Sometimes a child who's been an enthusiastic babbler suddenly becomes quiet. Or a keen climber ignores a stool positioned conveniently beside the bench. You’re mystified. But this can be because your child might simply be concentrating on another, different skill. Children practise one thing at a time. They might spend a period of time practising talking, then move on to running or climbing. Molars might start pushing through now, and that hurts. This can be really tough.    

Do you want your child to read books, but they’re more interested in chewing them or tearing them up? Most parents move their favourite books and magazines out of reach to save them getting ripped up. As far as children’s books go, we recommend you stick to sturdy board books at this stage or else relax a little on damage control. (Sellotape’s a wonderful thing!) Reading together is one of the best things you can do, and over time your child will learn how to turn the pages carefully and treat books with care.