First, it is important that you really know your baby well. That you know what fascinates him, what he finds boring, and what he still finds too difficult or too challenging. You will never know everything, even if you try as hard as you can. Your baby is developing rapidly, and the things that encourage him to master certain skills change quickly too. This makes it all the more fun. Actually, as a family, you are busy discovering all the new things. Your baby will discover that a rubber ball bounces up and down and goes back up. You discover that what is obvious to you, your baby finds a wonderful game. Your baby gets to know the world, and you are getting to know him.

By taking a personal interest in your baby's leap, you will know where to find the new challenge. That is a piece of cake now because you know what's new in his head, what new things he can do. Read the relevant chapter in ‘The Wonder Weeks’ one week before your baby will be making the next leap. Start thinking about how you can help your baby master the new skills that go with to that leap in his mental development. Think about things you already have in your house or things you can do that tune into the next leap. By preparing yourself you can help your baby make the next leap more easily and you will know better what excites him and in what he is interested in.