My little one turned 19-month-old yesterday. Allow me to share with you BabyCentre.org’s update on my toddler I receive monthly to keep track of her development. By the way, if you’re on your way to becoming a new mother or is just a new mother, try signing up at BabyCentre.org, it’s a great resource for Moms and moms-to-be.
19 month old
This month, you’ll notice that your toddler’s powers of observation are getting sharper. She’ll laugh at something that’s obviously wrong — like calling a giraffe a zebra or calling a brother a sister. And she’ll notice when a favourite toy is missing an eye or has lost a patch of fur. Her language skills are maturing, too. Although you may understand less than half of what your toddler says, she understands most of the words you use around her. She may also put together pairs of words, like “Me go” or “You put”. The best way to encourage her budding speech? Talk to her.
Indeed, I have noticed her blurting out words here and there. Her vocabulary has widened although I have stopped from reading books to her at night since she preferred her Dora, Blue’s Clues, and Barney. (Although I did resume reading to her at night last night so she can pick up more words.) I must give credit to these kiddie shows too since she picks up words from these shows. For instance, she knows how to ask for Dora and Barney by saying Dora and Barney or to answer ‘Oh, man!” when somebody shouts ‘Swiper, no swiping! Swiper, no swiping!’
She can also carry a mini-conversation with me. I can already ask her to pick up her things on the floor or to pick up something to give to me or to her nanny. She can communicate what she wants be it water, her milk, her favorite TV shows, her favorite pillow, her book, or if she feels sleepy. She can also indicate a yes or a no by nodding or shaking her head.
During her routine 18th month check-up and also for her last vaccination (DPT booster), her pediatrician asked me what words is she already articulating. Ironically, I was lost for words. Too many I couldn’t single out a few. Maybe because I was also taken aback since the doctor expressed her concern on my toddler’s speaking ability. “I have not heard her speak ever since” to think that it was only the second time she saw my kiddo, the first one was when my kid was 13 month old for her measles vaccination. I assured the doctor that my baby is a lot more talkative than kids her age and that if there is any concern like that, I would be the first one to voice out that concern.
True, I may not understand more than half of what she’s babbling but I’m just glad that her vocabulary is getting wider and that she can already communicate to us what she thinks and more importantly what she wants.
They say kids from 0-5 can learn 5 languages at the same time. Hmmm…I am already thinking of French lessons for my 19 month old! 🙂
Migrant Mums 