Toddler This Week: 12 Months, Week 3

Look who's talking now! Your 1-year-old is working hard on being able to tell you what's going on in his busy brain. Try these strategies to help his vocabulary grow: When you change his diaper or dress him, talk about the parts of his body. Look at picture books together and ask him to point to or name familiar objects. Teach him about textures by letting him touch an apple ("smooth"), avocado ("bumpy"), or kiwifruit ("fuzzy").

Your toddler probably has been wrestling with bouts of separation anxiety during the past several months. This is natural: He loves and depends on you, so he's distressed when you leave.

To ease departures, ask your sitter to arrive early so your toddler has time to adjust. Be matter-of-fact when you leave, and don't prolong the agony with extended goodbyes. Make it quick, with just one goodnight kiss. Your toddler's tears will subside soon after you're out of sight.

You can help your child feel more independent by not hovering over him all of the time. Of course, he still needs to know you're around and dependable. So if he toddles to another room, wait a couple of minutes before following.

There are a lot of foods you can consider feeding your toddler now that he's 1 and his immune system and digestive system have grown strong and hardy.

If allergies run in your family or you're particularly concerned, however, it's best to consult with your child's doctor and consider holding off on certain foods, including some of those listed below, until age 2 or 3.

Among the things you can consider introducing to your toddler's taste buds:

•  Cow's milk
•  Corn
•  Wheat
•  Citrus fruits
•  Berries
•  Honey
•  Eggs
•  Shellfish
•  Peanuts and tree nuts

It's an exciting time when, after months of babbling, your child begins to form recognizable words. It's not an overnight process, and the pace varies significantly from child to child. One thing is sure, though: He understands far more than he can say. Some things to watch for now:

• Gestures that speak louder than words. Your toddler may be a man of few words but speaking up a storm in gestures, like raised arms for "up" or a pointed finger for "What's that?" Children who learned sign language as babies are especially "fluent."
• Words with many meanings. An early word like "joos" may mean "I'm thirsty for milk," "No, I want water," or "Hey! I dropped my bottle!" Listen to the inflection. He'll say the same word in different ways and using different gestures.
• Words from everyday life. Perhaps not surprisingly, your child's first words probably relate to things in his immediate life: "Mama" and "Dada" and other favorite people or pets, or words having to do with eating ("baba" for bottle), sleeping ("nite-nite"), possessions ("ba" for bear), or desires ("up").

Your toddler's pincer grasp is probably well developed by now, so he can pick up small objects between his thumb and forefinger fairly easily. He may enjoy practicing this skill on any little thing he finds on the floor, which is a lot closer and more visible to his keen eyes than it is to yours.
Be extra careful about small but potentially dangerous little items that fall to the floor without adults noticing, such as vitamins and other pills, pieces of food (and pet food), pushpins from the bulletin board, tiny toy parts used by older siblings, and so on. They could end up in your child's mouth.

Parent tip
"Kids grow up all over the world learning more than one language, and our children can too. I grew up in India, a country with more than 25 languages. I grew up learning four, including English, and I'm no genius!" – Vish

-BabyCenter.com