Rowan clapped. And, luckily, I was there. I started humming a song yesterday and he thrust his hands together and, for the first time, hit palm to palm. Excellent.

Milestones fascinate me. When our kids reach one, we immediately figure out whether they are meeting those all-important developmental stages. Then either panic or pride hits. So this morning I searched “baby and clapping” online and discovered he is, well, right where he should be. He’s seven months. One web poll at BabyCenter.com even suggests there’s a bell curve out there when it comes to babies and clapping, with most kids learning it between 7 to 8 months. (This isn’t Rowan, but check out this “baby-clapping video” for fun.)

Credit for this new skill should go to Rowan’s older brother, Alexander, who is 2. Rowan studies him, reaches for his toys and crawls in his direction. This makes me wonder: Do younger siblings reach milestones faster? I suppose this gets into the “are first-borns smarter” question , but this isn’t about IQ. Here’s my question: Are older siblings better teachers than parents? And, if so, how much better?

Now if only Alexander could potty train Rowan.

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