Month 19
Hi everyone and welcome to Month 19 with your baby and Month 19 with my toddler Bracey. Since he was 10 weeks premature, doctors will calculate a corrected age for Bracey until the age of 2.
Growth and Development of 19-Month-Old-Baby
How Much Should my 19-Month-Old Weigh?
The average 19-month-old baby boy weighs 24 pounds 6 ounces (11.2 kilos) and the average baby girl weighs 23 pounds 9 ounces (10.9 kilos). At his 19 month checkup, Bracey weighed approximately 11.02 kilos (24 pounds 2 ounces). He had only gained a bit of weight from the past month but the doctor was not concerned. This past month, Bracey got super close to the average weight for boys. Yippee!
Should My Toddler visit the Doctor at 19 Months?
Your baby will not be visiting the doctor at 19 months unless you are late for the 18 month visit or this is something specific to check on. Bracey went to get all the usual checked and we were pleased to see that everything was on track.
Developmental Milestones at 19 Months
How Much Should my 19-Month-Old be Talking?
Some 19-month-olds are saying 10-20 words and some have many more words. Some toddlers are starting to link two or more words together with meaning such as saying “Give me.” Many 19-month-olds understand direction words such as stop, go, or directives such as “stand up,” or “sit down” although they cannot say these yet. If you see regression or notice your child not communicating or making eye contact, nor attempting to show and ask for things, talk to your doctor. If you are worried about how many words your child is uttering, also speak with your doctor (who might recommend a speech therapist) since early intervention and activities to encourage speech and language development are crucial.
How Can I Encourage my 19-Month-Old to Talk
At this point, in addition to narrating what you do and what your child does, and in addition to all the usual advice such as to read frequently, sing, dance and involve your child in your world in language-rich activities, try to incorporate some more organized activities into your toddler’s day and week. I have a list on my phone of little things to do with Bracey that I glance at daily to remind myself. Here’s my casual list and you can feel free to add your own. Get on a schedule:
- Numbers 1-20
- Colors (go beyond primary colors)
- Shapes
- Body parts (and get detailed with eyelashes, the gums of your teeth, finger nails). This is great stuff to talk about when you are hanging out.
- Farm animals & wild animals
- Vehicles (car, truck, plane, train)
- Opposites: big-small, loud-quiet, short-tall, thin-wide, dark-light, high-low. Explaining opposites is a good way to start introducing concepts to your baby.
- Emotions (and explain these with facial expressions): happy-sad, excited-scared, tired-energetic, thrilled-angry, silly-serious, shy-exuberant, hungry-full.
- Give the names of the foods you eat and describe them as sweet, salty, spicy, etc. Say things like “Wow this chili has some pop to it.” Don’t shy away from using complex words, either.
- Songs: Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Old MacDonald had a Farm, The Wheels on the Bus, Frère Jacques, Humpty Dumpty, Head Shoulders Knees & Toes, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Baa Baa Black Sheep.
How Should my 19-Month-Old be Moving?
Most 19-month-olds are walking, running, ascending and descending stairs by crawling, and climbing onto and off of the sofa or chair. Many can bend down and pick up objects while standing. Bracey is doing this.
Why you should Let your Toddler Mess up Your House
When your toddler messes up your neat house, the tendency is to want to say “no” and get him to stop because it is more work for you to straighten everything up later, but try not to do this. Bracey’s latest game is to bring me diapers. He actually thinks he is helping me and he’s proud of himself. Rather than frown and say don’t do that, just say “thank you so much” and start a conversation. “How did you know I needed diapers? And you got me two diapers. One-two. TY so much. Can you please put these diapers back over there where you got them?”
On a related note, maintain positive energy. Try not to say “no, don’t do that, don’t do this” just make as many things as you can into a game. Have fun. Go with it.
Your 19 Month Old’s Social and Emotional Development
Toddlers this age have strong preferences and sometimes have difficulty transitioning between activities. Stay calm and just observe the whole thing, considering it a stage of development. The more your toddler can feel in charge, the less annoyed they will be, so give them control over things that don’t matter, such as what book to read and what toy to play with.
