Hi guys! Today I wanted to share with you what we have been doing with Joey over the past couple of weeks to encourage/promote him to learn as much as possible. Obviously, every child is different and every parent does what they see is best. This is just what we have been doing in order to encourage Joey to explore and keep trying new things.
Gross Motor Skills:
I have talked about this recently, but Joey is currently 19 months old and just now starting to walk. He’s doing well and really starting to get the hang of it. If you have been following me for a while now, you know that Joey did have both torticollis for which he wore a doc band for a couple months, as well as had an undescended testicle. Both of which I think contributed to him just not being able to explore as freely in those early months. I was never really concerned because as his mom I would have noticed any alarming behavior and there just was not any. Like I always say, always talk with your doctor and make decisions based on what is best for you.
We did not do any physical therapy (other than for when he had torticollis.) Joey just started to naturally start to stand up and is now cruising. We did use a baby walker once Joey could balance on his feet (idk if that was the right thing, it made it easier on us because he loved it, but I know those have mixed reviews in terms of slowing down a child’s natural progression)
Tip #1: My biggest tip for gross motor skills is honestly just giving your baby time.
We would hold his hands and walk with him that way but unless he really was interested and wanted to do it, we couldn’t force it. He himself had to learn and figure out how to use his feet in this way. We also observed the same with things such as rolling and crawling. Joey just had to learn his body. Moms, I know it can be stressful but you know your baby best. If your gut is telling you that your baby just needs a little longer to learn, it’s okay. They will come around to it! Here are some of Joey’s favorite walker toys that he used a lot when he was first trying to get around:
Fine Motor Skills:
For this, I really think the toys you buy your child make all the difference. From learning how to stack blocks to learning how to turn the pages of a book, it’s all about exposing them and just letting them explore. Joey loves books. I try to read to him at least a couple times a week + nap times. We try to do a combination of both picture/interactive so Joey can touch and feel, along with story books. Here are some of his favorites:
As far as toys go, I have recently started looking into montessori style learning. I rounded up a few of the new toys I purchased. I’ll link that here if you’re interested, but basically we have really been trying to make it a point to help Joey think through playing. Montessori learning encourages kids to learn concepts and be able to apply what they learned not only to that specific toy but also elsewhere. They take out those distractions and additional stimulation to instead help your baby focus on using their hands and learning, instead of just pushing a button so a song will play, type of thing. Don’t get me wrong here, we still have a vast variety of toys. Does Joey play with spinning balls that sing songs, or even his toy train that plays music? YES! I don’t think there is anything wrong with that either. I think all toys are great in their own ways and variety is good. I just want to be more international and help engage him further. I have to add though, Joey loves Montessori types of toys. They keep him busy and one of his favorite things to do now is stack blocks and take things in and out of each other. Here are his top 3 favorite hands on toys right now:
If you don’t know, both my husband and I are full time students so my mom helps us out with Joey throughout the week. She incorporates all of this into their routine as well.
Tip #2: Don’t stress too much if others watch your baby. Communicate with this person to set similar routines and the child will adapt very well.
Creating Healthy Habits:
Tip # 3: Starting/implementing those good habits from a young age.
This goes for a lot of things and really it can be so simple. Like eating, allowing your child to eat by themselves and giving them an appropriate size spoon and fork to use early on. Introducing a sippy cup as soon as it’s okay for them to drink from it. Having a solid bedtime/nap routine. Showing them two shirts and they grab one, that’s them “picking out” which one to wear.
We have always been a routine family but recently I do believe that some transitions have been easier for us because we did start implementing things from a young age. I’m saying this because Joey has harder moments, as a lot of toddlers his age start to do but we always have something to fall back on if we’re really struggling to get him to calm down, if that makes sense. Joey now knows exactly what to expect and he wants to “help” which can then help distract him and focus his attention on something else. For example, when it’s bath time now, I say to him “let’s go run your water” and he rushes into the bathroom ready to “help me” turn on the water. This way, bathtime is not a burden and he enjoys it because I let him help along the way. It’s like having something to look forward to.
Tip #4: Encourage your child’s independence.
Like I mentioned, simple things like having your baby be there when you turn on their bath water. Letting them throw away their diaper after a diaper change (might make them a little easier too because all parents know how much kiddos love diaper changes!) We have just really been trying to include Joey in as many day to day tasks as we can because he learns and in the long run, it can help with those meltdowns and transitions.
Speech Development:
When Joey was born, I did not really know much about his topic whatsoever. Kids usually pick up on words just from hearing you talk and other surroundings. They all start to talk at different ages, and again if you’re concerned always refer to your pediatrician. For us, Joey talks, says some basic words, he listens well (he’s a toddler haha) but he definitely understands what is being said to him!
I think this is kind of where screen time talk comes into play. I don’t think there is a right or a wrong when it comes to this. I am not against it, but I’m also not for always allowing it. Again, mama you do what you need to do! For us, Joey never watched a lot of Tv to begin with. We are not a TV watching family though so that is 100% why. However, I do think that because of this, Joey is not drawn to the Tv at all which we definitely appreciate in the long run because he’s gotten a lot better at independent play. His favorite and only shows he watches are baby shark and Ms. Rachel on youtube. Let me tell you guys, Ms.Rachel is amazing. When he started to watch her, this is when I really understood how sign language in a child can make all the difference.
Joey knows signs for words he still can’t say but he’s still able to communicate it now. Ms. Rachel explains that gestures help language development and I can see how big of an impact it has on a toddler because he picks it up very fast.
Tip #5: If you’re a parent who wants to help teach your child new words, look into sign language.
We have also noticed that because of this, Joey tries to say more words and has become even more vocal over the past couple of weeks even if it is not true “words” he’s saying. We teach him signs just simply by repetition and doing them at the right time. He eventually catches on and starts to do them too. Here are some signs language books you could try too:
That is all! These are all of my newest tips and tricks when it comes to promoting learning. I think there is never just one way to go about it but if you’re struggling to find new ideas on how to engage your little one, try some of these. As always, thank you so much for reading, and I’ll catch up with you guys soon!
-With love, Kasia
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