3-min read
2025-08-26
5-min read
Development isn’t a race. It’s a flow.
Every baby—and parent—is figuring it out at their own pace.
Instead of milestones, we encourage you to focus on this amazing moment.
Your baby’s brain makes more than one million neural connections per second in these first three years. Simple, consistent interactions with baby today can have profound, lifelong benefits.
Here’s how baby’s brain is developing this month, and how you can support their progress.
Developmental Highlight
The hand and finger muscles baby’s developed through crawling can now be used for their next big skill: pointing.
If you’ve ever traveled to a place where you didn’t speak the native language, you know the power of pointing. Baby doesn’t have all the words to communicate with you yet, but this familiar gesture can get them pretty far—and shows how far they’ve come.
Before we go any further, it’s important to understand the difference between receptive language (understanding words) and expressive language (communicating with words).
Pointing demonstrates receptive language, and there are two kinds to watch for:
- Imperative pointing: Pointing to request an object or action from another person. For example, baby pointing at their favorite toy on the shelf.
- Declarative pointing: Pointing to share interest in something with another person. For example, baby pointing at a colorful picture that caught their eye.
Declarative pointing is a strong predictor of later language ability. This back-and-forth signals that you and baby can share focus between an object and each other, which will help them learn to empathize and communicate with others.
Brain-Building Activity
Shared Attention
Routine: Playtime, anytime
Moments of shared attention—when you and baby focus on the same thing simultaneously—are crucial for social, cognitive, and language development. Either you or baby can initiate shared attention with declarative pointing and looking in response.
- Find moments throughout the day to point out discoveries to baby. “Look at the big green ball that’s rolling on the ground!”
- Respond enthusiastically when baby points. Baby might point to a colorful flower, and you respond, “Yes, that is a beautiful red flower in the garden!”
- Ask baby “where” questions to build their receptive language skills. When you ask, “Where is your nose?” and baby points to it, they’re indicating that they know the meaning of the word, even if they can’t say it.
- If baby is slow to point, try to notice what they’re noticing and point it out to them.
- Whether you’re on the giving or receiving end of the point, respond enthusiastically. You’ll help baby connect what they’re seeing with language.
Inability to engage in shared attention can be an early indicator of autism spectrum disorder. If you have any concerns about baby’s development, please talk to your pediatrician. Every baby develops at their own pace, and early support is available if you need it.
You’ve Got This
Think of yourself as baby’s tour guide. They’re choosing where to go, and you’re pointing out notable sites, making connections, and helping them engage more in their areas of interest. In play, you can facilitate by providing the materials, creating a safe space, and introducing the game, but baby should be the boss of their own discovery.
Ordinary things fascinate baby! This fresh sense of wonder can be invigorating. We all used to look at the world this way, and we can try to do it again. What glimmers—little moments of joy and comfort—do you notice when you slow down, get present, and really take in your environment?
