The place has the time gone? That when-little child is now a toddler with an ever-changing character. Your 17-month-old will proceed their journey by way of toddlerhood and obtain much more milestones. They’ll maintain exploring their world with glee and amazement, studying new abilities and phrases day by day. On this article, we’ll cowl your 17-month-old’s growth and milestones, with every little thing from their sleep and feeding schedule to what number of phrases they need to say.
As your 17-month-old continues to develop and develop, they’ll proceed to say their want for independence. You’ll stand in awe, watching their growth take off. Some new milestones you’ll be able to anticipate your 17-month-old to realize embody:1
- Strolling independently with out assist
- Strolling sideways and backward
- Crawling up and down the steps
- Pulling themselves up right into a chair
- Consuming independently from a cup
- Utilizing a spoon and fork
- Serving to to get themselves dressed by placing their legs and arms by way of their shirts and pants
- Scribbling
- Understanding the names of physique components and pointing to them when requested, resembling their nostril, eyes, ears, and tummy
- Placing small toys into and out of a container
- Constructing a block tower that’s two or extra blocks excessive
As your 17-month-old communication improves, it’s possible you’ll marvel what number of phrases they need to be saying. There’s a variety of “regular” at this age. They’ll use a number of phrases that imply particular issues, resembling “baba” for bottle, “wawa” for water, “da” for canine, and so on. They may begin to mix two phrases collectively, however it is a talent usually achieved by the age of two.2
As your toddler continues to develop, sustaining an satisfactory food regimen is crucial. Your toddler will want three meals a day plus two to 3 snacks. These snacks usually happen mid-morning, once more within the mid-afternoon, and generally earlier than mattress, relying in your schedule. Provide your toddler their meals and snacks in a excessive chair or booster chair with satisfactory again and foot assist.3 Give them a variety of meals to assist them discover their tastes and guarantee they obtain the right vitamins. Embrace varied sorts of fruits, greens, complete grains, meats, cheeses, and yogurts.4
Now that your toddler is over a yr previous, they will have complete cow’s milk or fortified soy milk. You possibly can proceed breast milk for so long as you prefer to or have entry to it. They’ll want about 16-24 ounces of milk day by day, which it is best to supply them in a cup as an alternative of a bottle. It’s advisable that your toddler drink from a cup by 18 months previous.3 Your toddler may have between 4 and eight ounces of water day by day.4
Listed below are some concepts that can assist you plan meals in your toddler. Keep in mind, they’ll eat fairly small parts, so that you don’t want to supply them massive quantities of every meals:3
- Breakfast: 1 cup of complete milk with one slice of complete grain bread with peanut butter or one scrambled egg
- Lunch and dinner: 1 cup of complete milk and a small portion of the household’s dinner (Ensure to incorporate greens, proteins resembling meat, fish, or beans, and complete grains resembling 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, complete grain crackers with cheese, or a number of items of fruit
Many 17-month-olds’ sleep habits observe the identical sample as months previous. Your toddler wants between 11 and 14 hours of sleep day by day, together with one two- to three-hour afternoon nap.5
Some 17-month-olds can expertise one other interval of sleep regression. Sleep regressing is when your toddler has a change of their sleeping sample, leading to issue staying or falling asleep. Quite a lot of issues could cause sleep regression, however the most typical causes embody:6
Sleep regression is a troublesome interval, however fortunately, there are methods you’ll be able to assist your baby cope, relying on your loved ones’s sleep preferences, resembling:6
- Sustaining a constant routine and bedtime
- Avoiding display time
- Having your toddler sleep of their crib
- Placing them to mattress whereas they’re drowsy however not but asleep
- Permitting them to fuss for a couple of minutes earlier than offering them with consolation
- Giving them consolation and reassurance whereas they’re nonetheless of their crib
- Giving them dietary supplements resembling melatonin or magnesium, which it is best to solely give with steerage out of your youngster’s physician
Sustaining a constant schedule can appear formidable to some, nevertheless it doesn’t should be! The hot button is to develop one which works for you and your loved ones. Planning meal and nap occasions will make it easier to create a constant schedule.
