Consequences of a 'new world'
The new kind of perception your baby gains when he makes a mental leap gives him the ability to develop many new skills that require this level of perception, though it may be some time before he develops a particular skill of the many that are possible. Think of it as a store with different departments where products are sorted by properties they have in common—in this case that they require a particular level of perception. When a mental leap occurs, your baby can enter a particular department for the first time. Once there he needs to choose a product, a skill, to practice. He can not suddenly buy everything offered in the whole department. What he chooses, and how he chooses it, makes your baby unique.
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.
