Monday, April 5, 2010

Let's Play a Game

It's called "Guess the age of that baby."

I often play this human-development-nerd game. And the people around me, mom or sister, roomie or friend, sometimes play along. They don't take it seriously though, because they know I'm going to own them don't have the same knowledge base. And they aren't majoring in babies HDE like me.

Well, Baby A is going to double major in HDE like me, but she hasn't taken the infancy and early childhood class yet. Once she does, then the game will be based entirely on luck or whether or not the baby does something developmentally age-appropriate while in view. Plus, it's not like I creep on every family I see, like "How old's your baybee? Huh, huh? I'm trying to win here!" I only ask if the baby or kid engages me in an interaction.

Things I use when playing the "Guess the age" game:
Infant in a chest carrier? Good head control, he's looking around? 6 months.
Out at a restaurant? She dips spoon or bangs it into bowl? 12 to 18 months. Baby getting close to feeding itself? 18 to 24 months.
At the park? Not using the pedals on her trike? 24 to 32 months. Two year olds also can't steer. Keep that in mind next time you pass one while you're out on a walk, because your foot could be involved in a minor collision.
Preschooler jumping? Definitely 4 years old. Try as they might, most younger kids cannot jump. But they are funny to watch as they try.


Oh, the hobbies I have. Really hip stuff here, guys.

Cheers,
Alison

PS: Baby L.ouis is fine. He was deeerunk for a few hours after we got him home. It was a little funny, but I felt bad for him, since he certainly didn't understand what was going on. He's eating fine even though he's missing some teeth now.

2 comments:

pyjammy pam said...

hey, my 2 year olds can jump! does that mean they're advanced? :D (they can't hop on one foot, though.)

Alison aka Baby B said...

I think my professor meant jumping in a fully developed, same-skill-as-an-adult way. A lot of toddlers have trouble with traveling hops, making it more than a few inches off the ground, etc.

Of course, every child is different, and your toddlers could definitely be advanced! :D Good gross motor skills are awesome. I'm totally a klutzy person, so I wish mine were a little better.