Baby`s development in month 18

Your child loves to help you around the house. He sees you sweeping, mopping, vacuuming and folding laundry and wants to do the same. Although his `help` may not always actually be helpful, try to find ways that he can help. This will teach him how to be an active member of the family and also give him a sense of accomplishment. When you are washing dishes, give your child a dampened washcloth (no cleaner) and allow him to wipe down the table or the cabinets. Buy your child a set of child-sized household tools-a broom, mop and a vacuum. He will learn how to do these things correctly by watching you. Don't scold him if he makes mistakes or does not do things that same way you do. Praise him for a job well done and continue to show him how to do things properly.

Your child is interested in playing games with you right now. Play should always be a fun form of learning. When she gets tired of playing, stop. If you turn games into work or contests that she never wins, she will become discouraged and will not want to play anymore. Do not be surprised if your child gets very upset when things do not go the way she wanted them to.

Even though it should not be expected yet, begin to lay the foundation for sharing. Children have a very hard time understanding the concept of sharing and are very good with saying, `Mine, mine!` It is perfectly okay to tell your child what is his, yours, daddy's, doggy's and so forth. However, whenever you can teach about sharing, do so. For example, when you cut a slice of cheese, tell your child that this was your cheese but that you would like to share with her. Then, hand her a piece of your cheese. If you have other children in the house or if your child is frequently exposed to other children, sharing may be an easier to task to learn. Because your child's appetites vary from day to day, it is unfair to expect your child to eat everything on their plate all of the time. Your child knows how hungry he is, let him stop when he is full. It is not wise to bribe your child with food or sweets to get good behavior. Parents and caregivers should never punish their child for eating too little or too much. Doing so may cause him to feel ashamed of his appetite and he may begin to feel guilty about eating all together. If you notice that there is always food left on his plate, you are probably giving him too much. If your child asks for more of a certain food, give it to him. If none is left, simply tell him that it is gone and offer him what is left.

As always, remember to show your growing toddler that she is important to you. Dailly hugs, kisses and words of praise will let her know that she is special. Make your child feel proud when he accomplishes a new skill. You have the power to develop who your child becomes. Many families think that their toddler knows how much they love her. This should not be the case. Always take the time to express and vocalize your love for your child.

Developmental Milestones - 18 Months Old

Physical

Runs
Climbs stairs
May jump
Creeps backwards downstairs
Uses one hand more than the other
Grabs anything he can reach

Intellectual

Can say about ten words
Can name some common objects
Tries to sing and likes to be sung to
Remembers where things belong
Can turn pages in a book
Can build a tower of 3-4 blocks
May be able to string large colored beads

Emotional

Likes to show off for attention
Is afraid of thunder, lightning, animals, etc..
Has temper tantrums
Likes to cuddle when tired

Age Appropriate Toys

Large beads for stringing
Push toys
Ride on toys
Climbing structures
Balls
Books
Musical instruments
Dolls
Pretend play items
Trucks and cars
Building items
Bubbles

Comments:

Comments 1-25 of about 27 for month 18
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crazyeights - Thursday, 10 Jul
My husband lost his job today. This ones gonna hurt. If anyone out there is from the Chicago area and knows of ANY sales positions available please message my page. He has mostly been in industrial sales but has enough experience in other areas to make a change. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

collsbaby - Friday, 27 Jun
crib mattress recall~a girl in my Mom's Club got this recalled. Here's the link: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08296.html

busybeemom - Friday, 20 Jun
Hi ladies, I have been sewing with a friend. Her and I have put a countless number of hours of resaerch into the one size diaper we made. It is for newborns thru to potty trainers. We are really happy with our pattern but I am looking for feed back. Cloth diapering mama's or not please tell me what you think. I have more on a blog on my page.

carlalyn - Sunday, 8 Jun
Please watch this alert!!! http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/24982210/from/ET/

devinsmom - Saturday, 31 May
Does/Has anyone here suffer from anxiety attacks?? If so, leave me a private message.

nikkig07 - Friday, 30 May
Ok everyone...I'm going to be bugging all you ladies for some votes! You may also want to get in on the action for the Parents magazine cover model search! Please, please go to the link and check out his pics. At the top of each pic is a place for you to rate and recommend the picture. We need all the votes we can get! Thanks so much for your support!!!!!!!!! http://www.parents.com/app/sharemy/photoDetails.jsp?photoId=182200376

mom3boys2out1in - Thursday, 29 May
my first boys was circ'd and then after i had my second they changed the time that you could have your boy circ'd at so he didn't get done and now my 3rd is circ'd my first is 3 second is 1 1/2 and third is 1mth do you think that this will cause problems with my 2nd child not being like his dad or brothers? or should i not worry

lisar - Saturday, 26 Apr
Ladies, wondering if any of you can shed some insight. A week ago my six week old started getting mucus in his poop. Within a few days it became green and more liquidy. He is breastfed. I have gone on a completely hypoallergenic diet over the past week & this hasn't helped so I'm figuring it's probably not allergies. He's been to the dr.-no blood in the stool, no fever, acting normally, eating normally. They are now begining to run all sorts of other tests but as of yet have no answer. Someone mentioned hindmilk/foremilk imbalance to me so over the past day and a half I've been having him nurse twice from the same side before switching. At first he seemed to be improving, the first couple poops after were yellower than they'd been in days, but now they are back to green. Does anyone have any knowledge about this? How long does it take to make a difference if this is the problem? I hate to put him thru more tests or on a medication he doesn't need if its a breastfeeding issue. Please message me if you can help. Thanks so much!

