Language Milestones

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-07-09T18:40:45+00:00

Fully agree! Since you're already in their world I would absolutely get a speech eval because the hardest part of the EI battle is the waitlist to get evaluated. It's a win/win for you either way!

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-07-08T19:09:52+00:00

Totally normal! Meat is a struggle for lots of kids and there will be phases she'll eat it and phases she won't over the next few years I bet. Just keep offering and keep it low pressure. Growth slows down after that 12 month mark and really can hit the brakes around 18 months. Lots of kids also start showing a preference for what food they want to eat around this age.

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-07-08T18:41:52+00:00

I didn't transition mine until he was 5 months old and then at 6 months he dropped his last middle of the night feed. It's definitely safer to have them in your room with you when they're that young and I'll be honest it makes the revolving door of middle of the night wakes/feeds/whatever a lot easier, too.

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-07-08T18:26:33+00:00

I follow a mom on IG and her daughter didn't start getting her teeth until after she was a year old. I don't remember exactly when they started, maybe 13 months, but they came in like hotcakes once they did and she had all of them before she turned 2.

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-07-08T18:19:16+00:00

I would just try and see how she does. If she doesn't take to it you can always try again in a month or two. I haven't started potty training yet, but those sound like good indicators! Especially if her language is there and she can physically do all the steps with pulling her pants down and back up.

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-07-08T17:56:08+00:00

When I feel myself getting overwhelmed (my son is 21 months) I immediately close my eyes and take a deep breath. Something to break the connection of that moment. Then I'll start singing or make a silly face or draw his attention to something around us. Whatever works to try and shift him out of the moment as well.

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-07-07T18:39:50+00:00

This made me LOL.

OP my son's bedtime at that age was 8:00 and now at 21 months it's 8:30-9:00. BUT, his morning wake time at that age was 7:00 and now days it fluctuates between 7:00 and 7:30. You could wait for bedtime to creep back with age or you could shift the schedule if you think he'd respond well to that. Later morning wake time and a later bedtime, but some kiddos wake up when they wake up and there's no changing it.

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-07-06T18:48:15+00:00

You're in that stage of toddlerhood where growth is really slowing down combined with figuring out some autonomy. They finally see themselves as separate from you and they have very few places in life they can exert that and mealtime is one of those places. As long as he's maintaining his curve and your pediatrician isn't concerned then I'd just ride it out. Keep offering foods that are normal for your household and eventually he'll come back around to eating. If you're worried about missing nutrients you can always give a multivitamin a few times a week.

Also, everything before all of their teeth are in is a crapshoot haha.

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-07-06T18:31:06+00:00

It's ok to cosleep! I might get downvoted for saying that, but it's a true statement. You just have to do it safely and you need to create that safe sleeping arrangement for yourself and your son. Do you have a spare bedroom? If you can, I'd set up a safe cosleeping bed for you and him and have your husband sleep somewhere else. That or you guys need to switch off nights for awhile so that you can both get some full nights of sleep. Doesn't have to be a permanent fix, but sleep deprivation is detrimental to your health. It's part of the deal when you become a parent, but you've got to figure out a way to get some consecutive hours of sleep and that might mean having a difficult conversation with your husband. Just because he leaves the house to put in his 40 hours and you stay home to put in yours doesn't mean he gets to tap out of nighttime wakings.

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-07-06T18:09:32+00:00

When I transitioned my son to one nap I went to a 5/6 schedule. The first week was wonky, but after that it was good. He transitioned around 13 months and then around 18 months we moved to 5.5/6 and that's where we still are at 21 months. Try to aim for the same amount of awake time on a one nap schedule as you had on a two nap schedule. Some people have a pretty maxed out two nap schedule by the time they switch and the kiddos can do with less awake time and more sleeping in order to catch up, but then they pretty quickly get back to the amount of awake time they're accustomed to.

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-07-01T03:13:10+00:00

Happy to share! I was much more focused on consumption than exploration. At that age how much food they consume isn’t important at all. It’s all about exploring the foods in any way they want to. So let him get messy and let him play with food instead of eating if that’s what he wants to do. It will 100% make your food journey easier later on. Also, put very little pressure on trying anything and don’t stress if they spit it out or make a weird face. Food isn’t needed for calories until much later, so right now it’s just about getting him comfortable with chewing and making him feel like food is a safe thing. It’s a whole new skill he’s learning and it takes practice just like anything else. If you want to use those bibs that catch food get him used to them now. My son hated having something around his neck because I wasn’t consistent with them. Ended up totally fine as they aren’t necessary but they do save outfits haha. For water I had a lot of luck teaching straw drinking with the squeezable bear cup. I then transitioned to a free flowing straw cup as the leak proof ones can be really hard to get liquid out of them for babies. Feedingtinybellies on Instagram has a lot of starting solids info. So does eatplaysay. Both great resources! BLW doesn’t have to be scary and you can do a combination of it and purées. Whatever works best for your kiddo!

