All about a 13 mth old: toys, books, play, dev

[jojoki]

Hihi mommies,

I dont know why I am a bit lost on what I should work on with my 13 mth old. Can you share with me what toys, books, play that is a MUST with a 13 month old? or something that your 13 mth old then really enjoyed reading/playing with? should i do art n craft?

Do I start seriously potty training her? let her self feed? etc? She is near mastering walking, but will still crawl. I rarely let her self-feed...and I havent let her try art and craft yet..

Please share.... THANKS IN ADVANCE!

 

[littlehelper]

I don't think there is any MUST to do.I guess its all up to you to decide what you wanna do with your child and how your child can adapt to it.
For example some kids can sit still to do craft at that age others just wanna run around and make a mess.
However at her age, it would be good to let her practice her walking, let her explore with her sense as you explain the items...don't go to in depth just briefly like get her to touch smth rough and say :"rough! the cloth is rough"
Get the touch and feel books
Also you can have sing a long sessions with her good way to teach her hand signs and words.
I think she is too young to be potty trained....
You can let her feed herself with buiscuits though and mayb give her little like really little bit of water and spoon to let her feed herself..(probably will make a mess though)
Don't needa rush things enjoy every stage
Give her lots of encouragement for good behaviour and stern warnings for wrong doings.

 

[jojoki]

I did teach her a bit of sign language but mainly she learnt from a DVD that I play for her. That usually keeps her occupied a bit.

Practice walking- erm , I just let her walk around. My place v v tiny. But yah, maybe I can start taking her down the playground to do some walking,, believe it or not I never put on socks or shoes on her. I hope she wont reject it.

She has started screaming a her lungs out when things dont get her way.. SIGH!!! Very drama... but I do spank her! yes even for screaming.

I was jst thinking that wat should she be tot at this age ( i noe montessori has this like time frame tingy whereby at certain stage, certain areas must be developed)

Any rough idea when she should knw shapes, colours, numbers n abcs?

 

[diymummy]

You can refer to sites below for some ideas:

Milestone chart: 13 to 18 months | BabyCenter

Play: Why it's so important | BabyCenter

 

[Ting]

Hihi mommies,

I dont know why I am a bit lost on what I should work on with my 13 month old. Can you share with me what toys, books, play that is a MUST with a 13 month old? or something that your 13 month old then really enjoyed reading/playing with? should i do art n craft?

Do I start seriously potty training her? let her self feed? etc? She is near mastering walking, but will still crawl. I rarely let her self-feed...and I havent let her try art and craft yet..

Please share.... THANKS IN ADVANCE!

actually when pin was this age, i didnt really intro her books n toys, cos she wasnt really interested.
i mean, she does hv some toys which she do throw n bang n "experiment" with, but she wasnt fully interested in it.
books? even when i tried reading, she is being distracted by something else or try snatching the book from me, so i stopped too.

13 mth old is still pretty young, n they r slowly tryin to understand u.
potty training, i would think it is still abit early since they cant verbally tell u: mummy, i wanna pee.
i think u can train her more on self walking n also self feeding.
teach her to self feed with her hands then move on to cutlery.
u can also start encouraging her to talk by teaching her simple words.
toys, i think if your girl would be interested, no harm buying a few educational ones to guide n teach her.

 

[jojoki]

she can talk quite well di actually so i'm more relax on speech development.. but she cant do things like stacking yet, or self feeding n drinking.

How about doodling? she also doesnt doodles.. give her a pen it goes right into her mouth...

when to potty train n how? she wont sit on the potty... she will tell me when she wanna bangsai but not shishi... if shes about to bangsai she will go "mmm MMM" but i tried putting her on potty once when she said mmm mm but with diaper on cos i was worried she will walk away halfway, i dun wan her droppings on my floor. BUt she refuse to sit more than 5 secs!

Is this a right time to buy a toddler table and chair? which one is good?

Sorry ah many questions...