At this age, your toddler will take one afternoon nap day by day, which often begins round 1:00 p.m. and lasts two to 3 hours. Aiming for a bedtime round 7:30 p.m. will assist your toddler get the advisable 11-14 hours of sleep they want a day.5
Your toddler ought to eat their meals alongside the remainder of the household. Schedule your meals across the time that works finest for your loved ones. Toddlers may also want at the least two snacks day by day, one between breakfast and lunch and one other between lunch and dinner.3
Sadly, childhood sicknesses will seemingly develop into part of your 17-month-old’s life as they develop into extra social with different folks and children. Toddlers will common between six and eight colds a yr, or extra in the event that they’re in daycare, so that you’ll get numerous observe treating their signs. Toddlers ought to by no means have over-the-counter chilly or cough medication or aspirin. The easiest way to deal with their chilly is with relaxation and hydration. If they’ve a fever or are particularly fussy, you should utilize Tylenol (acetaminophen) and Motrin (ibuprofen). These assist deal with ache, discomfort, and fevers your baby could expertise throughout their chilly. Ensure to observe the package deal instructions or verify along with your physician for the right dosing.7
Together with colds, your toddler may additionally expertise a number of different widespread childhood sicknesses, like the next:8
- Ear infections, which might trigger ache, fever, irritability, and issue sleeping
- Bronchiolitis that may result in swelling of the airways and extreme mucus, leading to coughing, fatigue, and bother respiration
- RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus), which causes delicate cold-like signs in most youngsters however could cause an extreme cough, bother respiration, and pneumonia in others
- Hand, foot, and mouth illness, which usually causes sores to the mouth, fingers, and toes (This may be painful and make it troublesome for the kid to eat)
- Abdomen flu, which causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
Your toddler is prone to get better from these sicknesses at house. Nevertheless, some signs require speedy medical consideration. In case your toddler is exhibiting any of the next signs, search medical consideration instantly:7
- Extreme sleepiness with little to no facial expressions
- Very troublesome to console
- Weak or no cry
- Refuses foods and drinks or solely takes a number of small sips or bites for greater than a day
- Darkish yellow urine, no tears, or a dry mouth
Name 9-1-1 in case your youngster experiences the next:
- Excessive bother respiration
- Irregular coloring resembling grey, blue, or very pale
- Lack of consciousness
Now that your toddler’s weight achieve has slowed in comparison with their first yr of life, it’s possible you’ll marvel how a lot they need to weigh. They are going to be weighed subsequent at their 18-month check-up in the event that they’ve been rising usually up till this level. Usually, a toddler positive aspects 3 to five kilos between 12 and 24 months of age. They’ll additionally achieve round 3 inches in top by their second birthday.9
Along with your toddler wanting to say their independence, it’s possible you’ll marvel how one can have interaction them in enjoyable actions to assist their independence develop. Listed below are only a few methods you’ll be able to have interaction along with your toddler:2,10
- Ask them easy questions and permit them to reply. For instance, “What does a canine say?”
- Give them easy selections, resembling permitting them to select between two totally different snacks throughout snack time.
- Restrict display time for each your toddler and your self. (At this age, no display time is advisable.11)
- Speak to them at eye degree.
- Train them the names of their physique components, resembling their nostril, eyes, ears, and mouth.
- Roll a ball backwards and forwards with them, or push a toy automobile backwards and forwards, making noises together with it.
- Learn to them and permit them to babble alongside and switch the pages.
- Blow bubbles for them to pop.
- Give them faux toys to play with, resembling a toy telephone or a child doll.
- Train them the way to say “please” and “thanks.”
Holding your toddler secure can look like a full-time job. They’ll discover their environment by entering into every little thing. And I imply every little thing! They’ll get into belongings you by no means thought they’d get into. So, listed here are a number of security tricks to implement in your house to maintain your toddler secure:2
- Set up window guards on all home windows.
- Set up gates on the high and backside of all stairs.
- Set up cupboard locks on all decrease cupboards and drawers.
- Set up rest room seat locks.
- Set up outlet covers on all unused shops.
- Preserve all medicines and cleansing options out of attain.
- Preserve all weapons and ammunition locked up, and maintain weapons unloaded.
- 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 automobile seat.
With every new childhood stage your baby reaches, varied feelings are sure to creep up. One minute, you’re overcome with pleasure watching your toddler run round, and the subsequent, it’s possible you’ll miss after they have been a smaller child. It’s essential to recollect you’re not alone in experiencing this rollercoaster of feelings. Embrace every new talent your baby is reaching whereas remembering how far they’ve come!
