Once parents become accustomed to taking care of their baby, they often want to find activities that can help can help encourage their infant's development. Although there are many products on the market that claim to create a smarter baby, the best things you can do with your baby are simply talking, singing and playing with him.

Your 17-month-old is not quite a baby and not a full-fledged toddler yet. Her language skills are emerging but aren't sufficient for her to express her feelings, wants and needs. Her physical skills are also progressing quickly. She may be able to climb on anything and won't remain confined to her stroller for long. And, that makes her tricky to keep up with!

If your baby coughs and sneezes, he may have a cold. If your baby feels warm to touch, he could have a fever. Or does he? This article provides general guidelines about normal baby temperature ranges, potential causes of a fever, how to take a baby's temperature and steps to take if your baby has a fever.

Mobile infants, babies old enough to crawl and learning to walk, who spend time in child care centers can benefit from physical activities aimed at their age and development levels. When planning activities, remember that infants learn very differently from older children. According to the Child Development Lab (CDL) at the University of Illinois, infants begin to understand and interact with their environment at the same time that they learn to stand, crawl, and walk with support.

An infant goes through astounding changes during the first 12 months of life. From basic reflexes at birth to spontaneous smiling to calling for Mama and Dada, a baby learns to identify, remember and assign meaning to the objects and people in her world. As she learns meaning and gains memory ability, she learns to communicate and interact with her world.

One of the joys of having a baby is playing games with your infant. Many parents enjoy singing songs and playing games that their parents played with them. However, after many months of singing the same songs and playing the same games, many parents are eager for creative games to play with their infant. When you play a new game with your baby, watch for your baby's reaction to see if he enjoys the game. Since babies enjoy familiarity, be sure to keep playing games that your baby reacts favorably to.

Many parents enjoy picking out toys for their new baby. With so many toys on the market, it can be hard to select the best toys for your infant. Infant toys allow your child to begin learning her world and provide different sensory experiences. With some careful shopping and planning, you can select the best toys for your infant.

Infants learn and grow by playing. Among the many valuable activities for your baby (specifically infants 8 to 18 months old), playing with play dough is one that offers more than you might first imagine. Besides its inherent fun factor, play dough provides opportunities to significantly enhance infant's development---on practically every level.

The first year of a baby's life is full of exciting milestones. It can also be a year full of concern and worry if you don't know what to expect. Learning what is typical for a baby your child's age will help to sideline those fears and help you to enjoy your baby and all his wonder.

How you prepare infant formula can affect your baby's health. Powdered or liquid concentrate formulas cost less than ready-to-serve formulas, but they require that you add water when mixing. Formula in the powdered form is the least expensive, but you need to follow the instructions on the formula can to know much water to use. What the directions on the can do not tell you is what kind of water is safest for mixing your infant's formula.