Toddler This Week: 22 Months, Week 3

It's too soon to sign your toddler up for formal music instruction (experts say it's best to wait until your child is at least 3). But in the meantime, your toddler may enjoy attending an early music program or bopping to music at home. Cheerful, simple songs like "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and "Mary Had a Little Lamb" are easiest for your toddler to sing. You may even catch her making up little ditties herself, especially before dropping off to sleep or when riding in the car.

What's the best way to get your 22-month-old to try new foods? Keep on serving them. Even if he refuses to touch, much less taste, what's on his plate, exposure is the name of the game. It can take ten or 20 or more exposures to a new food before a toddler will consent to try it, nutritionists say.

Keep portions small so they're less intimidating. Try serving refused foods in a different format: A broccoli spear looks very different from, say, broccoli in cheese sauce or a soufflé. Never force your child to taste something or clean his plate. You want him to develop pleasant associations with mealtimes. Besides, nobody likes everything.

Don't expect perfect table manners at this point. Smelling it, handling it, and smearing it are some of the ways your child gets acquainted with a new food.

Hand washing is the number one way to protect your family from illnesses like colds and flu. You can cut down on germs around your home – and make your life a little easier – by giving your child his first lessons in this important skill. Put a step stool in front of the sink so he can reach the faucet and show him how to turn it on and off. A bar of soap may be easier for small hands to manipulate than a pump dispenser. Fine-motor skills are still developing so he'll need your help and supervision for quite some time.

Demonstrate how to get the suds all over his hands and then rinse. It takes 20 seconds of scrubbing to kill the germs that need to be killed. One way to make sure he soaps up for long enough: Have him rub his hands while you sing the ABC song and rinse when you get to the end. Reduce the chance of scalding by setting your hot water heater to no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

To further banish bugs, start teaching your child to cough or sneeze into his elbow rather than into the open air or his hands – just don't expect him to master it yet.

-BabyCenter.com