At 16 months outdated, your toddler is squarely within the toddler section and gaining extra independence every day. Your 16-month-old will proceed to discover their world, reaching new milestones day by day. Their urge for food might change day by 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 deal with their continued want for autonomy. Some new milestones your 16-month-old will study embody:1,2
- Strolling independently with out help
- Strolling sideways and backward
- Crawling up the steps
- Pulling themselves up right into a chair
- Consuming independently from a cup and utilizing a spoon and fork (messily)
- Serving to to get themselves dressed by placing their legs and arms by their shirts and pants
- Scribbling
- Realizing the names of physique elements and pointing to them when requested, similar to their nostril, eyes, ears, and tummy
- Following easy, one-step instructions, similar to “Put your sock within the hamper”
- Utilizing two to 3 further phrases moreover “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 youngsters nonetheless want a bedtime snack. Simply make sure that to brush their enamel after their final meals or drink for the day (moreover water).
It’s essential to take care of usually scheduled feeding instances together 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 improvement. Present them with numerous 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 when you nonetheless select to take action. Intention for 16-24 ounces of milk day by day.3 Your toddler ought to be capable to drink their milk from a cup by 18 months outdated, so now is an effective time for them to follow!3
Instance Meals and Snacks
Planning day by day meals and snacks to your toddler could be troublesome, 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 to incorporate small quantities of greens, proteins similar to meat, fish, or beans, and entire grains similar 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 number 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 resolve what and the way a lot to eat, encouraging them to take heed to their physique/stomach for when it’s time to cease consuming. Keep in mind, toddlers’ appetites can fluctuate considerably at this age. If in case you have considerations your toddler is consuming an excessive amount of or too little, contact your physician’s workplace for steerage.
Sleep is important to your toddler’s improvement as they achieve independence and grow to be 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 issue falling asleep, staying asleep, or refusing their naps, they might be going by one other interval of sleep regression. Sleep regression happens when your toddler has a change of their sleeping sample that ends in issue staying or falling asleep.6
Sleep regression could be brought on by teething ache, diseases similar to an ear an infection, or a change to their day by day routine. You may assist your toddler throughout this era by preserving a constant bedtime and routine, avoiding display screen 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 resolve to sleep prepare, permit your toddler to fuss for a couple of minutes earlier than offering consolation. While you consolation them, supply it to them whereas they’re nonetheless of their crib.6
Preserving a constant schedule is essential to making sure your toddler will get sufficient relaxation and helps them overcome any intervals of sleep regression. Most toddlers at this age will take one afternoon nap day by day, which often begins round 1 p.m. and can final two to 3 hours. Toddlers at this age want between 11 and 14 hours of sleep day by 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 instances.3
Sicknesses are a part of the sport for toddlers, and your toddler shall 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 could be useful. Toddlers can’t have over-the-counter cough drugs, chilly drugs, or aspirin. You may maintain a provide of Tylenol (acetaminophen) and Ibuprofen available to deal with any pains or fevers brought on by sickness.7 Observe the bundle instructions or test together with your physician for the correct dosages.
Not solely will your toddler expertise colds, however they might additionally expertise a number of different widespread childhood diseases. These embody the next:8
- Ear infections: They might get ear infections that trigger ache, fever, irritability, and issue sleeping.
- Bronchiolitis: This causes swelling of the airways and extreme mucus. It could possibly result in coughing, runny nostril, fever, fatigue, sore throat, and ache.
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV): RSV causes delicate, cold-like signs in most kids however may cause an extreme cough, hassle respiratory, and pneumonia in others.
- Hand, foot, and mouth illness (HFMD): HFMD usually causes sores to the mouth, palms, and ft. This may be painful and make it troublesome for the kid to eat.
- Abdomen flu: Abdomen flu causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Whereas your toddler will possible recuperate from these diseases at dwelling, some signs warrant speedy medical consideration. Search speedy medical consideration in case your toddler is experiencing any of those signs:7
- Extreme sleepiness with little to no facial expressions and onerous to get up
- Very troublesome to console
- Weak or no cry
- Refusing foods and drinks or solely taking a number of small sips or bites for greater than a day
- Darkish yellow urine, no tears, or a dry mouth
Name 911 in case your youngster experiences the next:
- Excessive hassle respiratory
- Irregular coloring similar to grey, blue, or very pale
- Lack of consciousness
Together with your 16-month-old’s newfound independence, it’s possible you’ll be questioning what actions you are able to do with them to assist them develop. The excellent news is there are a selection of the way you may have interaction your toddler, and listed here are only a few:2,9
- Ask them easy questions and permit them to reply. For instance, “What does the cow say?”
- Give them easy selections, similar to permitting them to select between two completely different shirts to put on for the day.
- Restrict display screen time for each your toddler and your self.
- Discuss to them at eye stage.
- Educate them the names of their physique elements, 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 faux toys to play with, similar to child dolls or a kitchen set.
- Educate them how one can say “please” and “thanks” and mannequin these your self.
Exploration is your toddler’s center title, so preserving them protected is a full-time job. They’ll discover their world by entering into the whole lot, even stuff you by no means imagined they might get into! However toddler-proofing your own home doesn’t need to be troublesome. Listed here 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 retailers.
- Maintain all drugs, cleansing options, small objects, and sizzling or sharp objects out of attain.
- Maintain all weapons and ammunition locked up always, and maintain weapons unloaded.
- Carefully 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 could be each joyous and bittersweet. Studying what to anticipate throughout this transition will allow 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 nicely. Nothing is sweeter than seeing the world by your toddler’s eyes.
