This Month’s Milestones
Potty Training
Your child may be ready to start potty training this month. Look for signs of readiness, such as showing interest in the bathroom or staying dry for longer periods. Use a gentle, low-pressure approach, and celebrate small successes to keep the experience positive.
Preparing for a New Sibling
If you’re planning to expand your family, now is a good time to start introducing the concept of a new sibling. Read books about new babies, involve your child in preparations, and reassure her that she will have an important role as an older sibling.
Reducing Power Struggles
To cut down on power struggles, try using compromise instead of commands. Offer choices where possible and involve your child in decision-making. This approach helps her feel more in control and reduces resistance.
Developing Locomotion Skills
Your toddler is working on improving locomotion skills. This includes climbing, moving objects from one place to another, and mastering more complex movements. Provide safe opportunities for her to practice these skills, like supervised play on climbing structures or obstacle courses.
Expanding Vocabulary
Her vocabulary is rapidly expanding. Encourage language development by reading together, talking about your daily activities, and naming objects around her. Celebrate new words and phrases as she learns them.
Sleep Challenges
Sleep challenges are common at this age. Maintain a consistent bedtime routine to help your child feel secure and know what to expect. Address any nighttime awakenings calmly and gently guide her back to sleep.
Playing and Helping
Expect lots of filling containers and dumping the contents, as well as climbing over things and moving objects. Your child might also insist on helping you with household tasks. Encourage her involvement by giving her simple tasks like putting away toys or helping to sort laundry, which can make her feel proud and capable.
Physical Development
Locomotion Skills
This month, your toddler is likely to continue honing her locomotion skills. She’ll enjoy experimenting with walking backwards, sideways, and navigating stairs. She might even try to run, though her attempts may be more enthusiastic than coordinated.
To support her, ensure she has safe spaces to move around. Since she might take a tumble now and then, pad sharp corners on furniture like coffee tables. Gates at the tops and bottoms of staircases can prevent dangerous falls, as she may not yet have the ability to stop quickly or gauge distances accurately.
A fun way to help her practice these new skills is to organize a parade. Give each participant a musical instrument, such as a tambourine or bells, and form a single file line. Show your toddler how to lift her legs high while playing her instrument. The more children you involve, the more enjoyable it will be.
Putting In and Dumping Out
Around 19 months, many children master the ability to hold a container in one hand and place small objects, like wooden blocks, into it with the other hand, only to dump them out again. This milestone shows progress in their grasp-hold-and-release skills. Your toddler might enjoy stacking blocks, but dumping them and banging them together will still be a favorite activity.
Set up a beanbag toss for him using socks filled with uncooked beans tied with ribbons. Create a target with a decorated piece of cardboard with a hole cut out or use a wastebasket. Depending on his enthusiasm, this might be best as an outdoor activity!
At this stage, children become more interested in toys like balls, puzzles, cars, animals, and musical instruments. Push-and-pull toys, like «popcorn poppers» or toy vacuum cleaners, are also very entertaining. When choosing toys, stick to age recommendations for safety and developmental appropriateness.
Climbing and Falling
Now that your 19-month-old has good hand-eye coordination, balance, and strong muscles, she’s ready to explore climbing. Her climbing adventures will vary based on her personality—she might be cautious or a fearless climber.
Ensure her safety by clearly defining where climbing is allowed and what’s off-limits. This won’t completely stop her if she’s determined, but it helps set boundaries for you to decide when to intervene.
The danger of falling is significant, but furniture tip-overs are also a risk. A dresser, bookcase, or television can fall on a climbing child. Mounting flat-screen TVs on the wall and securing furniture can prevent accidents. Between 2000 and 2018, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported at least 556 furniture tip-over deaths, with 83 percent involving children under 10. Securing potentially hazardous furniture is crucial.
Provide opportunities for your child to climb at playgrounds. During winter, consider setting up a small plastic play structure indoors. Whenever possible, allow her to spend time outside to channel her energy productively.
Language and Cognitive Development
Building Her Vocabulary
At 19 months, your toddler’s vocabulary can vary widely, typically ranging from ten to fifty words. She may start linking two or more words together and using more action words like «go» and «jump.» Verbs combined with her name or pronouns, such as «Come me» for «Come with me,» are common, though she might not yet use prepositions correctly. Many toddlers also understand directional words like up, down, under, out, and in, even if they’re not yet using them.
When reading familiar stories, your toddler may surprise you by filling in the blanks if you pause at certain points. For example, while reading «Goodnight Moon,» you might say, «In the great green room, there was a telephone and a red …» and she may eagerly shout, «Balloon!»
Looking at picture books together and naming objects will help build her vocabulary. Enhance this by describing the objects and their functions, sounds, or textures. For example, «This is a horse. Horses are big and run fast,» or «Here’s a fire truck. It’s red.» You can test her comprehension by asking questions like, «Where’s the red tractor?» or «Where’s the white horse?» and she’ll likely point to the correct item.
Favorite Toys
Your child’s interest in playing with toys may deepen this month, with some favorites holding his attention for 20 to 30 minutes. Choose safe toys like board books, musical instruments, nesting blocks, stacking toys, toy telephones (without cords), and push-and-pull toys. Ensure these toys are too large to swallow, have no detachable parts that pose choking hazards, won’t break into small pieces, don’t have sharp points or edges, and have no movable parts that could pinch fingers.
