Rachel answers YOUR questions about children's development and early learning.
Our first three questions?
Why, oh why, is my child always putting things in their mouth?
Turns out, kids' mouths are actually the best tools they have to explore the world. Between 7 months and 2 years old, children don't have the fine motor skills they really need to investigate. By contrast, their mouths are very active sensory organs that they can use instead.
Why is my child OBSESSED with water?
For one thing, water is a pretty amazing element. It has sound, a feeling to it, it gushes and it drips. Plus, imagine you're a really little kid who's new to the world: It just seems to magically appear when you turn a knob and then disappears into a drain. If you had just started seeing that for the first time, it would seem pretty crazy to you, too! (Are you interested in some new ideas for exploring water with kids? Check out Rachel's water table video.)
How come my kid is not crawling?
The simple answer is: kids are all different. Some will crawl early, others a bit later, and some will just take off walking one day with no in-between step at all. And, for children who do crawl, their "gaits" can look really different from one another. But kids can develop and learn a lot from crawling, including binocular vision, stronger abdominal muscles, and just plain old fashioned exploration, independence, and separation. (Of course, if you are concerned about your child crawling, you should ask your pediatrician for medical advice.)
Watch and submit your questions for Rachel on ECE, early childhood milestones, and more in the comments below.