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8 min
One year and two months into this whole parenting thing and it would be nice to imagine you’ve found your feet. But your little one keeps moving the goal posts – dropping a nap, refusing foods they used to like, waking up at night when they used to sleep through. And every day you’re just expected to know exactly what you’re doing. No wonder you’re tired!
Let’s see if we can at least try to explain what’s going on this month.
Your baby’s physical development is very focused on movement right now. If they’re not walking yet, that’s the goal – pulling themselves up, perhaps even standing without holding onto anything, but can they take those precious first steps? It won’t be long.
If they are walking, then the goal is to walk faster, even run, and go further before you pull them back. They want to get into all the places they’re not meant to be and of course they will be furious if you try to stop them taking themselves up and down the stairs alone. Fourteen-month-olds are not known for their self-preservation.
In terms of play, toys that they can push along or ride on will be favourites, alongside the stacking and sorting toys they’ve been playing with for the last few months. In fact, ride-on toys can be a good compromise for active toddlers who are desperate to move but haven’t mastered walking yet. And it is absolutely fine to take the batteries out of the noisy toys (keeping them somewhere well out of reach, of course). It won’t harm their development to have a rest from all that – and it might do you some good!
Have you tried painting and mark-making with your little one yet? They’re too young to have a proper grip on a pencil but you can get specially shaped crayons and chalks for this age that are fun to experiment with, and of course most children enjoy putting themselves in paint and creating art. You can even make your own dye out of strongly coloured foods – like berries – so you don’t have to worry if they put their messy fingers in their mouth. A clean, easy and reusable alternative is Aquadoodle – special mats or paper that turns different shades or colours when water is applied. Lots of fun.
Your toddler’s vocabulary is probably growing by now – though it’s worth noting that some children start speaking earlier than others. Don’t worry if your little one doesn’t have as many words as their friends – they will catch up.
The best way to build your child’s speech and language skills is to talk and sing to them as much as you can. Try giving them choices such as ‘Would you like a banana or some apple?’ and holding up the fruits to help them associate words with objects. You can also use simple signs to go along with the words if you don’t have the object to hand. Look up an official programme like Makaton or join a Sing and Sign class, or just make up your own if you prefer. It’s useful to give your baby ways to communicate with you while you wait for them to develop the necessary skills for speech.
This is also a wonderful age to sit down and look at books together. Try to put them somewhere your toddler can reach for themselves so they can choose their favourites easily. While picture books with lovely rhymes or stories are delightful, very simple board books with very few words are also useful at this age for giving names to familiar objects or people.
Little people have big feelings. That’s because they don’t learn to regulate their emotions until they’re much older. This means that toddlers rely on their parents to help get them back to a sense of stability. Shushing, cuddling, rocking, stroking and patting can all help your toddler find their peace again, but if none of those things are working, try a change of scene. If in doubt, get them out – or get them wet. A quick stint in the garden or a nice bubbly bath may be just the thing to change their mood. Avoid shouting at them if you can help it – it definitely won’t help and will only make both of you feel worse. If you feel like you’re about to lose control, pop them somewhere safe – in their cot or strapped into a high chair – and take yourself out of the room for a moment to take some deep breaths. Or try the old faithful – the massive raspberry – which seems to get some of that shouting energy out without doing anyone any harm.
You might have heard talk of self-soothing and this is definitely something you want to encourage where appropriate – for example, as your little one transitions from wake time to sleep time, or if they wake in the night and learn to settle themselves back to sleep. However, it’s not realistic to expect a toddler to self-soothe after a tantrum or a fright. At this point, they really need some TLC from a parent or older sibling.
Your little one is now eating three meals a day plus two snacks, and may be down to just one nap in the afternoon and hopefully a full night’s sleep overnight. It’s a routine that will stick for a while, which is helpful after this last year of chopping and changing. Some children keep their afternoon nap almost until well into their third year and beyond, though many will drop it some time in their second year.
Cooking from scratch can be fun and rewarding – especially in the ways it allows you to adapt recipes to suit both the adults and children in the house! But sometimes it’s useful to keep ready meals on standby for those evenings when you need something in a hurry.
Just to note, adult ready-meals are made for grown-ups, with high levels of salt and often other ingredients you wouldn’t normally put in front of your toddler. Toddler ready meals, however, like our HiPP Organic Tray Meals, are designed with your little one in mind – both in terms of ingredients and flavour, as well as texture and portion size. These can be eaten hot or cold, so if your little one is really desperate there’s absolutely no reason to wait!
Of course you can also batch cook your family’s favourite foods to create ready-meals for your future selves. Just separate into appropriate portions and refrigerate or freeze (labelling the meal type and the date made for future reference) and then defrost and/or reheat when you need them.
If you’re looking for sweet treats that aren’t too high in sugars, we have a few suggestions!
Talking of treats, isn’t it about time you had one? You’ve been working hard for 14 months now, spreading yourself thin no doubt and burning the candle at both ends. This month, make a concerted effort to give yourself some me time. In fact, why not try to get it into the diary as a regular thing?
A few suggestions:
Whatever you end up doing, do it for yourself. You’re reclaiming your identity beyond motherhood and at the same time modelling just how important it is to set boundaries and look after yourself.
Developmental milestones are guides – not deadlines. If your toddler isn’t ‘keeping up’ with your friends’ toddlers, it isn’t an immediate cause for concern. Every child develops at their own pace. That being said, your health visitor and GP are there to support you with any queries you might have and will always be happy to see you with your child if you have any worries.
