12 to 18 months
As of his first birthday, your child is likely using one to five words and knows what they mean. By 14 months, that working vocabulary may grow to seven words, and he may have up to 20 "words" (these may be more like sounds) that only he and someone close to him can understand. He'll even practice inflection, raising his tone when asking a question. He might say "Up-py?" when he asks to be carried, for example.
He's realizing the importance of talking and what a powerful tool it is to communicate his needs. Until he learns more words to get his ideas and desires across, he'll likely combine his speech with gestures to show what he wants; for example, he'll reach his arms toward his favorite toy and say "Ball." In fact, some toddlers develop a whole "sign language" of gestures to communicate with their parents. You may notice your child covering his face when he's embarrassed or pounding on the table when he's mad. And don't worry if your toddler gets frustrated when he's struggling to get his meaning across; this is actually a healthy sign that he's trying hard to communicate and cares whether you understand him or not.
By 16 months, most toddlers start producing many common consonant sounds, such as t, d, n, w, t, h. Learning to make these sounds is a watershed event, one that leads to the rapid vocabulary spurt that most children go through starting around 18 months. Don't expect to hear all these sounds in actual words yet, but you may hear him repeating them when he's alone in his crib or playing with his toys.
Why Play?
One of the best ways to help your baby learn is through one of Mom and Baby's most natural instincts: play. "The ability to play is characteristic of humans," says Suzanna Kaplan, an adjunct professor in early childhood at New York University and the mother of two. "I have always considered one of the great joys of parenting the opportunity to play with one's child."
Suzy Rosenblum, a 33-year-old mother of two from Odessa, Fla., has been playing games with her children since day one. "Playing games just seemed the natural thing to do," says Rosenblum. "I knew that my children relied on me for everything besides their basic needs, and sometimes playing games just kept things going, entertained them, and in the back of my mind, I knew they had to be learning."
Play is key, because it allows learning to be fun. "If you start forcing things on them if they're not excited about it, you turn them off from you and also from learning," says Acredolo, also a psychology professor at the University of California, Davis. "Things have to be fun."
AD Kids: Give praise where praise is due
"Parents always point out, 'That's not a nice voice' but often don't provide enough positive reinforcement," says Dr. Borba. You might say, "Thanks for using your normal voice," or "My ears love that voice." This worked wonders for my daughter. Whenever she asked for something politely, I acknowledged it and thanked her. At first, I felt awkward being so effusive, but her whining decreased dramatically.
Hang in there
"Many parents say, 'I tried it yesterday and it didn't help,'" Dr. Borba says. "But think of changing one of your own habits: It won't happen overnight." I noticed a change in Elizabeth within a month. Some kids may take more time, others less.
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Gains Through Games
And when you're having fun, you'll see great results from your efforts, say the experts. Morey says that moms who consistently come to her class – where games are an integral part of the curriculum – find their children hitting major milestones much earlier. In the last year, she's had two babies start walking at only 10 months.
Playing educational games with your baby helps him develop a wide range of skills that he'll need to function in the world. "Play affects all aspects of development from motor skills to cognitive and social abilities," says Gwyneth Doherty-Sneddon, a developmental psychologist at the University of Stirling in Scotland. "These skills include hand-eye coordination, fine muscle movements and learning to take turns with another person. Through play, babies practice their skills, continually developing them as they do."
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David Laurino: You'll have to reevaluate these precautionary measures as your child grows. "Remember," says Altman, "childproofing is an ongoing process: The gate you put at the top of the stairs for your 1-year-old may become her favorite climbing structure when she's 2."
Be careful when you have visitors, too. No matter how carefully you've childproofed the house, great-aunt Jane has probably not applied your standards to her purse. Aspirin and other items that people typically carry with them are dangerous to small children.
Use caution with furniture and fixtures
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, from 1982 to 1986, hospital emergency rooms treated about 4,880 injuries to children caused by chests of drawers, TVs, and bookcases tipping over; 11 children under 5 died in these accidents.
Large and/or heavy objects in your home are real hazards -- bolt whatever you can to the wall with L-brackets, and push items like televisions back from the edge or move them out of reach. Children start pulling up on things shortly after they start crawling. And when they learn how to climb, watch out. Some kids will scale counters, bookcases, and anything else they can get a grip on.
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TV: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until your child is at least two years old before exposure to TV, and then limiting viewing to an hour or less per day. Choose only nonviolent, educational shows and avoid commercials. Watch with your child to ask and answer questions that extend learning.
Writing: Provide a well-lit table or desk and a variety of papers and writing tools. Encourage the child, without pressure for the writing to "look like" something. Refrigerator magnets can help teach the shapes of the alphabet. Most preschoolers enjoy learning to write their own names.
Math: Learning the names and symbols of numerals is a big early childhood accomplishment. Toddlers and preschoolers can play simple counting games and grasp concepts like more and less, heavy and light, long and short. Learning about squares, circles, and rectangles is a step toward geometry. Develop pre-math skills by sorting laundry, counting toys or baking brownies.
Adaptability
Does your child adapt easily and quickly to changes in his environment, or do disruptions to her daily routine upset him?