Spatial Relationships
Toddlers learn about their world by touching, holding, and moving objects, which helps them understand size, weight, and shape through a process called motor learning. They push or pull heavy objects, toss light ones, and observe how small objects slip through their fingers. While it may seem like play, these activities are crucial for developing their understanding of perception and spatial relationships—concepts foundational for math skills they’ll learn in a few years.
Shape-sorting toys are ideal at this stage, as many toddlers enjoy trying to match shapes, reinforcing their learning about spatial relationships.
Behavioral Health and Development
Toilet Training Readiness
This could be an opportune time to consider toilet training. Look for signs of readiness, like showing interest in others’ bathroom routines and ability to follow simple instructions. Also, consider any major changes in your child’s life, such as a new sibling or caregiver, which might affect readiness. Ensure you have the time and patience to commit to toilet training now.
At this stage, a freestanding potty chair is likely the best option, allowing your child’s feet to touch the ground. Eventually, a toilet seat insert may be suitable, but your child needs to be big and coordinated enough to use it independently. If you’re ready to begin, seek practical tips and techniques for potty training, including methods designed for toddlers aged 15 to 28 months.
Compromise and Setting Limits
Your approach to discipline shapes your parenting style. Viewing discipline as teaching limits rather than enforcing obedience can foster independence. Reduce power struggles by treating your toddler respectfully and aiming for compromise over commands. Keep rules simple and consistent, and maintain a sense of humor as you navigate this developmental stage.
When setting limits, use gentle but firm language to communicate boundaries and reassure your child of your love and acceptance. For instance, calmly redirect him if he’s engaging in unsafe behavior, and affirm your love for him afterward.
Doctor Visits
Visits to the doctor can be daunting for a sick toddler. Bring along comforting items like a favorite stuffed animal and books for distraction. Ask if your child can sit on your lap during the examination to provide reassurance and comfort.
Social and Emotional Development
Preparing for a Sibling
Expanding your family can be both exciting and challenging for your toddler. While it’s natural for her to feel a bit displaced by the arrival of a new sibling, there are ways to help ease the transition:
- Scrapbook Preparation: Create a scrapbook with pictures of baby items and involve your toddler in discussions about what «her» baby will need.
- Involvement: Let your toddler participate in tasks related to the new baby, such as washing and folding clothes.
- Baby Doll Practice: Give your toddler a baby doll to practice caring for and teach her a special song to sing to her doll and later to her new sibling.
Soothing Insecurities
Even the most cheerful toddler can experience moments of whining or clinginess, which are often signals of overload or frustration. Here’s how you can help:
- Acknowledge Feelings: Respond to your toddler’s distress and acknowledge her feelings without making too big a deal out of it.
- Distraction: Sometimes, a few hugs and simple distraction can help soothe your child’s distress.
- Transitional Objects: Encourage the use of a transitional object or «lovey» for comfort and security.
- One-on-One Time: Ensure your child has regular one-on-one time with you, especially if she has a busy day at childcare.
Craving an Audience
While your toddler’s desire to be the center of attention may have lessened slightly, he still enjoys having an audience. Expect repeat performances of behaviors that elicit a response from you, as he thrives on adult attention and approval.
Learning by Imitation
Your toddler learns a lot by imitating you and may eagerly want to help with tasks she sees you do. Encourage her desire to assist by finding ways to involve her in age-appropriate tasks, such as tossing clothes into the washing machine or helping with simple chores like putting away plastic plates and cups.
Sleep
Refusing to Go to Bed
Your 19-month-old may suddenly resist bedtime, perhaps due to a newfound awareness that activities continue without him, leading to fears of missing out. Here’s how you can manage bedtime resistance:
- Gradual Wind Down: Gradually wind down activities as bedtime approaches, reinforcing the idea that nighttime is for sleeping.
- Establish Routine: Stick to a consistent bedtime routine, clearly communicating what to expect before bed.
- Avoid Prolonging: Avoid prolonging the bedtime routine to prevent your child from becoming overstimulated.
- Crib Safety: If your child still sleeps in a crib, ensure it’s set to the lowest level to prevent climbing. Consider transitioning to a bed if climbing becomes a safety concern.
By maintaining a consistent bedtime routine and addressing any safety concerns, you can help ease your toddler into a peaceful night’s sleep.
Play
Games to Play with Your Toddler
Keep playtime engaging and fun with these interactive games:
- Puppet Play: Use a puppet, or create one using a sock with drawn-on features. Let the puppet interact with your child, engaging in simple activities like asking for a hug, singing a song, or playing peek-a-boo. Encourage your toddler to respond and interact with the puppet.
- Beanbag Basketball: Set up a makeshift basketball game using beanbags and a large container like a laundry basket. Show your toddler how to toss the beanbag into the container and cheer them on as they try. Encourage them to retrieve the beanbag and take turns tossing it into the basket.
These games not only foster creativity and imagination but also provide opportunities for physical activity and social interaction with your toddler.
Enjoy the moments of playtime together!