Your baby, 18 months 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 and older

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 26-50 of about 2277 for month 18
Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Next

embobower - Saturday, 7 Nov
hi! My word.I cant quite believe Elias is 18 months ( nearly ) already. Aren´t they growing up quick xx

daydays mom - Friday, 6 Nov
http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-us&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:493315ef-9a4f-482b-9bf6-ca71045b8a7a&showPlaylist=true&from=IV2_en-us_v11HP&fg=gtlv2 gotta check this video hillarious

mommyof2soon - Friday, 6 Nov
hello luvbeingmummy. i have a boy who was 3 in april and an 18mo old girl.

lovbeingmummy - Thursday, 5 Nov
Hello, I've 2 boys aged 3 next week and 18 months. Thought i'd say to hi to you all

havana*luna - Tuesday, 3 Nov
Andrew had his appointment today and he is 27lbs and 35in long!!

ladobruk - Monday, 2 Nov
Shayla was 29 lbs and 33'! She has remained steady on her growth curve.

mommyof2soon - Monday, 2 Nov
Wow mom of toddlers! He is a big healthy boy! My 3yr old boy is around 33lbs! Just shows how different our babies can be! :)

youngmummy2be2 - Monday, 2 Nov
about the headbanging my son is 17 months and he head bangs the mattress to go to bed ever sinse he could roll over, he lies on his belly and just bangs his head to go to sleep!! its really strange but i dont worry about it, although recently i have started to discipline him more and when i tell him off he will crouch on the floor and head butt the floor so i tell him off again and he stops.. it seems to work better than ignoring him for now anyway but i dont think it is anything to worry about, he did go through a stage of chucking himself backwards if he was really upset about something and then he did it on the kitchen floor once and hit his head really hard and has not done it since... random or what?!?!

ladobruk - Sunday, 1 Nov
Oh sorry Jessica, that doesn’t sound like fun at all. I am not sure how well it would work at this age, but I seen a suggestion of a scream box mentioned on here before. Something/somewhere for them to let it all out and only there. Sounds like a reasonable suggestion. I haven’t had to try it yet, but if she gets in the screech phase I will.

momoftoddlers - Friday, 30 Oct
My son just turned 18 months last sunday. He seems so big compared to some of the other kids on here. At his checkup he was 32 lbs and 33 inches. He is now almost 4 pounds heavier than his 3 yr old sister!!! WOW

jessicadarling - Friday, 30 Oct
Hey ladies - I actually came here to ask about head banging and see that you have already been discussing it! Devyn is a hard core headbanger, self biter, smacks herself and so on. When we went to her 18 month check up I told her doctor about it and my doctor didn't seem too concerned. She says they usually stop when they realize it really hurts. I am supposed to ignore it. The thing she didn't like is Devyn's biting herself. She said most kids will stop before they break skin but NOT my kid. My kid gets frustrated and will bite her hands until they are purple, swollen and bleeding. The weird thing is that it is usually a cry for attention but Devyn will play in her room quietly and come out all bitten up. My doctor says this could be a sign of autism but as she is developing ahead of schedule socially that she isn't worried about it either. Devyn reserves the head banging and smacking herself in the face for when she is mad at me. Seriously I hate watching it but it does end quickly if I ignore her. Is there anyone who successfully taught their kiddos another way to deal with their anger? Like punching pillows or something haha. The newest thing Devyn does now too is scream at the top of her lungs until she turns purple! Gosh if you could see Devyn after a fit you would think I beat her. Red from screaming, bumps on her forehead from smashing it into a hard surface and bite marks all over her hands. Anger is not dealt with properly in this house i guess

mommyof2soon - Friday, 30 Oct
Greyah had her appointment on wednesday and she was 25.2lbs and 31.5in tall. She is right where she needs to be!

RUTHANN - Thursday, 29 Oct
WELL AUBREY WENT TO HER CHECKUP YESTERDAY SHE WEIGHS 20.8 AND HER HEIGHT IS 30 INCHES LONG! SHE GOOD AND HEALTHY AND DR SAYS SHE IS SO ADVANCE TALKING REAL WELL SHE GOING TO BE SMART PETTIE GIRL!

momtograce:) - Wednesday, 28 Oct
Hi all, I've just been reading the most recent posts and they have completely put my mind at rest about my little girl. She too has become less enthusiastic about eating and throws food on the floor, something which she previously hasn't done. I give her exactly the same as what we're eating which stops her from wanting our food. She's got a lot better at eating with her fork/spoon and she also drinks out of an open top beaker which makes her feel grown up. When she does begin to throw food i take it away from her because then she knows that if she does that she doesn't get to eat anymore.I also try not to make a big deal when she only eats a little bit because i think that makes her worse. its nice to know i'm not the only one stressing about mealtimes.

RUTHANN - Tuesday, 27 Oct
YAY AUBREY MADE IT TO 18 MONTHS TODAY!

mommyof2soon - Tuesday, 27 Oct
Greyah is 18mo today! She has started to eat less lately and also starts to play/throw her food when she's getting full. I take her for her 18mo check up tomorrow so I will post height and weight then! :) Hope everyone is having a great tuesday.

