If you have a baby or toddler in your life, you might be acquainted with their fixation towards this action: pushing items down from a counter, watching them fall to the ground, picking them up, placing them back on the said counter, and pushing them off the counter, again… and again… and again.
OR, maybe the said action is: clicking a button on a favorite toy over… and over… AND OVER again.
It can be extremely repetitive for us adults, but for babies and toddlers this repetition is a healthy sign. Repetition is exploration and discovery. “Will my toy make the same sound if I throw it over my crib 10 times?” “Will Mommy come to me if I make that sound again?” “Will the kitchen pot make the same sound if I hit it with this spoon a second time?”
Babies and toddlers discover their worlds literally and physically. They manipulate objects with their hands, feet and mouths, and they do so in a very direct way. Sensory exploration is a major component of this. Sight, smell, touch, sound, and taste are ways these young humans recognize heat (“I won’t touch that again.”), loud noises, (“I don’t like big crowds.”), or different flavors (“Carrots… YUCK!”).
They learn who they are. They learn their personal likes and dislikes.
This is why babies and toddlers put A LOT of things in their mouths. They want to know what things taste like. This is also why you have to be careful with electrical outlets and cabinet drawers. They want to know everything about their environment, and they do not yet understand what is dangerous and what isn’t.
I love watching our babies and toddlers explore the library. One baby, Conner, is growing up in front of my eyes. His sister, Felicity, is a regular I have known since I began working at the branch. She is now 4-years-old and preparing for preschool. Conner is just now walking.
One day, Conner walked behind the reference desk and found two pencil carriers with a metal framework. He took them off the shelves and placed them on the ground. I moved my nails against the metal and it made a light scratching sound. He looked at me and smiled. He placed them back on the shelf. He repeated the action two more times, and I continued to scratch the metal. On the third time, he placed the holders on the floor, and HE started scratching his tiny fingernails against the metal. I praised him (and excitedly showed my coworker and Conner's mother), and he looked up and smiled at me.
I almost read his mind: “Look! I can make that sound too!”
Next time your baby or toddler is making a ruckus or driving you wild by repeating the same action a million times, just remind yourself that your child is being a brave and intellectual human, exploring their world and discovering themselves.
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