 

[missblue18]

hi jojoki,

its been a long time...my girl is also 13mths...i do some stuff with her

sesame street number and alphabets cards - these i just let her flip and play but at times i'll sit her down and read to her...there is this marker for her to draw on the cards too

tv - she watches the disney channel at my mum's place n enjoys the songs and singalongs but i dun really let her watch at home....

potty - i've recently introduced the potty to her and so far so good...i know its a bit early but i thot of just trying it out...what i do is that every morning once she wakes up i'll put her to potty and so far she has been poo-ing in her potty once i put her there...she likes her potty and understands when i say it to her...even if she doesnt poo she'll pee and i'll show her the potty after she's done and praise her for tat....once in awhile i'll ask her if she wants to use potty and if she points to direction of toilet i'll let her go...u can try it out...my girl likes the potty so she enjoys it...

play - she has some toys like the typical shapes toys but she just like to throw them around...mostly i like to bring her ard in her little bicycle...we go for walks and along the way i tell her flowers, trees all the typical stuff i believe u do too...

food - my girl doesnt take food and put it into her mouth...its odd normally she wants us to feed her then she dare to eat...which also means she doesnt pick up things and put them in her mouth...i dunno if its gd or bad though...she doesnt like the sippy cup but can drink from straws

so gd tat ur girl is already talking...mine doesnt say much except mama, papa and tata coz she knows when we spank her so she says tata...though she doesnt verbalise but i know she roughly understands what we say its pretty scary at times!

 

[Ting]

she can talk quite well di actually so i'm more relax on speech development.. but she cant do things like stacking yet, or self feeding n drinking.

How about doodling? she also doesnt doodles.. give her a pen it goes right into her mouth...

when to potty train n how? she wont sit on the potty... she will tell me when she wanna bangsai but not shishi... if shes about to bangsai she will go "mmm MMM" but i tried putting her on potty once when she said mmm mm but with diaper on cos i was worried she will walk away halfway, i dont want her droppings on my floor. BUt she refuse to sit more than 5 secs!

Is this a right time to buy a toddler table and chair? which one is good?

Sorry many questions...

hmm then u can start her on self feeding, like cereal, biscuits, fruits, bread, etc.
u can just put into a small bowl n give her a spoon, show her how to scoop the pcs n put into her mouth.
as for doodling, still young! instead of pens, i bought pin a magnetic board to draw, easy n convenient n i dun hv to worry abt her scribbling all over the hse!

pin started to be toilet trained only at 2.5yo at CC.
the teacher started with only after her nap, remove diapers n ask them every 13-30 mins if they wanna pee.
then later move on to remove her diaper during nap time. we also put her off diaper at home.
so now she is only on diapers when she goes to bed n when we go out.
im waiting for a couple of months more b4 i try to put her off diaper at night during bedtime.

 

[AugBoyz]

IMHO, there is no need to rush a 13mths old to learn ABC 123 colors shapes, perhaps you can introduce but not a MUST tt she must know. She probably is not interested in them anyway.

If she is able to speak quite well then why does quote "She has started screaming a her lungs out when things dont get her way" unquote, as you mentioned in your earlier post?

Being 13mth old, coordination of the arms is not so steady. Yes u can give her a spoon to play with, she may 1. use the spoon n bang on the table, chair, herself or you etc rather then using it to scope up the food. If she is able to concentrate on using the spoon to scope food, its good, but she may not bring the food into her mouth successfully. Food may drop fm the spoon etc. Instead try putting some cereals or snacks on her bowl n let her use her hands to feed herself.

As for potty training, seems like she has not decide whether she likes the potty or love the diaper since she is able to tell u if she need to do her business. No need to rush her, coz if u do, chances are it may backfire. Try again n again to bring her to the potty WITHOUT the diaper on, when she tell u she needs to poo, its ok if she get up 5secs or 5mins later w/o actually doing it. If u are afraid the poo will land on the floor then bring the potty into the toilet, u can just use the water to wash away any mess.

Bear in mind thou not all child are alike, u can only use a child of same age as a guideline but not a MUST requirements. Each child learn n excel in different things at different speed n different ways.

Last but not least, dun be stress, enjoy your girl's growing up process

 

[faith777]

Hi jojoki, you're very blessed that your daughter's already telling you when she wants to poo & shee. My daughter doesn't and she's already coming to 3. I used to go to BabyCentre to check up what she should be able to do at every month and their milestones, but I end up having an expectation & unhappy when my girl couldn't "perform". Jesus has done all the performance, so rest & enjoy your girl now, don't stress yourself & just pay attention to what she likes to do. jojoki, you're a Christian. Use God's wisdom. Play Praise Baby cds for her & raise her in Godly realm. You're already on the right track spanking her. I did it wrongly on the hand. My gal's just as strongwilled and must have things go her way. Partly genetics but keep praying for HS to conquer her strongwill. Perhaps she's your 1st child like mine is to me, so we're very kan cheong to run to her the minute she cries since she's a baby so results in things expecting to be fast & going her way. You must show her you are the stronger one, if not, you'll have a headache like me now. James Dobson's book on New Strong Willed Child is VERY GOOD. Go get it if your child's getting more & more difficult to handle. PM me if you need help I'm always free for chats... I had no one to help me, but I'll be here for you. God bless.

