Sweet 16

Jade turned 16 months old around 2 weeks ago. She's now officially in her 2nd quarter of toddler-hood. We regularly check our book "What To Expect the Toddler Years" or the web to see if the changes that take place monthly aligns with the expected milestones in a particular stage of her toddler development. In some cases, we either find stuffs she can do that are not listed or stuffs listed but she is not able to exhibit yet. But then, we do keep in mind that different toddlers have distinct development patterns. Even authors note in their articles that every child is unique; each develops at his/her own pace and since few children are perfectly average or typical, comparison is not very useful. Authors also say to parents not to worry should they see that their child's development seems to be lagging as they can catch up later with great leaps. Should parents worry, they are advised to consult a doctor if they want to have the child's development evaluated.

For us, checking the book serves as our way of cross checking and making sure that Jade's development is normal. I have noted from our book and from some websites that monthly milestones or simply stated as "what your toddler may be doing now" are separated into three groups such as "should be able to", "will probably be able to" and "may possibly be able to". I have gathered some excerpts from different websites talking about the 16th month development of a toddler and will put some comments.

Here's from www.thenewparentsguide.com

Most toddlers should be able to . . .

Turn pages of a book when you read (she does it quickly to get to her preferred pages)

Gets attached to stuffed animal or other object (she has a very simple baby doll we named Aine, an Irish name pronounced as On-ya that she hugs and sleeps with)

Walk well (she does, she runs well too)

Sing and like to sing (she sings randomly – lately we hear her sing adididi-adododo)

Get upset when frustrated (she even throws things and kicks out of frustration)

Some toddlers will probably be able to . . .

Walk backwards (she does, she also walks without looking at her path)

Start to climb and explore (we use the elevator to get to our apartment, only when we go to the grocery that she gets the chance to climb the stairs)

Help around the house (this is one thing I somehow enjoy because I can ask her to fix her toys, pick up stuffs from certain locations around the house, fix her bottle or cup on the table and do some other great things as long as she understands what we're asking her to do. She is now able to give me some hand.)

Say up to 10 or 15 words (let me check later how many words she knows already, I think it's more than 15)

Some toddlers could possibly be able to . . .

Become picky about certain foods (good thing she's not picky yet)

Take off an article of clothing without help (not yet)

Separation anxiety lessens (it's opposite in her case, her separation anxiety especially from mommy is at its peak now. I actually call it her mommy syndrome. )

Dance to music (she gladly does)

Trot and prance around (since she learned how to run, she somewhat forgot how to walk :)

And here's from www.babycenter.com

Your 16-month-old's physical development: Grand ambitions

Your toddler is still likely to explore her surroundings the way she has for the last few months — grabbing random objects, inspecting them closely, putting them to her mouth, banging them on the floor. But you'll also notice that she likes to challenge her physical limits. She knows she can walk, so she wants to try to carry a heavy load, like a box of blocks, while she's at it. She's confident that she can climb up onto the sofa, so she'll want to push a chair to the kitchen counter to climb higher and investigate what's up on the counter tops.

Other developments: Stacking and drawing

Your 16-month-old is becoming more adept at using her hands and fingers. She may be able to stack two or three blocks into a tower, and will delight in immediately knocking it down. When you read books, she'll insist on turning the pages for you, and by now may be capable of turning one or two pages at a time instead of simply flipping from front to back. If you hand her a crayon, she'll know exactly what to do with it, but will probably scribble on anything that's in front of her — books, furniture, and walls included — so "coloring" is an activity that you'll probably want to monitor closely. She may even be able to insert a round block into the proper hole on a board with various shapes.

( I didn't introduce crayons to Jade yet, maybe soon. On inserting blocks properly, Jade is able to do that in her shapes and colors sorting toy.)

Your 16-month-owl's social and emotional development: The toddler connection

Even at this young age, your toddler is learning that he is rewarded with positive attention — hugs, laughter, praise — when he behaves in ways that people around him think are "right," and that he is punished or ignored when his behavior is "wrong."

The social interactions you're most likely to witness now are basic — waving, smiling, playing peekaboo, and following simple instructions — but these are all first steps in establishing his personal social style that are learned through imitation. A 16-month-old is also able to initiate displays of affection and he'll give back what he receives. If you show affection with hugs and kisses, he will likely, too.

(Even when Jade was still less than one year old, we always clap our hands everytime she successfully does things like being able to say a word or finish her meal. She got that from us that until now, she initiates it by herself. Now, we also give her a kiss and a hug if she does “bigger” things. She also does that to us in return.

On the other hand, her social aspect I think is on the right track :) We are thankful that she gets the opportunity to play with kids within our compound. Moreover, she shares the same nanny with a 4-month younger toddler whom she gets to play with during the day.)

Other developments: Developing self-awareness

A newborn isn't able to differentiate between himself and his mother or between himself and any object he sees. Tasting, touching, smelling, and hearing what's in the world around him are ultimately what help him understand that he is a separate being. At about 16 months, your toddler understands that he is his own person, but that he can use you as an extension of himself.

At this stage, your toddler knows he is powerful and he is the center of his world. He uses your attention and amazement and appreciation of his accomplishments to attempt even more. He wants to succeed at everything he tries, though he often won't.

( One funny thing about Jade is when we ask her who the baby in the picture is, she just says baby. Or when we ask her where the baby is, she will point at the her framed baby picture. She has no clear awareness yet that the baby and she are one and the same.)

There are stuffs that Jade can exhibit other than those listed in the book. I attempted to write it all but decided to stop, I might as well do it some other time. From all I read, I know Jade that is in a normal pace and her development is just right on track.