How to Get a Stubborn Toddler into a Stroller
Getting Bracey into the stroller when it’s time to leave the park is tricky! Bracey runs away and then stiffens his body into a surfboard and slides down and out of the stroller, almost hitting his nose. Here are some tips for getting your toddler into the stroller:
- Lure your child with a small treat
- Give your child a book or toy
- Start by standing them up in the stroller while spotting them and then seduce them into sitting down with the book or small treat
- Try to get 1-2 straps on then walk or jog a bit and then finish up the straps
- Get someone to help you, even a stranger. “It Takes Two Baby.”
Intellectual Activities for a 19-Month-Old-Toddler
In addition to engaging in language-rich conversations while your baby stacks blocks, plays with trains, sorts shapes and colors, and plays with other manipulatives, try to introduce some drawing, finger painting, and play doh at this point. These are messy activities but you gotta do ‘em once in a while. Aim for once a week. Put down a plastic guard on your kitchen table and go for it. You might want to just have your child in a onesie to minimize the dirty clothes or you can buy a smock. This will not be a long art session. I would imagine that after 10-15 minutes or so, you’re out because your child will be running into your living room with paint all over their hands. Get washable paint, by the way. With the play doh, I like giving Bracey cookie forms so that he can make shapes.
Physical Activities for a 19-Month-Old Toddler
This month I have a new theme. Get messy and get dirty. Germs and dirt are good. They build your child’s immune system. And you want to get your child into the habit of falling, getting a skinned knee, walking barefoot, having a bit of resistance and realizing that they can get a minor scrape and still be fine. If your child takes a small tumble, try to first see how they react. If they get up and run off all happy, don’t make them think there is any reason for unhappiness. So with that said, here are some good outdoors activities for a 19-month-old toddler:
- Play on the grass (with leaves, flowers, and branches)
- Play in the dirt or mud
- Play in the sandbox (the only rule being: don’t throw sand on other children!)
- Draw with a stick into the dirt
- Draw with chalk
- Hopscotch
- Obstacle course (put a bike, some pillows, backpacks)
- Hide and Seek
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What Should my 18-Month-Old be Eating?
Keep introducing a variety of foods from the four food groups opting for whole grains (stay away from white rice, flour and pasta), low sugar, and non-processed foods. If you are breastfeeding, make sure to also offer whole milk and water. Offer a panoply of fruits and vegetables. Here are some other food ideas:
Protein
- Hummus on pieces of whole wheat toast
- Egg salad
- Spaghetti with meatballs
- Dumplings
- Fresh sausages
Vegetables
- Sauteed green beans with mushrooms
- Roasted vegetables in oven with olive oil
- Cauliflower
Fruits
- Raspberries
- Papaya
- Grapefruit
- Apricots
- Plums
Schedule for Breastfeeding or Milk Feeding Babies at 19 Months of Age
At this stage, we are still in the transition period to one nap, which is tricky. Today, for example, I put Bracey down too late at 1pm and he would not sleep. He will not be able to make it all the way through, however, to dinner time so even though I try not to have him sleep past 3pm, I will give him a cat nap from 6-7pm. And then I will give him a late dinner. These schedules are guidelines and you should adjust them to suit your own personal agenda.
- 7am feed* & breakfast or breakfast then give milk or milk substitute
- 9:30am snack
- 11pm feed & lunch (12-2/3pm sleep) (early lunch bc your toddler will be tired)
- 3pm feed & snack
- 5:30pm dinner
- 6:30pm final milk feeding
- 7pm bedtime
*If no longer breastfeeding, give milk or its alternative after the meal.
Bracey update
April was a fun month for Bracey. He enjoyed having his grandparents visit Barcelona and getting outside for lots of playground time. At home, opening and closing closets and doors, bringing diapers to mommy, taking books down off the shelves (which is more fun than putting them back), and playing ball with his siblings remained his main activities. Thank you so much for watching and see you back next month for Month 20!
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