21 months

It’s not just Baby’s mind that’s expanding as he grows – his body is growing every day, too. Growth in the second year is slower than the mad dash of the first year, but it’s still steady. If your tot still sleeps in his crib, it’s important to keep an eye on him as he gets taller – once he is able to climb out of his crib when he gets antsy, the crib isn’t a safe place for him to sleep anymore.

As he grows, he is going to keep learning through active, engaged play. Active play helps him exercise and strengthen his growing body, as well as giving him the chance to explore the world around him. Baby understands the world around him better than he used to, but he still learns best when he can not just see things, but also touch them, sometimes taste them, and every once in awhile, throw them against a wall, just to see what happens.

It’s important to keep learning through active play in mind, because as Baby gets closer and closer to his second birthday, he is also getting closer to the point when the American Academy of Pediatrics no longer recommends completely limiting screen time. As that time approaches, if you do start letting your little one spend a little time watching TV or playing games on a computer, phone, or tablet, it’s important to start by setting your own limits with him. Toddlers are years away from developing any serious self-control of their own, so Baby is depending on you to do it for him – even if he doesn’t know it yet, and pushes back against the limits you set.

Toddlers are still developing the ability to learn even from educational shows and games, so the things Baby learns about the world are going to come from the time he spends playing, so the more time he spends with a phone, tablet, or TV screen, the more time he should be spending in active play or free play. Free play may not seem like a learning experience on the surface, but it’s a crucial part of the way Baby gets to know the world. He is a curious kid, and at this age, his own curiosity is one of the best teachers he could have.

Milestones

  • Identity words: Baby isn’t just learning how to say words – he’s also learning how to use them. Around this time, he might be starting to learn how to use identity words like “I,” “you,” and “me.” If he is, this means that he’s getting sharper not just when it comes to the finer points of grammar, but also in terms of his own identity, distinct from yours.
  • Climb furniture: The idea of your toddler climbing furniture can sound scary – and can be scary! But it’s an important skill. For most people, it’s easy to take the ability to climb onto the couch and make themselves comfy for granted, but for toddlers, it can be a difficult task to learn to master.
Sources
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