51th week your baby is learning just how much he/she can handle. He(she)'s discovered that he/she can hang onto an item in each hand and he/she can even tuck one under his/her arm to pick up a third. You can encourage his/her reasoning and motor skills by offering him/her different tantalizing objects. Your baby is probably becoming increasingly possessive about things that belong to him/her. Welcome to the "mine" stage!
As your baby becomes more self-aware, proclaiming ownership becomes his/her way of asserting his/her identity. To make it easier for your baby to share his/her toys when a friend comes to play, help him/her decide what he/she wants to share and what needs to be put away. It will be a while before your baby understands the concept of sharing, but setting boundaries will help him/her learn that there are things he/she may choose to share with playmates and other things he/she may decide to keep all for him(her)self. The items that aren't to be shared should be put away and not brought out until after the playmate has left.
