Your baby's getting better at spotting very small objects and tracking moving things. At this point, he or she may be able to recognize an object after seeing only part of it – like a favorite toy peeking out from under the couch. This will be the basis of little hide-and-seek games you'll be playing in the coming months.
Earlier your baby learned to distinguish between similar bold colors. Now, he or she is beginning to sort out subtle differences in pastels. Reading books or playing with colorful blocks is a great way to learn about colors.
Driven to distraction
When your baby starts fussing at the supermarket, you may be able to distract him or her – not for enough time to knock everything off your shopping list, but a few minutes goes a long way these days. Try engaging your baby with funny faces or a round of "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider."
Clapping your hands, offering something to hold and mouth, or pointing out new objects in the aisles might work, too. But, remember: For some sensitive babies, the sights, sounds, smells, and overly friendly folks found in stores can be too much.
Cause and effect
Your baby's ability to interact with you, others, and his or her surroundings is growing daily. At this stage, your baby may start playing little games as he or she begins to understand that simple actions have results. He or she may drop objects just to watch you pick them up or to see how and where they fall.
Once your baby understands that letting go of something is as much fun as picking it up, the world will become more interesting – and a good deal messier. Tiring as it sounds, you'd better get used to it. In a few weeks, this will be accompanied by your baby's fits of giggles.
Before long, you'll probably notice the noise level increasing, not only because of your baby's babble but also because he or she will find out how much fun it is to bang objects together. Banging, shaking, and mouthing are all ways your baby conducts experiments with the world.