Conducted home observations for the families of 42 female and 50 male 12-mo-old children, 40 female and 42 male 18-mo-old children, and 172 5-yr-old children over a 4-yr period. Mothers gave more instructions and directions than did fathers, while fathers spent more time in positive play interaction. Differences in parents’ reactions to 12- and 18-mo-old boys and girls were as expected, with the exception that boys received more negative comment for communication attempts than girls. The only 2 significant sex-of-parent * sex-of-child effects occurred at 18 mo: Fathers gave fewer positive reactions to boys engaging in female-typical toy play, and mothers gave more instruction to girls when they attempted to communicate. It is argued that the 2nd yr of life is the time when children are learning many new skills and when parents are still experimenting with parenting styles and may well use stereotypical responses when unsure of themselves.