Jo-Mama - Monday, 26 Oct
Malone has turned a corner when it comes to eating. About two weeks ago she all of a sudden starting eating three times as much as she used to, and she focuses on meal times longer. She drinks from an open cup and eats with her own spoon. She can be messy sometimes. but it's mostly accidental. Though there are times when she will use her spoon to scoop all of her yogurt into her cup or onto the table. I try to just ignore it or give her a cloth to clean it up. I don't make it a big deal because she's not really doing it to be bad, she's just experimenting.

ladobruk - Monday, 26 Oct
Throwing food is a sign mealtime is over at our house also. I remove her plate, but she stays in her seat until we finish dinner. She whines and cries for ours even though it is the same food so I will get some of her food on my fork and give it to her. I have fed her entire meals this way. For some reason it makes a difference taking it from my fork? If she didn’t eat much and is hungry later, I feed her. But, I don’t offer different foods than what we are having at mealtime.

I didn’t head bang, but I rocked my whole upper body when I was tired, sometimes quite violently, lol, apparently I would move the sofa. Not exactly the same, but a similar motion. We have caught my daughter doing it as well. It was hilarious when my Dad was over one day and she started doing it. His eyes turned into saucers and he just smiled at me. I am not musically talented, but I am brilliant and gorgeous. ;)

TraciW - Monday, 26 Oct
March - just popping in from month 19 to say that Matthew has started throwing his food again too at mealtimes. It seems like he had stopped for a couple months but then the past two months it has been really bad. Daycare says he doesn't do it there so it must be an attention thing. I have tried everything and can't get it to stop. Guess I will have to just start taking his food away right when he throws it and feed him later? And let him cry when I take it so he'll learn???

Avocat29 - Monday, 26 Oct
March, sounds like he is doing it for link attention since he does fine at preschool. We sometimes have issues w/ the throwing of food and that usually means she's done. At least that is when I stop everything. That way she learns that if she throws stuff, she won't get to eat anymore (nor sit at the table with us) and that food time is not playing time. We are pretty strict about the throwing of stuff on the ground (same w/ utensils and sippy cups etc)...also we give her exactly what we eat and therefore she can't possibly want what we have on our plate...we keep saying it's the same food, see? And show her. Also maybe he's just feeling frustrated that he can't express himself about what he wants...Noelle is very clear about what she wants --- she often will want apple or pear and ask for it (even saying 'pleeeeaaase' which breaks my heart) before she's even had a bite of food. So I just say 'first chicken/pasta/pizza, then apple ok?' and she says 'ok' and eats her food. But we have to repeat it a million times. Good luck!

March - Monday, 26 Oct
How is mealtime going for everyone? I ask b/c it just seems to be getting worse and worse for us. Luke whines that he wants something, but we can't ever figure out what, and then throws everything we try to give him on the floor until we figure out what it is. He transitioned to a sippy cup successfully a few weeks ago (finally), but we gave him one without the valve because he can drink so much faster (he loses patience for it fast), and so half the time we give it to him he slings milk everywhere on purpose. And every time we give him a cereal bar (which he really likes, but is going to be removed from his menu, I'm afraid), he just crumples it between his fingers while he chews the previous bite. Anyway we are just not making any progress on eating like a normal person rather than making a mess! Any ideas? The annoying thing too is that at preschool every day he eats politely at the table with the other kiddos with a plate of food in front of him. So he certainly CAN do it, he just chooses not to.

leahsmom - Monday, 26 Oct
Hi everyone! I am wondering if any of you have run across guidelines for the measurement of regular children's beds. Leah's new (vintage) twin bed has spindles about 4 - 5 inches apart on the headboard. In most of the spaces her head will not go through but in two spaces at the very ends of the headboard her whole head will go through. That seems like an entrapment/choking hazard to me. I'm wondering if there are warnings or safety guidelines out there. I'm not sure I'll be able to put her in it, depending on what it looks like after I get a mattress on there.

Avocat29 - Monday, 26 Oct
Babyharris, your niece is going to not only be fine but be brilliant and gorgeous!!! :-) I did it until probably until I started spending some serious time in bed with another person b/c I didn't want to disturb them - so maybe 10 years, since that is how long I've done DH? - and honestly, sometimes when I'm sick or something I will wake up doing it in the middle of the night!!!!!! I often wonder if it did something to my brain or why would my mom not look into it but I like to think I turned out just fine...but it's so odd :-)

babyharris - Sunday, 25 Oct
My niece is a 'Head banger'. She started as a baby in the crib and still does it to this day...she is now 10. Sometimes, when she is sleepy in the back seat of the car she will bang her head on the car seat. We have always just let her do it, it seems to help her get sleepy.

Avocat29 - Sunday, 25 Oct
A note about the head pounding...I'm not sure exactly what you are describing but I have a confession to make that maybe will help some moms out there...I used to bang my head against my pillow for years and years and years. Like turn my head to the side and hit it on the pillow over and over and over again until I fell asleep. I think I did it to tire myself out...anyway, strangely enough, my hypocondriac of a mother never thought there was anything wrong w/ that so she never had me checked out. I assure you my head is fine and I'm a sound professional and mommy :-) Many years later I developed tendonitis playing my violin and saw a physical therapist who specialized w/ musicians...she said that she was not at all surprised to hear about my head-hitting...she said a lot of musicians do it and it's almost like they have an internal rhythm/beat that they must follow. That sounded like crap to me but at least I didn't feel as strange b/c there are 'others' like 'me' :-) So if any of your kids do this kind of thing, rest assured they will turn into brilliant and gorgeous people (ahem) :-)

More comments: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Next Latest comments from all months More months: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 and older