Three Signs Your Baby is Getting Closer to Becoming A Toddler
- Erica McIlquham
- May 3, 2017
- 5 min read
Hi!
As a first time Mama and in the WIDE and LARGE digital word there is a $H!# ton of information out there ... but sometimes it can be repetitive. What I try to share here is a raw and honest account of my motherhood journey. Often what sparks my creativity and drives me to write a post for all of y'all is reflecting about my days and my weeks as a Mama and thinking about "what I wish someone had told me".
So here is this weeks insight.
Everyone talks about the transition from baby to toddlerhood. But no one talks about that in between "transition" from what I'm going to call newborn to infant, or the signs that your babe is (not there but) close to becoming a toddler! It's when your little babe starts doing things independently, when their personality starts to flourish and when you realize how important it is to provide them with the tools to develop independence, confidence and start teaching them about the world. It's pretty darn incredible. I never want to forget this time watching my Sweet Pea grow and change, and I am fearful that I if I am lucky enough to have another child, I will be so busy and won't get to embrace it the way I have been able to with my first (#momguilt). So here I am documenting and sharing with all of you the milestones that I've observed and some amazing products that have helped make this transition more memorable for us.
1. Personality
Wow. This has probably been the most beautiful thing to watch. In the first few months of her life, what I used to think was personality, now has me realizing how much that changes as she approaches her first birthday. I'd say after we hit the 6 month point and closer to 7 months is when I really started to notice her personality coming out. The expressions in her face, the laughter and the playfulness! She has really become her own little person, which I know will grow even more as she becomes a toddler. She has so much expression in her eyes already and I love capturing photos of her at this time because I feel like you can tell so much by just looking at these images.
I love observing her to see what toys she is drawn to. It says so much about her personality. She's IN LOVE with books. These Indestructibles Books from HipKids are a game changer because I don't have worry about total destruction and she prefers the texture of the paper-like book to play with.
She also loves the WheelyBUG. We push her around on it, she can stand and push it herself and the interactive ears and features on it seem to draw her in multiple times a day. And they are SO CUTE- #amiright?! This one was given to us by a friend but HipKids stocks the latest and greatest styles (link here).
2. Movement
This is a big one. For a long time it felt like Nora would just sit wherever I placed her while I did what I needed to do. Or at least sit with toys or some kind of activity. She shuffled around a little bit, but for the most part there wasn't much to fear other than rolling off of the bed. It felt like all of a sudden, overnight, she started crawling and AS SOON as she started crawling she seems determined to stand and to try to walk. This had a HUGE impact on our life and on her. Sweet Pea is a very active child and for the months leading up to this time she seemed to have a lot of pent up energy, frustration and restlessness. She was ready to move. As soon as she began moving, she seems to have flourished. Now it's busy, it's exciting and I love watching her explore.
Nora wants to be standing constantly. She pulls herself up on everything and anything, and sometimes that's not super ideal. This Nook Pebble Pouf from HipKids is phenomenal. It's the perfect height, it's SO soft which means I never have to worry about her banging her head as she lowers to the ground and it's SUPER light so I can transport it from room to room based on what we need it for in the moment.
Another game changer movement wise has been these MiniMoc shoes from HipKids. They are FREAKIN' amazing. We've been wearing the two pairs we have on Nora since she was about 3 months old because the way they are designed they stay on the feet. Now that she's standing and trying to walk, the non-slip bottoms are perfect for both in the house and out. They are so versatile, I sometimes even forget to take them off of Nora's feet before nap time and she doesn't seem to mind! Trust me on this one. They are worth the purchase.
3. Independence
I noticed her independence flourish one night while I was cooking dinner. Nora was sitting in the kitchen with some toys and I realized half-way through my meal prep that she had been playing, independently for quite some time. This has continued since that night and signs of her independence are showing in other ways. She holds her own bottle, she prefers to feed herself in her highchair and when I put her in the stroller she no longer likes to stay in the car seat attached to my City Select and likes to be conveyed outward in the full size seat. I am always looking for new ways to allow her to develop independence, potentially learn some lessons the hard way and to grow her confidence.
There are so many awesome tools out there to help us through the transition stages. Nora has been trying out the Kidsme Food Feeder which allows her to feed herself through a mesh-type device. She LOVED being able to handle it, feed herself and the size was so perfect for her little hands. My only regret is not getting this back when she was first trying foods- I think this would be ideal. So if you are reading this and about to introduce your first solids- pick one up!
As I mentioned above, Nora loves to feed herself. Which is awesome! In order to make the food visually appealing to her and to instil healthy eating habits at a young age we are using the ezpz The Mini Mat from HipKids which is SO EASY TO CLEAN, looks amazing and fits perfect on our Stokke Steps transitional high chair.
Since she is feeding herself, this comes with a mess. I've tried a few bibs but this is literally the BEST.BIB.EVER (OXO tot Silicone Roll Up Bib) . It fits well, it caught 99% of the food that fell and is SUPER easy to clean. Bonus- it rolls up into a compact size for easy of transport. After using this bib I literally called a friend of mine to tell her about how amazing it is -- don't bother trying any other, TRUST!
What other milestones do you remember as being monumental during your children's first year of life? Did you rely on any specific products to help you and your family navigate that time?
xo
The #YGK Mom
All products are available at HipKids at hipkids.ca where you can shop conveniently online OR if you are local, you can visit their shop downtown at 233 Princess Street.
Have questions about these products or anything else in my post? I'd love to chat! Contact me here!
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