Look!

Whether it's seashells or sand, puppies or parades, everything is new and interesting to babies and toddlers. Over time, they begin to realize that you, too, notice the fascinating things they do and can think about the same things they're thinking about. They're delighted to find that they can share the world with you. This phenomenon is called joint attention. We see it when Kim points out the little crab to Mommy and Daddy, and in "Fourth of July," when Angie gestures at the fireworks while smiling delightedly at her mother.

Even though we may not celebrate the emergence of joint attention as we would a first tooth, it matters because it's part of learning to communicate. It's also a pleasure to watch it develop. Here's what you might notice:

• Babies spend their early months looking mostly at the people who care for them.
• Around the middle of the first year when your baby becomes more skilled at using her hands, she'll start to turn her attention to objects. Exploring a toy or object is so demanding that at first it takes all of a baby's attention.
• A few months later, you may see your baby begin to look back and forth between you and a toy, as if to make sure that you see it, too.
• Toward the end of the first year, your baby will begin to use gestures and words to call your attention to what he's interested in.

Play Together

Kim and the little girl in "At the Seaside" are discovering all the playful challenges and surprises of playing in the sand. Whether at the beach or in your own backyard, give your child plenty of time to enjoy playing in both damp and dry sand with bare hands. Provide the basics, too, or course: a sturdy spoon or toy shovel for pounding and digging, and a plastic bowl or bucket for filling and dumping. Here are some ways to vary the fun of sand play:

• Show your toddler how to scoop up sand with her hands or a spoon to fill an old sock. Talk about how the sock stretches out longer and longer as she fills it.
• Experiment with sandbox toys from the kitchen such as yogurt containers, margarine tubs, funnels, cardboard tubes, and sieves or colanders. Which ones hold sand? Which ones don't?
• Make large sand combs out of sturdy cardboard. Cut large "teeth" along one edge and run the comb over flat, damp sand. Make different kinds--some with pointed teeth, some with wide ones, others with narrow ones.
• Poke a few holes in the bottom of a shoebox. Sift dry sand onto sheet of newspaper and listen to the pattering sound.

Read Together

Is there a picture or particular selection in BABYBUG that your child wants to return to over and over? Babies and toddlers thrive on familiarity and may even be noticing new details with each repetition. While you're reading a favorite story again (and again!), you may be able to determine what attracts your child to it. Then check the library for books with similar topics, pictures, or verses as a way of extending your child's interest and introducing new authors and illustrators.