The second year of your baby’s life offers more freedom for him/her.
While every developmental phase offers new achievements, s/he still has a lot of learning and growing to do.
Baby development from 13 to 15 months:
Once your baby reaches his/her first birthday, s/he will be able to walk effortlessly without your assistance.
If your baby is not yet able to walk, there is no need to worry as this developmental stage varies greatly. Over the next couple of weeks, the baby will catch up easily.
As your baby matures and tries to understand about the new things around him/her, s/he will gradually start to move away from you. Until that time, ensure that you are there right by their side.
Babies at this stage become fascinated by small toys in the form of animals and cars, so make sure you give them a wide selection which are age-appropriate. During this time, your baby tries to keep everything in his/her mouth. So, be aware of choking hazards and continue reading and singing to him/her.
This is also the time to switch over from breast milk or formula milk to whole milk. It is essential that your baby gets lots of vegetables and fruits as well as some meat in small quantities.
Baby development from 16 to 18 months:
By this time, your baby should be able to speak a few words, and will be able to link words to objects and concepts.
Encourage your baby’s language skills by showing him/her new objects and repeating the names of those objects. Some babies can utter two or three word frames. Continue talking and singing to your baby every day.
Now considered a toddler, babies will start exploring their world and will protest noisily when you obstruct their search. You need to set the limits, and will find yourself using the word no very often. You also need to find ways to deviate your child’s attention from undesirable areas or items.
Baby development from 19 to 24 months:
As babies near their second birthday, their motor skills develop significantly and you will begin to notice signs of independence.
Your baby will also be able to run and walk up the stairs without extra effort. This is the time to let your baby identify that you are the one who is going to make most of the choices for him.
On some days, you will need to reign in extra patience to handle your baby, especially as s/he tries to develop language skills day by day. He/she will remember each new phrase that he/she learns and will observe what you do and listen to everything you say. Expose your baby to new places, and allow him to indulge in as much innovation as possible. Continue reading and singing to your baby to soothe and stimulate him/her.
