If suddenly your whole world changes...

With each leap in his mental development your baby gets a new kind of perception. That new ability enables him to perceive new things. It alters the way he sees, hears, tastes, smells and feels. All the new things he perceives were already in his environment before the leap. He just did not notice them, because his brain could not yet process that information. After the leap he suddenly could. It is difficult for us adults to imagine, but a whole new perceptual world opened for him.

To your baby, such a big change turns the familiar world he has come to know inside out. Just imagine what it would be like to wake up and find yourself on a strange planet where everything was different from the one you were used to. ... What would you do? You would anxiously stick to what you know and cling to what you are familiar with. Slowly you would begin to discover the new world. This is what your baby does too. He clings on to you. But clinginess is not the only consequence of a mental leap. You'll also notice that he is more cranky and crying. These difficult periods are usually characterized by the three C’s: clinginess, crankiness, and crying.

Your baby's mental development is very important and significant. It affects not only your baby's mood, but also his health, his intelligence, his sleeping pattern, the three C’s (crying, clinginess, crankiness), and much more. Once you understand your baby’s mental development, you can help your baby in so many ways. If you would like to learn more about the mental development of your baby, order a copy of The Wonder Weeks, which is based on international research.