An easy to understand guide to your toddlers physical and social development at the age of eighteen months including his sight, language and hearing
Congratulations you have survived a year and a half of parenthood. Whether this is your first, or fourteenth child, parenting is always a unique experience and your Childs personality will help you change your parenting skills to suit each individual child. However we always have questions about where our child should be, development wise, in relation to his peers. Bear in mind that each child is comfortable developing at his own rate and so should you be. Some parents push their children to develop faster than other toddlers their age, and some children naturally just progress faster than others. Some, like my son, languish at certain levels then advance in leaps and bounds then settle down again. Every child grows at his own pace.
At around eighteen months your child may begin to do all sorts of strange things. One minute he may be refusing to let you go to the bathroom without him and the next he may positively disregard you in his life. He will vacillate between independence and dependence and this is his way of learning about the world without the danger of letting mommy go. Playmates suddenly may become important and this means that your child is beginning to socialize with other children. Also around now, your child will pick up new words, which he will repeat back to you with a little encouragement. They can learn up to a dozen words a day and a favorite will be "˜NO'. This word is a declaration of independent thought on the part of your toddler and as much as possible, let them exert what little control they have over their environment. If he refuses to eat right now then let him do what he wants but if he gets hungry later then feed him the same food again. They will probably have more temper tantrums at this stage than before, get used to it because when they hit the terrible two's the chances are great the frequency of these tantrums will increase. When my son was about nineteen months he threw a tantrum in a shop. He actually hurled himself at the floor and screamed, I merely stepped over him and continued, too embarrassed to admit he was my child. The attention seeking behavior may carry on for a few more months and can get to the point where they hit, bite, kick and often just point blank ignore your instructions. This is a very frustrating time for a parent and can I recommend time away from your child, even if it is for an hour every week. This will enable you to recharge those batteries and be able to face the struggle once again.
Physically your baby will have advanced incredibly in the last few months. He should now be able to bend down, pick things up and play with them without falling over. He will be able to climb stairs, run, walk (including backwards), and hardly ever stumble or fall. Gentle throwing games can now be played and your toddler will delight in chasing mom or dad all over the garden. Stair climbing will become a favored activity as your toddler will be able to walk up and down stairs while holding onto a rail or your hand. Using the fingers to paint or scribbling in a book or on paper will also be enjoyed and feeding time will improve with limited mess and almost no spillage even when drinking from a cup. Anything that can do up or fasten will fascinate your child at this time. Buttons, zips and poppers will be enjoyed to the full, and you can actually get games where the object is to fasten as many openings as possible. These are wonderful learning tools.
New finding games can be introduced, as your child will learn to look for things even when they are hidden under two or more layers. They realize it is there and will continue to search until they find it even if they can't feel or see it. He will be able to recognize objects in books or photos without a problem, and as his temper tantrums increase this is a good thing. You want him to be able to run up to Granny and charm her so much she'll take the little devil off your hands for a short while.