 

[jojoki]

hi jojoki,

its been a long time...my girl is also 13mths...i do some stuff with her


potty - i've recently introduced the potty to her and so far so good...i know its a bit early but i thot of just trying it out...what i do is that every morning once she wakes up i'll put her to potty and so far she has been poo-ing in her potty once i put her there...she likes her potty and understands when i say it to her...even if she doesnt poo she'll pee and i'll show her the potty after she's done and praise her for that....once in awhile i'll ask her if she wants to use potty and if she points to direction of toilet i'll let her go...you can try it out...my girl likes the potty so she enjoys it...

food - my girl doesnt take food and put it into her mouth...its odd normally she wants us to feed her then she dare to eat...which also means she doesnt pick up things and put them in her mouth...i dont know if its good or bad though...she doesnt like the sippy cup but can drink from straws

so good that your girl is already talking...mine doesnt say much except mama, papa and tata coz she knows when we spank her so she says tata...though she doesnt verbalise but i know she roughly understands what we say its pretty scary at times!

hi yes its been some time ya.. hehe. wow i am soo impressed with the potty training! must try di!! but the thing is net doesnt poos on regular timing.. now the potty is placed upside down n she sits on it like a stool!!! but must try ur method di!!

dun put in mouth is good la...13 mths, mouthing should decrease di.. my baby always give me surprise in her mouth! leaves la, sticker la!! sigh!

whn i say the words 'tata' my bb will start wrinkle her nose, blink blink blink her eyes n wiggle her index finger at you and say "nono"

 

[jojoki]

IMHO, there is no need to rush a 13mths old to learn ABC 123 colors shapes, perhaps you can introduce but not a MUST that she must know. She probably is not interested in them anyway.

If she is able to speak quite well then why does quote "She has started screaming a her lungs out when things dont get her way" unquote, as you mentioned in your earlier post?

she screams when it doesnt gets her way means if I dont allow her to bathe longer, or I dont allow her to eat my food... i think most talking children still screams...

 

[jojoki]

Hi jojoki, you're very blessed that your daughter's already telling you when she wants to poo & shee. My daughter doesn't and she's already coming to 3. I used to go to BabyCentre to check up what she should be able to do at every month and their milestones, but I end up having an expectation & unhappy when my girl couldn't "perform". Jesus has done all the performance, so rest & enjoy your girl now, dont't stress yourself & just pay attention to what she likes to do. jojoki, you're a Christian. Use God's wisdom. Play Praise Baby cds for her & raise her in Godly realm. You're already on the right track spanking her. I did it wrongly on the hand. My gal's just as strongwilled and must have things go her way. Partly genetics but keep praying for HS to conquer her strongwill. Perhaps she's your 1st child like mine is to me, so we're very kan cheong to run to her the minute she cries since she's a baby so results in things expecting to be fast & going her way. You must show her you are the stronger one, if not, you'll have a headache like me now. James Dobson's book on New Strong Willed Child is VERY GOOD. Go get it if your child's getting more & more difficult to handle. PM me if you need help I'm always free for chats... I had no one to help me, but I'll be here for you. God bless.

hehe yes i do have a v strong willed child. Thanks she is indeed a blessing and the fact that i'm not sick or wat n am fully capable of taking care of her (eg washing her clothes, cooking for her, playing with her) is itself a HUGE blessing from God.

she cant tell me when she wants to pee btw. only mmm mmm. haha

I used to be quite anti-spanking (as taught by american parents) but it doesnt works for us, and after reading the book "Raising Godly Tomatoes" by Elizabeth Krueger I was even more convinced to spank. Its working well for us now.

Thanks for the encouragement, sometimes I do get very carried off with her in fear of not doing enough for her. But thanks for reminding me that all is in His good hands...

that said, I still wanna get tips from experienced mommies here! I've picked up LOTS of great tips, encouragement and inspirations from mommies here..

 

[missblue18]

hi yes its been some time ya.. hehe. wow i am soo impressed with the potty training! must try di!! but the thing is net doesnt poos on regular timing.. now the potty is placed upside down n she sits on it like a stool!!! but must try your method di!!

dont put in mouth is good ...13 mths, mouthing should decrease di.. my baby always give me surprise in her mouth! leaves , sticker !! sigh!

whn i say the words 'tata' my baby will start wrinkle her nose, blink blink blink her eyes n wiggle her index finger at you and say "nono"

heather also doesnt poo on regular timing...its me trying to train her to poo every morning...so far so good...not everyday tat i find gold but at least she pees hahaha...my potty is a normal usual shaped potty bought from toyrus...its easily recognisable by baby coz its lavender in color...do u think if ur potty looks like a stool net might not associate it with poo and pee pee?

haha net is so cute...i bet she's also a cheeky one...heather is also very strong willed i do spank her but not as hard as papa coz mama sometimes feel heart-pain for her...