ikmg80 - Wednesday, 16 Apr
Please help me save lives!! Donate and/or join me at this event: http://www.marchforbabies.org/s_team_page.asp?si=DA5559AF-22C6-474A-82CB-727825B68047&SeId=524265

lolabean08 - Wednesday, 2 Apr
ok my 18 month old still isnt sleeping through the night!!! he wakes up at 4 and has a bottle and i change his very soaked diaper....HELP ME PLEASE...i will probably be delievering my next baby at the end of next month!!! ahhh

lisar - Thursday, Mar 27th
Anyone ever have a bad fall with baby 7 have all turn out ok? I fell down my hardwood steps (about 5-6 steps) holding my 12 day old baby on Monday and I am sick inside to the point that I cannot think of anything else. We called 911 and he had a CAT scan and neck x-ray which were both normal but I keep thinking that maybe the CAT scan was done too soon to show a developing injury (bleed). Also about an hour after the fall his one eye started tearing up and leaking like a blocked tear duct which the dr. said it probably was. She gave me some antibiotic ointment to put in it. I gave him 2 doses of the ointment & his eye started to get red & swollen so on the advice of the pharmacist I stopped it. He woke up today with his eye completely better in every way. i know a blocked tear duct doesn't heal that quickly & with only 2 doses of antibiotic I don't see how an infection could have cleared up, so I'm convinced that there must have been some kind of injury sustained by the fall. Anyone with any similar experiences would be so appreciated, please message me on my page. Thanks.

shathon - Thursday, Mar 27th
Joshua Mauldin, The dad who put baby in microwave oven for 20 secondsm, gets 25-year sentence with a chance of parole at 12 years! Can you believe this???? This is soooo horrible. That poor baby girl. He should have gotten life. If you want to read the whole story, just google his name. Its all over the news here in Texas.

megan15425 - Tuesday, Mar 25th
i need a lil advice. im 21, engaged, and have a 3 month old baby. currently im serving a couple nights a week to help financially but i nvr finished college and really want a career. i dont wanna serve forever. i want to go back to school but not like for just an associates..more like a career school so when im done i can find a job, like medical assisting or cosmotology. i was just curious is anyone had any suggestions? i want to spend as much time with my baby but financially need to make more $. anyone have any ideas on some careers that makes ok money and i dont need to go to school forever? maybe i can do night school or online classes or find a place that has a daycare at the school so when my fiance is working i can be right there. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

zenzabar - Monday, Mar 17th
You gotta see this. Be careful who you leave your children with. This is shocking. http://youtube.com/watch?v=S2iDTpiiiEU

Jamiekid - Sunday, Mar 9th
If any of you mommies out there use pampers products but don't collect the gifts-to-grow points and would like to donate them instead of throwing them away please, please message me privately with the code found inside your diaper or wipes package (even the points that expire March 2008). I am trying to collect them at the moment, but the collection is going so slow! Thanks! Jaim

girlwitstyle - Tuesday, Mar 4th
Hi, I'm from Month 0. Does anyone have any experience with Hypospadias in infant boys? My 1 week old boy has this condition (it's a birth defect) and we are wondering if it's something we should be very worried about or something easy to fix? Thanks!

girlwitstyle - Tuesday, Mar 4th
Hi, I'm from Month 0. Does anyone have any experience with Hypospadias in infant boys? My 1 week old boy has this condition (it's a birth defect) and we are wondering if it's something we should be very worried about or something easy to fix? Thanks!

alicial - Monday, Feb 11th
I just have a question. I daughter is 10 months now. She will be about this age when my new one is born. Are they still sleeping in baby beds at this time, or toddler beds??

Claires-Momma - Thursday, Feb 7th
Hi Mommies, Do any of you with babies around this age have a newborn? My daughter will be about this age when we have our 2nd baby, so I am just looking for any advice about how she may react, things we can do to help her adjust, etc. Thank you!

