12-18 Months: Learning About Me -- Observation Record

How does the baby show what she feels?

Babies are sorting out what they like and don't like. They often want to try more than they are able to do on their own, and can become frustrated. Yet they may resist direct help from adults.

The baby might do one or more of the following:

• Shout for joy–enthusiastically jump and shout so you will look at the way she piled the cardboard blocks.
• Make a choice–pick a graham cracker instead of a soda cracker, when offered a choice between the two.
• Make her needs known–call insistently "buh, buh" when she wants a book that is on a high shelf.
• Stake a claim–hang on to the toy phone or other possession that she and another child struggle over.
• Protest–continue to play with her pegboard even after a caregiver has said that it's time to put it away.

How does this baby show how she feels? (Include dates.)

How does the baby show that she is trying to manage her behavior?

Babies begin to show early forms of self-control by making choices and reacting to the limits set for them. Caregivers help babies manage their behavior by setting clear and firm limits and helping them manage in caring ways.

The baby might do one or more of the following:

• Respond to your request–stop banging her spoon when a caregiver asks her to stop.
• Consider the options–pause after seeing her caregiver's warning look, then continue to climb on the back of the sofa or armchair.
• Follow your lead–pick up a used tissue or other scrap from the floor and place it into a wastebasket.
• Monitor herself–say, "No-no," as she sits in the sandbox and throws a handful of sand over the edge.
• Heed your warning–stop before hitting another child when she hears someone call out her name.

In what way does this baby show she's learning to manage herself? (Include dates.)