At 16 months previous, your toddler is squarely within the toddler part and gaining extra independence every day. Your 16-month-old will proceed to discover their world, reaching new milestones every day. Their urge for food could change every day as you proceed to supply new and favourite meals. Watching their little personalities emerge will fill you with pleasure, so prepare for extra pleasure this month!
The secret to your 16-month-old is independence. Their developmental milestones will concentrate on their continued want for autonomy. Some new milestones your 16-month-old will study embrace:1,2
- Strolling independently with out help
- Strolling sideways and backward
- Crawling up the steps
- Pulling themselves up right into a chair
- Ingesting independently from a cup and utilizing a spoon and fork (messily)
- Serving to to get themselves dressed by placing their legs and arms by way of their shirts and pants
- Scribbling
- Figuring out the names of physique components and pointing to them when requested, equivalent to their nostril, eyes, ears, and tummy
- Following easy, one-step instructions, equivalent to “Put your sock within the hamper”
- Utilizing two to a few extra phrases apart from “mama” and “dada” and mixing two phrases
Now that your toddler has firmly entered the toddler stage, their feeding schedule will align with the remainder of the household’s schedule. They’ll eat three meals per day and usually have two snacks. These snacks ought to happen between breakfast and lunch after which once more between lunch and dinner.3 Relying on dinnertime for your loved ones, some children nonetheless want a bedtime snack. Simply be certain that to brush their tooth after their final meals or drink for the day (apart from water).
It’s essential to take care of usually scheduled feeding occasions along with your toddler. Providing their meals and snacks in a excessive chair or booster seat will assist them acknowledge that it’s time to eat.3 Additionally, providing your toddler all kinds of meals will guarantee they obtain the suitable vitamins for his or her development and growth. Present them with varied fruits, greens, entire grains, meats, cheeses, and yogurt.4
Your toddler can eat entire cow’s milk or fortified soy milk at this age or breast milk in case you nonetheless select to take action. Purpose for 16-24 ounces of milk every day.3 Your toddler ought to be capable to drink their milk from a cup by 18 months previous, so now is an effective time for them to observe!3
Instance Meals and Snacks
Planning every day meals and snacks to your toddler might be tough, so listed here are some concepts:3
- Breakfast: 1 cup of entire milk with one slice of entire grain bread with peanut butter or one scrambled egg
- Lunch and dinner: 1 cup of entire milk and a small portion of the household’s meal (Be certain that to incorporate small quantities of greens, proteins equivalent to meat, fish, or beans, and entire grains equivalent to pasta, bread, or brown rice.)
- Snacks: 1 cup of milk or water with one container of yogurt or one piece of toast with peanut butter, entire grain crackers with cheese, or a couple of items of fruit
Your toddler will usually eat smaller parts of meals than adults do, so begin by providing small portions of all kinds of meals. Allow them to determine what and the way a lot to eat, encouraging them to hearken to their physique/stomach for when it’s time to cease consuming. Bear in mind, toddlers’ appetites can fluctuate considerably at this age. When you have considerations your toddler is consuming an excessive amount of or too little, contact your physician’s workplace for steering.
Sleep is significant to your toddler’s growth as they achieve independence and change into extra energetic. Your toddler wants 11-14 hours of sleep per day, which features a two- to three-hour afternoon nap.5
In case your 16-month-old is having problem falling asleep, staying asleep, or refusing their naps, they might be going by way of one other interval of sleep regression. Sleep regression happens when your toddler has a change of their sleeping sample that leads to problem staying or falling asleep.6
Sleep regression might be brought on by teething ache, diseases equivalent to an ear an infection, or a change to their every day routine. You’ll be able to assist your toddler throughout this era by preserving a constant bedtime and routine, avoiding display time, having your toddler sleep of their mattress, and placing them to sleep once they’re drowsy however not but asleep. If you happen to determine to sleep prepare, enable your toddler to fuss for a couple of minutes earlier than offering consolation. Whenever you consolation them, provide it to them whereas they’re nonetheless of their crib.6
Preserving a constant schedule is vital to making sure your toddler will get sufficient relaxation and helps them overcome any durations of sleep regression. Most toddlers at this age will take one afternoon nap every day, which often begins round 1 p.m. and can final two to a few hours. Toddlers at this age want between 11 and 14 hours of sleep every day, so purpose for a bedtime round 7:30 p.m.5
Your toddler can eat their meals with the remainder of the household, so schedule your meals round what works greatest for your loved ones. Supply your toddler a mid-morning snack and a mid-afternoon snack between meal occasions.3
Sicknesses are a part of the sport for toddlers, and your toddler can be no exception. Toddlers can common between six and eight colds a 12 months or extra in the event that they’re in daycare, so being ready for sickness might be useful. Toddlers can’t have over-the-counter cough medication, chilly medication, or aspirin. You’ll be able to preserve a provide of Tylenol (acetaminophen) and Ibuprofen available to deal with any pains or fevers brought on by sickness.7 Observe the package deal instructions or test along with your physician for the correct dosages.
