As much as you may want time to slow down while you enjoy the time with your newborn, they are growing every day. At some point, they will become a toddler. This can be a rollercoaster journey for any parent but is something that you can prepare for so you can embrace and enjoy your time with your children.
Becoming a toddler doesn’t happen overnight, instead, you will find that your child will transition into this phase. It will be different for everyone, but you may notice that they stop breastfeeding, they want/need a bigger bed, and their behaviour begins to change. This can be a challenging time for parents, who are realising that their babies are growing up. It can also be challenging for toddlers themselves, as they are learning new things about themselves every day and their general understanding of the world begins to expand. You should see it as an exciting transition of growth, and embrace it with your toddler.
To help you on your journey, here are some key things to expect as your baby becomes a toddler.
A change in behaviour
As they begin to get older and move into the toddler stage of life, you will notice that their behaviour is one of the biggest things to change. Every toddler will be different, but you may find that their independence and sense of self begin to grow, they have multiple personalities and moods that switch within minutes of each other, and they may develop new habits and obsessions with people, toys or objects, and they may begin to defy your instructions. This is because children recognise behaviours and objects, and start imitating what they see as they explore themselves.
Change in appetite
As a baby becomes a toddler, their appetite begins to develop, and you may even find it changes every week. This will be a good stage to experiment with different foods, especially those that are designed for toddlers, such as organic toddler food.
You will quickly learn that with each activity, mood, and day, their eating habits are going to vary. This can be difficult to get on top of at first, but after a while, they should settle into the food that they like and dislike. Make sure you stock up on some useful weaning equipment too! We had a plethora of baby led weaning spoons, bibs, reusable wipes and of course a sturdy high chair!
Change in routines
When you have a baby, you dictate the morning, daytime and evening routines, that they eventually learn and you go through the motions every day together. As your baby becomes a toddler, you may find a lot of pushback with your typical routines. You may find that you cannot get your toddler to sit still when you need to get them ready for the day, or they refuse to go to bed or sleep. It can often feel like a battle, but with consistency and a good balance between parenting and their newfound independence, it can be okay.
Being a parent is a challenge in itself. On top of that, you have to deal with the different phases that your children will go through as they get older. Becoming a toddler can be one of the biggest changes, as they transition from being a small baby. It can therefore be helpful to know what to expect.
Leave a Reply