One year on
Happy birthday baby! Doesn't time fly? Your baby is now a toddler, growing more independent by the day; however most still suffer from some separation anxiety. This can often be harder for parents to handle than for the child!
Your best bet is to stay strong, and make goodbyes quick. Long goodbyes often just make matters worse, and you'll probably find that your child settles very quickly once you've actually gone. Give a quick hug and a kiss and then leave.
It's very hard not to feel guilty when your little one is in floods of tears, but they will quickly get over it. It's also really important for both of you to have time away from each other - your baby will need to get used to socialising with others in order to become more independent.
Physically your toddler's coming on in leaps and bounds - if they've not taken their first steps just yet, don't worry, they're bound to start soon. It's also worth remembering that some don't walk until 17 or 18 months.
Whether your little one's walking or not, you'll doubtlessly have noticed that they are becoming far more mobile and curious.
As your baby becomes more dextrous little ‘works of art' are likely to pop up all over your house - so keep a close eye on where those stray crayons get to!
Your toddler is also becoming more and more chatty too - in addition to ‘dada' and ‘mama', your probably beginning to notice that they use more words (even though some will be recognisable only to you!). Even without the necessary vocabulary you'll probably find that your toddler has become pretty good at communicating via a variety of gestures; you'll also notice that they understand a lot more of what you say. As such it's really important to continue to keep talking and reading to your toddler to help their speech development.
Play & Pretend
Reading to your child is really important in terms of helping them increase their vocabulary and helping their speech development. Make story time even more fun by building a little campsite.
Tell your little one that you are going to build a den for story time. You'll need a bed sheet and some dining chairs to drape the sheet over. Pop cushions and pillows in your den and crawl in with your little one.
Take a torch and read your favourite stories in there - your little one will love the adventure!