Not solely will your toddler expertise colds, however they might additionally expertise a number of different frequent childhood diseases. These embrace the next:8
- Ear infections: They could get ear infections that trigger ache, fever, irritability, and problem sleeping.
- Bronchiolitis: This causes swelling of the airways and extreme mucus. It may possibly result in coughing, runny nostril, fever, fatigue, sore throat, and ache.
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV): RSV causes gentle, cold-like signs in most youngsters however could cause an extreme cough, bother respiration, and pneumonia in others.
- Hand, foot, and mouth illness (HFMD): HFMD usually causes sores to the mouth, arms, and toes. This may be painful and make it tough for the kid to eat.
- Abdomen flu: Abdomen flu causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Whereas your toddler will doubtless recuperate from these diseases at house, some signs warrant fast medical consideration. Search fast medical consideration in case your toddler is experiencing any of those signs:7
- Extreme sleepiness with little to no facial expressions and arduous to get up
- Very tough to console
- Weak or no cry
- Refusing food and drinks or solely taking a couple of small sips or bites for greater than a day
- Darkish yellow urine, no tears, or a dry mouth
Name 911 in case your baby experiences the next:
- Excessive bother respiration
- Irregular coloring equivalent to grey, blue, or very pale
- Lack of consciousness
Along with your 16-month-old’s newfound independence, chances are you’ll be questioning what actions you are able to do with them to assist them develop. The excellent news is there are a number of how you possibly can have interaction your toddler, and listed here are just some:2,9
- Ask them easy questions and permit them to reply. For instance, “What does the cow say?”
- Give them easy decisions, equivalent to permitting them to select between two totally different shirts to put on for the day.
- Restrict display time for each your toddler and your self.
- Discuss to them at eye stage.
- Educate them the names of their physique components, like their nostril, eyes, ears, and mouth.
- Sing songs with them.
- Roll a ball backwards and forwards with them.
- Learn to them.
- Blow bubbles for them to pop.
- Give them fake toys to play with, equivalent to child dolls or a kitchen set.
- Educate them methods to say “please” and “thanks” and mannequin these your self.
Exploration is your toddler’s center identify, so preserving them protected is a full-time job. They’ll discover their world by stepping into the whole lot, even belongings you by no means imagined they might get into! However toddler-proofing your property doesn’t need to be tough. Listed below are some tricks to get you began:2
- Set up window guards on all home windows.
- Set up gates on the prime and backside of all stairs.
- Set up cupboard locks on all decrease cupboards.
- Set up rest room seat locks.
- Set up outlet covers on all unused shops.
- Preserve all drugs, cleansing options, small gadgets, and scorching or sharp objects out of attain.
- Preserve all weapons and ammunition locked up always, and preserve weapons unloaded.
- Intently supervise your toddler round all water, together with bathtubs, swimming pools, rivers, lakes, streams, and ponds. Keep inside arm’s size always.
- Use a rear-facing automotive seat each time they’re in a automotive.
Watching your toddler develop from a child to a toddler might be each joyous and bittersweet. Studying what to anticipate throughout this transition will assist you to embrace all these new adjustments and milestones your 16-month-old experiences. Assist your toddler discover their world and watch your view of the world change as effectively. Nothing is sweeter than seeing the world by way of your toddler’s eyes.