Threshold of Responsiveness
How sensitive is your child to tastes, textures, light, smells, or sounds? Can she hear a pin dropping in Africa or is she unfazed by the rumbling of a jumbo jet?
Reading to your child and discussing books is a great way to encourage talking. "I like Arthur. Who do you like?" or "Where did the puppy go?" Reading to your child daily will enrich his vocabulary, understanding and his talking while spending precious snuggle-time together.
It's important to provide opportunities in your daily routine to enrich your toddler's speech and language skills. A child may be reluctant to talk because they're never encouraged to do so. Why would a child talk if pointing, grunting or having others talk for him can meet his needs?
On the other hand, a child who seems to be a "late talker" may be demonstrating a communication disorder and should be evaluated by a speech-language pathologist to determine if a disability exists. So discuss your concerns with your pediatrician and/or consult with a speech and language pathologist to see if a speech and language evaluation is indicated.
AD Kids Inc Info: What Should You Do?
When a child is trying to tell you something and begins stuttering, your first reaction might be to tell them to slow down and relax. In fact, this is what most people would do, according to a new survey by The Stuttering Foundation. Leading experts, however, say that reaction can aggravate the problem.
In the national survey of 1,000 adults, The Stuttering Foundation found that nearly 90 percent of the adults would say "slow down and relax" to a child who begins to stutter. But experts say that such simplistic advice will not help stop stuttering and may actually frustrate a child who stutters.
Try to remember that slowing and relaxing your own speaking style is much more helpful than telling the child to slow down, say Dr. Guitar and Dr. Conture.
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Figure out ways to let your toddler do things himself. There's no reason why your toddler can't put his toys away or feed himself -- he just needs you to help make it easier for his little hands and limited attention span. Use small, sturdy dishes and utensils so he can more easily feed himself, and place toy shelves low to the ground so favorite items will be easy to reach. These simple adjustments mean that your child can do more on his own.
You may also want to consider having him help with simple chores, such as folding napkins. Jackie Hornbeck-Wall of Atlanta lets her 18-month-old son, Isak, help her transfer laundry from washer to dryer, though she's the first to admit that her little helper sometimes finds creative ways to assert his independence: "One day he grabbed his still-wet doggy shirt out of the washer. No amount of pleading could convince him to let me dry it before he put it on. So I let him carry his wet shirt around, trying to put it on, until he fell asleep and dropped it. I was able to dry it, but then he wore it for two days."
Don't jump in too quickly. "Resist the temptation to always take over and do it yourself to save time and frustration," says Goldstein. Too much intervention can be just as detrimental as leaving your child to her own devices; it undermines her confidence and makes her reticent to strike out on her own in other scenarios. Parents often jump in when they're crunched for time. If you know your child is going to insist on wriggling into her own pants before you go out for the day, build in some extra time to let her give it a try. However, if your child is truly heading for a meltdown, step in and offer instructive help. If she can't get her foot to the end of her pant leg, say "Sitting down may help," and guide her to a chair.
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David Laurino: Your own mother may have been advised to start with solid foods prior to four months, but today there's evidence that starting solids so soon may not be good for new babies. Read on and ask your baby's doctor to help decide the right time to start your baby on solid foods.
3 Good Reasons to Wait
There are good reasons why today, solid foods are usually started between four and six months.
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What's next
As preschoolers get more adept at using crayons and pencils, they'll start making more elaborate and accurate drawings. Between his second and fifth birthdays, your child will learn to make horizontal lines, to copy a circle and a square, and to draw people. Once he starts elementary school, he'll soon learn to read and write.
Music Classes for Mom and Baby
It was my own instinct to sing to my baby (but not really knowing what to sing) that led me to enroll in The Music Class, a nationwide franchise of mommy-baby music classes, when my daughter was just 4 months old. If I had ever needed evidence that music is one of the basic human pleasures, this class provided it in spades.
The moms and kids, who ranged from 4 months to 4 years, sang, danced, learned a little about the music, and got to see some great instruments up close -- tubas, violins, flutes, African drums, and a harp, among others. The class leader gave us a songbook and a CD for home listening and we wore them both out. We also learned finger plays to do together at home. My daughter was enchanted.
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Memory for a Sense of Humor
Because your baby is starting to anticipate, she now notices when things don't happen as expected–voila, a sense of humor is born! Your baby may break into giggles if you put a mitten on the ear, or a cap on the foot. She anticipates the 'normal' way and laughs when things are thrown out of whack–something not possible when she wasn't able to anticipate.
AD Kids Inc: "When my daughter was about 2 years old, we took her to a daycare for a couple days, and she started stuttering at exactly that point," says JoBeth Cox from Indiana, mother of Peytan, now 4. "My mom swears it's because we tried to make her go to daycare, but even when we took her out and put her back with my mom, she continued to stutter."
It was really obvious during about a two-month period, and everyone would notice, she says. "Some family expressed concern about whether or not she was upset about something or stressed, and it was causing her to do it. But after the doctor said it was normal, everyone just tried not to make a big deal when she did it," says Cox.
Cox went to her pediatrician with concerns but was told most children go through some stage when they are learning to talk when they have difficulties. As predicted, Peytan stopped stuttering by age 3.
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