCLA Schools of Medicine, and Public Health and Director of the Division of Academic Primary Care Pediatrics at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. This interview was excerpted from The Parent's Journal Public Radio program, December 23, 1998.