Oh - and when do babies start to regularly imitate and clap?

[carpetcleaningwizard]

Exactly that.

like winnybella DD was trying to clap at about 6 months - still loves it. Also not in any obvious sense a genius (unless you count being able to identity seagulls and slugs and various types of flowers ). Copying I think was a bit later - possibly because she couldn't work out why madwoman her mother kept looming at her making strange gestures...she likes to do her own thing. But I do remember fretting about it (OFGS woman!)