Related to this question, what do you do if you think your child may be gifted?

My son is very advanced in a number of areas (most notably speaking in 5 and 6 word sentences, and having a tremendous vocabulary, by the time he was 18 months old), and while I understand that it is too early to determine if he's actually gifted, or if he's just ahead in some of his milestones, I don't want to risk missing opportunities for helping him reach his full potential.

At the same time, I absolutely do not want him to be pressured, or pushed into performing beyond what he is comfortable with. I also do not want to facilitate any rifts between him and his age-appropriate peers (something that, should he prove to be significantly gifted, I fear may happen eventually).

In short, what is the right balance between encouraging possible giftedness, and avoiding "hothousing"? Are there specific steps that I should take now? Or do I wait until he's older (he'll be 2 in September)?

Related to this question, what do you do if you think your child may be gifted?

My son is very advanced in a number of areas (most notably speaking in 5 and 6 word sentences, and having a tremendous vocabulary, by the time he was 18 months old), and while I understand that it is too early to determine if he's actually gifted, or if he's just ahead in some of his milestones, I don't want to risk missing opportunities for helping him reach his full potential.

At the same time, I absolutely do not want him to be pressured, or pushed into performing beyond what he is comfortable with. I also do not want to facilitate any rifts between him and his age-appropriate peers (something that, should he prove to be significantly gifted, I fear may happen eventually).

In short, what is the right balance between encouraging possible giftedness, and avoiding "hothousing"? Are there specific steps that I should take now? Or do I wait until he's older (he'll be 2 in September)?