 

[jojoki]

oh in tat case i will try putting her on potty cos i tot u need the tod to poo on regular timing to train dat way... my potty i got from those hardware store down stairs.. blue colour the cheapo type..

i spank v hard. not hard no pain for her..thn she wont listen. papa rarely spank always say Nono ah later mama spank u! smart huh!

 

[AugBoyz]

she screams when it doesnt gets her way means if I dont allow her to bathe longer, or I dont allow her to eat my food... i think most talking children still screams...

oh, then u must teach her that such behavior is not acceptable. Try to calm her down, tell her that she has to stop screaming before you talk to her. If she does not stop screaming, then put her on naughty corner till she stops screaming n calmed down.

 

[jojoki]

oh, then you must teach her that such behavior is not acceptable. Try to calm her down, tell her that she has to stop screaming before you talk to her. If she does not stop screaming, then put her on naughty corner till she stops screaming n calmed down.

ya i do try to teach her that, shes generally a very short tempered baby... loves to scream!! SIGH! if she doesnt stop normally i'll spank! me no naughty corner or time-out leh... but spanking does work on her.. but heart pain lar~

 

[Mummy to Baby V]

My boy is also 13 months. We have a home-visit nurse to check our boy's progress every month since birth and guide us on the activities to do. Since 2 weeks ago, we started more proper "homeschooling":

11a.m. to 12p.m.: Learning time:
- flashcards (pictures, words, random number dots)
- colouring (let him hold crayon to doodle on blank paper, one colour per week, now at 2nd colour)
- More on colours: e.g. 'Red' week: bring out things that are red
- doodle on magnetic doodle board
- read with hand-signs: both in English and Mandarin
- sing with hang-signs
- play with blocks, shapes, toy cars, stacking toys, toy musical instruments

He has been a very fast learner, so the activities are meant to help keep him active and interested. Doing many hand signs and saying more than 20 words.

Potty-Training:
Started pre-potty training at 7 months old; could relax to pee at 8 months old; could relax to poo at 9 months old. Now he is learning to give me signals for pee & poo, not really there yet but we are trying.

At every diaper change, he would be seated in a potty and I tell him he can pee or poo if he wants too. If he refuses to, I would take him off the potty and put a new diaper on him. So far, he has been co-operative and sits in the potty a few times a day.

Self-Feeding:
He wanted to self-feed at 12 months, so I give him some finger food every day to feed himself. Small cooked pieces of fruits or vegetables.

Walking:
He has been cruising for a while, so I give a 'exercise' time to practise walking every day. Just recently, he finally mastered walking.

Every child is different. Follow his interests and cues and also guide him in the best way you can. I believe that the first 3 years of a child's life is very critical in setting a strong foundation.

All the best and feel free to read our blog.

 

[AugBoyz]

ya i do try to teach her that, shes generally a very short tempered baby... loves to scream!! SIGH! if she doesnt stop normally i'll spank! me no naughty corner or time-out ... but spanking does work on her.. but heart pain ~

screaming is a norm way for them to communicate since they still do not know how to express themselves with words. Jus have to remind her no need to shout or scream, or shh her when she scream then talk softly to her telling her no need to scream etc.

Well if u use spanking method (like me :001_302 then a firm smack with a firm loud NO shld do the trick. Otherwise some will put them in nottie corner n tell them tt screaming is not allowed tts why she is being put at the nottie corner. You will only come to her when she stop screaming.

Dun think 13mths old do not understand you, they usually does know when they do wrong n being punished. U just have to be firm n persistent.

 

[Mummy to Baby V]

My boy can express his needs well with words and hand-signs, so he doesn't scream much. When he does, I'd say "Shhh! Softer..." and put finger to lips.

Sometimes, he'd smack me and shake his head. This is his way of trying to understand "No smacking". I'd then say "Gentle" and teach him to stroke my hand gently. Because he would imitate if anyone smacks him, we can't use smacking as a discipline tool.

He'd also throw things onto the floor and shake his head or do the "No more" hand-sign. I'd say "Things in the play-yard / on the table".

It takes many repetitions to help children learn what is appropriate behaviour.