Now that you’ve mastered reflecting with heart what your little one is doing, let’s focus on what’s going on in her/his precious noggin! This is trickier since it’s harder to know what is going on in there, especially when they’re preverbal. But we know a lot is happening, as their minds are endlessly absorbing everything around them and making neuro-connections (indeed, at the rate of 1.8 million a second). It’s the way the brain wires itself to create meaning and understanding.
Way To Baby™ thinks of thinking in the broadest sense – it’s all that focusing, wondering, exploring, and figuring out that your little one is doing most of the waking hours.
So you’re likely going to say things like, “You’re wondering how that rubber mouse makes that squeak;” “You figured out how to open the barn;” “You’re curious about how that works;” “You notice every little thing.”
Again, it probably seems silly, if not intrusive, to just state the obvious, but it’s the most basic way of focusing completely on your baby and staying attuned and connected. Take a look at some examples: