stimulating minds

There is a great set of books, "Your Child At Play" available in our public library which are really awesome for covering this question, covering year by year of the preschool years.

But I'll try to think back 4 months...
Emptying and filling. (You can cut a hole in an ice-cream container and "post" in jar lids/preserving rings/etc)
Push trolleys and pull (on a string) toys
Now that she is walking she may be keen to try climbing a ladder to then slide down a slide.
She will probably love books being read to her, be interactive with pointing to the pictures and help her turn pages etc.

Toilet training doesn't usually happen until after the 2nd birthday.

Kids get to different stages at different times, a lot of it depends on their personality. My eldest loved to read books and even decorated biscuits (ice then m&m's etc). My second DD at the same age is very busu and far prefers going down to the park.

does your step daughter live with you and your fiance?

Izobel lives with us most weekends and whenever her mother cant have her, and lately, for whatever reason she has, we have had izobel more often than she has, which doesnt worry us at all.
If things were better between her mother and us it would be great, but the fact is that we are seen as "the enemy" so when izobel comes to us she has nothing, no clothes, nappies, favourite toy, or security blanket etc.
So the chance of her giving us updates on how she is going development wise, is pretty slim, so we are just trying to do the best we can.
Thanx heaps for your advice, its come in very very handy!!

Maybe you could visit a local playcentre occasionally, see what she graviates towards, and use that as a head-start on ideas?

And what her mum is doing is sad See if you can arrange some familiarity for when she's at your place, say a special blanket for the bed (if you got a teddy she might want to take it home and then it wouldn't come back).