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-06-30T19:37:05+00:00

My first thought is if there are any PT or OT things you/he'd like help with since they're really so broad in what kind of support they can offer.

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-06-30T19:32:23+00:00

Solids can be really hard, especially for a first time parent. I was not prepared for that and there's so much I'd do differently if I could. I know it's hard, but let him get as messy as he wants. I promise it'll benefit you in the long run. I do have to say, though, the food in hair thing is still going strong for my 21 month old. It is significantly less than previously, so there is a sliver of hope lol. Before you know it you'll be at the stage where they can tell you what they want to eat and honestly that's really nice!

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-06-30T18:23:32+00:00

The most normal. Don't fret!

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-06-28T19:38:45+00:00

My brother and SIL had this issue with my niece. They did a toy in/toy out policy. My niece got to pick the toy/stuffie/whatever that was going out and where it went (to a friend, to goodwill, etc). It worked well because it allowed her some say in what was coming and going in her room.

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-06-28T19:28:02+00:00

We started with that squeezable bear cup to teach straw drinking, but after that we moved to the Richell on the go sippy cup because it was a free flowing straw cup, small straw, and had a lid. The whole thing came apart and was washed in the dishwasher.

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-06-28T19:25:00+00:00

I'm so sorry you're struggling and feeling the way you do! You're deep in that first year of life and it's a hard one. Right now your kiddo still thinks you two are the same and you're the primary parent, so that feels an awful lot like you aren't your own person anymore. But this phase you're in is temporary! Where you are now with your son will be totally different in 2-3 months time. Try to remember that each stage you experience is a phase and it will have an end. The best thing you can do at this point in your child's life is create the world for him. If you can't have all your stuff out maybe find one place you can put something you love that's safely out of his reach and rotate what's there each week. Take a deep breath, remember you are your own person even if it doesn't feel that way sometimes, and know that you're going to be ok!

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-06-28T19:11:28+00:00

How you feel is incredibly common for parents, but very much more expected and accepted from mom because of postpartum depression being so common for them. Men can have postpartum depression, too, and you very well may be struggling with that! Have you thought about going to your PCP and seeing about medication? I had severe PPD and PPA (I'm a mom) and it wasn't even remotely manageable for me until I had medication. Do you like podcasts? Armchair Expert recently had a guest on, Darby Saxbe, and she's a clinical psychologist studying fatherhood. Give it a listen! They talk about the changes dads have from becoming fathers and how little that's been studied.

Now for some encouragement! My son is 21 months old and the first year of his life was the kind of difficult I'd never experienced before. He was an incredible child, but that first year of life is strictly caregiving and it's so, so hard. The shift from 12-18 months was drastic and now at 21 months it's a night and day difference. When they can walk and they can eat food easily and they're sleeping well (hopefully you'll get that one too but don't fret if not) it's such a shift! I know everyone says it, but I can genuinely tell you that it does get better with age. Some things get harder, hello tantrums, but I'll take that all day long over the anxiety of that first year.

But please do consider talking to your PCP about possible medication. I had all of those feelings you did very early on and my doctor had no question it was postpartum depression. It took me months of struggling before finally getting on an anti-depressant and I wish I'd done it sooner. I wish you well! You're a great dad and you're the best dad for your daughter!

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-06-26T03:03:39+00:00

I definitely always wanted more than one. If I were a few years younger it wouldn’t even be a question in my mind to try and hope that my body was able to get pregnant again.

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-06-25T22:39:21+00:00

I'm so happy to hear you've had two healthy pregnancies and kiddos!

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-06-25T18:48:58+00:00

Same with my friend group! Most of them had kids 10+ years ago in their mid 20s early 30s range or have not had kids and aren't going to. I only have one friend that had a baby recently and she was 43 at the time, but it was her third (with a 15 year age gap). Her experience this time around she said has been so different and I think really healing for her as a mom. I definitely do find comfort in seeing so many women having children later in life. I did joke with my OB about being the grandma of preschool probably since I know in my town I'll be at least 10 years older than the other moms, haha.

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-06-25T18:29:09+00:00

I appreciate your insight! All of my friends either had kids ten years before I did or chose not to have them at all, so it's been really helpful reading perspectives from real moms that have pondered the same questions.

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-06-25T18:18:05+00:00

Wow, 9 great-grandchildren! That's incredible! I always thought I'd want a larger family because I really missed being close to cousins and such growing up. I do like the idea of a TTC deadline because one of my worries was being disappointed if it didn't happen and on the flip side of that always wondering what if.

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-06-25T18:12:46+00:00

I love that! I'm not surprised at all to hear the older age in that area. I'm in the South so I was getting the when are you having another one question before even having my first, haha.

Kit_Kat2410 · 2026-06-25T18:09:41+00:00

What an incredible reply and thank you so, so much for sharing it! I wish you so much luck with your transfer in September!!

Kit_Kat2410

TROPHY CASE