During the first few weeks of your child’s life, milestones may have included things like your baby successfully producing some poop for your nose’s delight. As she got older, things like recognizing you and babble that faintly resembled “Mama” or “Dada” became important. Some of the bigger milestones, like the first time your child talks back to you, fails a test, or takes your car without permission, are far off in the future. So at this point we will give you a glimpse into the future at some of the more important upcoming events happening between ages one and two.
So this one is probably quite predictable. Your child will grow. But do you know by how much? No? I knew you needed me for a reason. Over the first year, your beautiful baby should grow somewhere between three and five inches over this time frame. Your child, in a strange coincidence, will also gain three to five pounds during this time period. In other developments, toddlers will get stronger and become balanced walkers. Soon after, the jumping and running (away from you while in the local shopping mall) is soon to follow.
They say the quiet ones are always the troublemakers. Well, your child will understand ten times the number of words that she can actually speak by the time she is around fifteen months old. Soon, when she reaches age two, you will know about the troublemaker part. By the age of two, most babies are equipped with a vocabulary of about fifty words.
Your child is a little social being. While she isn’t old enough for a Facebook page, she will still form a strong attachment to you, your BRP, and other family members. Your child will also bond with any regular caregivers that she sees on a regular basis. This is another reason that the teacher turnover rate is so important if you use a daycare facility. Constant change with the caregiver causes babies some stress.
Your child will continue to require a balanced, healthy diet with all of the nutrients her body needs. This will include proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and even some healthy fats needed for normal growth. A sound strategy for kids of this age is to not really worry about the exact amount they are eating at each meal, simply to make sure that there are plenty of healthy alternatives around. Children of this age have not developed bad eating habits, so they will usually just eat until they are full. As to the question of specifically what do they eat, you will find the usual suspects: fruits, vegetables, and dairy. Milk, eggs, and other sources of protein are important. Just make sure whatever she is eating has been prepared properly as to not be a choking hazard to your child. Hot dogs and grapes served “as is” (without being cut up into small pieces) are especially dangerous.
True or False: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends whole milk for children between 1–2 years of age.
False. In 2008, the AAP starting recommending 2% milk for one- to two-year-olds. This is mainly due to the rise in the fat content of American diets, and the corresponding rise in overweight and obese Americans, even children.
Your child should still be sleeping somewhere between twelve to fourteen hours daily, with roughly 80 percent of those hours coming at night. This is a guideline doctors use; your child may vary. Somewhere along the spectrum of one to two years of age, your child will begin to nap less. If she was maintaining a schedule of two daily naps, this will eventually be consolidated into a single nap daily. This is all gearing you up for the biggest change of all: when your young one stops napping altogether. Then you will feel like you have taken a step backwards in your “me” time.
In tests, what percentage of toddlers could open a “childproof” bottle?
In tests, about one out of five toddlers could open a cap labeled as “childproof.” Just goes to show why you always have to keep track of your infant.
When your child reaches age one, you can begin to consider her a “toddler” if you would like. If you are in my camp, you can quit the always annoying practice of giving your child’s age in months, even though they are over the age of one (for the record, I am 472 months old as of this writing). Anyway, at this age your toddler, thankfully, will be frenetic and fun to care for. As she grows toward age two, she will begin to get her own ideas, have her own thoughts, and both want to be independent and dependent at the same time.
While your toddler will be exploring her new physical capabilities, such as running really fast (and occasionally falling) and throwing things (like your cell phone), she will also be testing the limits of her power over you. She may stand on top of the dining room table. She may run away from you and outside while completely naked. She will emphatically tell you “no” and throw quite impressive tantrums. And she will do all of these things to see exactly who is in charge in this house. So while she does not want to pay the bills, she is more than willing to boss you and your BRP around and have a chauffeur, maid, and on-call playmates. And just because it is called “the terrible twos” doesn’t mean some children do not get a head start.
So what should you and your BRP do now? Bow down to the new little king or queen? I think not. Here are some tried and true parenting strategies for your little terror, um, toddler:
Your child really is a sponge of sorts at this age. So instead of watching hours of SpongeBob SquarePants, try to work with her on some educational skills that will get her headed in the right direction for the future. There are several age-appropriate websites (www.babytv.com comes to mind!) that will help you out if you feel you have no idea where to start. You can work with your child on basic reading and sound skills, and don’t be afraid to introduce her to writing as well, even if her earliest efforts are more scribble than prose. Her fine motor skills will allow her to hold a crayon and scribble, but trying to teach her shapes and letters will most likely result in frustration until she gets to be one-and-a-half years old or more. Research and personal experience has shown that you probably want to set a time limit on formal learning (10–15 minutes) but if your child seems willing to keep going, then by all means, nurture her inner Doogie Howser. More playful learning activities such as on the computer can be less structured.
You can see how the changes and development that take place change as your child gets a little bit older. Gone are the days of “baby’s first … everything.” Now every funny sound she says and her laugh are still just as charming, but she is also taking on more complicated tasks like walking and expanding her vocabulary beyond just a few basic words. These feisty little guys and girls will want to begin to assert themselves and take control of their environment, which is a good and positive thing, as long as they do not take control of you. You may have to stretch and grow as a parent also. For the last year, you have been in charge of taking care of every want and need of your baby, making sure she is happy and healthy. But now as your child discovers things like cupcakes and mommy’s jewelry drawer, you are for the first time going to be telling your little angel “No” — and it’s a word that you will be saying a lot.
True or False: It is normal for your child to bang her head repeatedly on the wall or other surface?
True. Believe it or not, up to 15–20 percent of babies and toddlers are head bangers. Bonus fact: boys are about three times more likely to do this. I guess that’s not a total surprise. The banging can start at a young age, and they may not grow out of it until around the age of three.