Celebrate your child's love of learning

© Wondertime

Give 11-month-old Gus a stuffed animal, new blanket, or almost anything else made of fabric, and he'll quickly zero in on a single feature: the tag. With the focus of a Fashion District garment inspector, Gus will pull, tug, and rub this fascinating flap. And then, naturally, he will chew it.

Before motor skills are developed enough for babies to reach for something and make contact ("grabbing with intent," experts call it), they explore with their eyes. Objects that fit completely into their very limited field of vision and range of movement are the most captivating, says Cheryl Roberts, early childhood development expert.

Babies employ the rest of their senses — hearing, taste, smell, touch — to learn more about the world around them. As sensory awareness grows, says Roberts, so does their fascination with textures, weight, size, and their own ability to grasp and manipulate. Shiny, soft, and small enough to grab, tags make excellent targets for exploring fingers. The fact that they stick out for easy mouthing, only makes tags more appealing.

Just witness Gus as he explores a tag on his blanket — the quiet inhaling and exhaling of the obsessed, interrupted only by gentle grunts of effort as he gropes the loop of ribbon. Then he head-dives like a hawk for the final prize — the slippery taste of polyester.