Your 13-month-old : Week 2

Your 13-month-old: Week 2

Your toddler now

The toddler tornado

A 13-month-old is a whirlwind of activity. Your child probably thinks it's fun to push, throw, and knock everything down. She's not being deliberately destructive. Rather, she views the whole world as one big science experiment: What happens if I do this? And this? And this? It's exciting to be able to make things happen, whether it's unrolling all the toilet paper or yanking books off a shelf – again and again.

Games that involve putting objects in containers and dumping them out again are likely to appeal to her. Bring on the blocks in buckets and the pots and plastic containers that fit inside one another – and can be banged together. She'll thrill to the loud sounds. Stacking, nesting, and pop-up toys will fascinate for months to come.

Travel strategies

The secret to traveling with a 1-year-old can best be summed up in two words: Be prepared. Whether you're going a short distance or far away, bring a large diaper bag stocked for every eventuality.

That means lots of easy-to-handle snacks (like dry cereal, fig bars, or crackers), milk, water, plenty of diapers and wipes, a sweater in cool weather, two changes of clothes (in case of diaper blowouts, carsickness, or other spills), extra clothes for you (you never know when you'll become part of the mess), comfort objects (bear, blankie), and multiple diversions (such as board books, small toys, and finger puppets).

On airplanes, travel early in the day to avoid delays. If you can afford it, buy a separate seat for your toddler (and take a car seat on board) to give everyone more room. Give your child something to eat or drink during takeoff and landing to encourage swallowing, which helps reduce painful pressure in the ears. Having your child suck on a bottle, breast, sippy cup, or pacifier works well.

Posted in: Toddler : 1 year old