welchmomx5 - Tuesday, Feb 5th
Good Morning Ladies! I posted my story about living with Postpartum Depression on several month by month pages the other day, and received such a positive response, that I feel that I should post it to the rest of the pages, just in case someone else may benefit from it. Keep in mind, Postpartum Depression does not just occur right after giving birth - it can occur anytime during the first year after having your baby. Thank you for listening. Hello ladies: Some of you may remember me. I was welchmom, and stopped posting on here in December. It seems I got offended when several people didn't like me or angel4 commenting on sad stories in the news. Well, little did I know, I was on the verge of a mental meltdown, and that is probably why I overreacted. I did not realize it, but I was suffering from Postpartum Depression, or in my case, another Postpartum mood disorder that I had never even heard of, Postpartum OCD. Now that I feel soooo much better, and after reading several of the comments from yesterday, I felt the need to get on here and sort of tell my story, because if it helps one person out there that feels like they must be losing their mind, then it is worth telling. I have never experienced PPD until now. I had 3 children prior to my pregnancy with our twin boys, and never had anything more than the baby blues. This time around, of course, I felt overwhelmed - who wouldn't with an 11 year old, 8 year old, 2 year old and now twin newborns to tend to. I had myself fooled for a while, that I could get it all done, but as time went on, instead of things getting easier, they got harder. I found myself staying up late (2:30am-3:30am) just so I could get work around the house done, which just made be more sleep deprived. My anxiety level was crippling, but what sent me to the doctor was the constant fear of my kids being hurt. I have always been a very protective parent - kids can't play outside unless someone is with them, etc - but this was way different. What began playing constantly in my head were images of bad things happening to them. I now know that these are referred to as intrusive thoughts. The mind of someone with Postpartum OCD, has repetitive thoughts that won't go away, and cause anxiety and panic attacks. Of course, it is normal to want to protect your children and worry about them, but when it is happening 24/7 and it consumes you, it is time to reach out and get help. I had been reading way too many horrific stories in the news, which then had the OCD part of me overanalyzing my thoughts. 'Well, if I'm picturing these things happening, am I going crazy? Will I hurt my kids? Is that how Andrea Yates felt?' Let me reassure you, this is not what Andrea Yates had. She had Postpartum Psychosis, which is a completely different mood disorder, which rears its ugly head within the first 6 weeks of giving birth - you believe the images are real. Anyway, to try to make a long story short, I called my doctor the second I didn't feel right, and was started on a low dose of Prozac. The three weeks it took to get in my system were hell. I had such terrible anxiety that I didn't want to be left alone, which thank God for a supportive hubby, MIL, and church family. This was very hard, as I am a very independent person, one who would much rather do for someone than have someone do for them. I have been seeing a therapist, which is quite helpful - I recommend it to anyone!=) Anyway, I now understand why it isn't a good idea to talk about such horrible things, particularly on this sight. In fact, I try not to read much of the news these days - it IS depressing. Anyway, I just wanted to share this with you all, and also give you a website to check out, if you think this describes you: www.ppdsupportpage.com. You can read journals, post questions, and it really has been very helpful and informative. I am mommyx5 on there, if you want to read my posts. I have a daily journal, but my original post is under introductions. This whole ordeal has taught me so much, and I just feel the need to reach out to tell everyone that if you feel this way, you are not alone, you just have to ask for help. I also feel that more needs to be done to give mothers this information, so if they feel this way, they can reassured that they aren't 'nuts', it is normal, and you don't have to continue to suffer. Thanks for listening. I will have to create a new page, as everything has been deleted, and my old passwords don't work, but I guess I am back for good! =)

kel - Wednesday, Dec 19th
CALLING ALL MOMMIES Hey moms I need your help for my daughter to win a $500 baby shopping spree. You can vote as many times as you won't and she is baby # 157 the voting ends on the 21st the direct link without going through all 218 babies is http://www.993thebeat.com/pages/SantaBabyPoll.html put the curser back in the go to page and hit enter and you can vote agin and again. If you would like to look through all the babies the link is www.wpap.com then go to santa babies. Thank you again, Kelly

AmandaZ - Wednesday, Dec 12th
my baby is 12 weeks old today, I breastfeed her but while Im at work my mom gives her two small servings of formula. she was having some belly issues with gas and pains early on so my doctor perscribed neutramagen for her. Her belly problems have passed and although she doesn't get very much formula at all Im wondering if I need to switch her back to a regular formula...is there any advantages to leaving her on the neutramagen?? or disadvantages?? this is my 4th baby and Ive always breastfeed, my ohters didnt have formula or bottles so this formula feeding is new to me...any help would be great. Thanks, Amanda

Adriana - Thursday, Oct 25th
This is my friends web site... www.shade.etsy.com .Her soaps are FABULOUS !Please put it on your christmas list.I have them all.Great price.Thanks

christina - Tuesday, Aug 14th
OK, this video on myspace made me want to bawl. Check it out. It's a very important story of a little girl named Kelsey. My heart goes out to her dad. The last statement about her dad made me want to reach out and hug him. http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=15555289

ginaNaddyson - Sunday, Jul 22nd
I AM DESPERATE!! has any experienced mothers out there delt with this? i am going back to work in 20 days. my baby is just over a month old. i am b/f and trying to suppliment w/formula b/c she will have to be formula fed during the day while I work. (i do not have an oppertunity to pump at work plus i don't think i can pump the amt i need). She is taking the bottle fine, but later she seems to have stomach issues. she grunts, strains, arches her back, scrunches her legs and screams. I blamed it on the formula and switched from Emphimil lipid to parents choice version of gentlese. I sm giving her 1 bottle now in AM and and going to try 1 more in the PM this week. Has anyone went from breast to formula atleast part-time? Any suggestions? Please leave a message on VIP page, I am going to post on multiple months. as I said I am desperate!!

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