Teething, Playing, Hanging Out
Sarah Graves has not been her happiest self lately. For a while I thought it was because she was cutting the two upper cuspids or eye teeth. She was uncomfortable, at times she ran a very low fever, and she had a runny nose. Those teeth have been peeking through for a week or so and she still seems grumpy. .
When we attended our parenting class one of the books that she suggested was Your One-Year-Old, The Fun Loving and Fussy 12 - 24 Month Old, so I ordered it and started reading it right away. I was a little dismayed when the book described how your baby would be at their most balanced around the time of their birthday and that from 15 - 21 months they would be in a state of disequilibrium. The book explains that their abilities become out of sync as they move closer to the mid-year mark and gradually they begin to sync up again as they move closer to their second birthday. In other words, she becomes frustrated that she isn't able to do the things that she really wants to be able to do. I think right now that has to do with communicating her wants and needs. She has basic communication and I think that helps a lot, but sometimes she wants something and she gets frustrated as I pick up every object in sight trying to determine which thing she wants. The psychologist in me thinks that there may be some dissonance between what people around her think she is capable of and what her maturity will allow for her to do. She can walk and talk some, so the expectations increase and she just isn't able to function like an older child the way that people around her start to expect her to do. This book does warn that you can't see your walking and talking toddler as a child because they aren't capable of thinking and behaving like a child and have to be treated like a baby still. That makes sense to me.
The book also mentioned that the best way to deal with their frustration is to distract them and that going outside would be a good way to distract a baby this age. They are very right because going 'side as she says it is always exciting. She can be crying about having her diaper changed and if I mention that after that we are going outside, she becomes much more willing to lay there and let me get it done. She will also repeat "side" to me over and over as if she is reminding me that we had a deal.
So that's pretty much the state of affairs around here.
When we attended our parenting class one of the books that she suggested was Your One-Year-Old, The Fun Loving and Fussy 12 - 24 Month Old, so I ordered it and started reading it right away. I was a little dismayed when the book described how your baby would be at their most balanced around the time of their birthday and that from 15 - 21 months they would be in a state of disequilibrium. The book explains that their abilities become out of sync as they move closer to the mid-year mark and gradually they begin to sync up again as they move closer to their second birthday. In other words, she becomes frustrated that she isn't able to do the things that she really wants to be able to do. I think right now that has to do with communicating her wants and needs. She has basic communication and I think that helps a lot, but sometimes she wants something and she gets frustrated as I pick up every object in sight trying to determine which thing she wants. The psychologist in me thinks that there may be some dissonance between what people around her think she is capable of and what her maturity will allow for her to do. She can walk and talk some, so the expectations increase and she just isn't able to function like an older child the way that people around her start to expect her to do. This book does warn that you can't see your walking and talking toddler as a child because they aren't capable of thinking and behaving like a child and have to be treated like a baby still. That makes sense to me.
The book also mentioned that the best way to deal with their frustration is to distract them and that going outside would be a good way to distract a baby this age. They are very right because going 'side as she says it is always exciting. She can be crying about having her diaper changed and if I mention that after that we are going outside, she becomes much more willing to lay there and let me get it done. She will also repeat "side" to me over and over as if she is reminding me that we had a deal.
So that's pretty much the state of affairs around here.
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