As you think about your little one approaching half of his second year, then it is time for you to look into the 16-month-old developmental milestones.
By now, your 16-month-old is basically is an explorer. Since he is able to walk in a steady manner, he would now try to run and climb over here and there.
While ensuring that your house is childproof, it is equally essential to give our toddler more freedom to discover his surroundings. You should try to talk more with your toddler now as he is able to understand more about what you say.
Let’s wait no more to look into what you can expect from your 16-month-old toddler.
Sixteen-Month-Old Developmental Milestones
16-month-old Sleep
In between his 15th and 18th months, your toddler is more likely to drop his morning nap. It means that he is going to have only a midday or afternoon nap for around two hours.
However, do ensure that your toddler does not take the nap too late in the day so that he can fall asleep at night. If you are unsure wether what time is considered to be too late, simply remember this following tip:
A toddler’s bedtime should be no later than 4 hours after he wakes up from his afternoon nap.
While your little one is going to sleep for around 11.5 hours during the night time, do try to establish a good bedtime routine if you haven’t. Taking around 20 to 30 minutes, you can prepare your toddler for sleep with same daily rituals such as bathing or reading bedtime stories in the exact same order.
Here are some suggestions that you can practise for your toddler’s bedtime routine:
16-month-old Feeding
As you serve your toddler with three meals and two snacks a day, this is how you can estimate how much food you can serve your toddler. Most toddlers would need around 1000 calories every day or 40 calories for each 2.5cm of his height.
Suggested by professional doctors, your toddler should have three 8-ounces cups of whole milk per day to have adequate intake of calcium. Moreover, you should also feed your toddler with iron-rich food.
Here are some iron-rich foods that your toddler can enjoy:
Key Milestones In Growth
How should your 16-month-old toddler grow in terms of weight and height? Here are the averages that you can expect from your sixteen-month-old baby.
- Weight: Around 9.8 kg for a 16-month-old baby girl and 10.52 kg for a 16-month-old baby boy
- Height: Around 78.48 cm for a 16-month-old baby girl and 80.26 cm for a 16-month-old baby boy
On the other hand, your toddler might start to have his third bottom tooth erupting as early as in his sixteenth month. Thus, if your toddler happened to be cranky out of the sudden, it might due to the teething pain.
Key Milestones in Skill Development and Senses
Key Milestones in Movement
- can walk steadily and more independently
- may start to climb up furniture and run
- can pick up a ball or other object that is in motion
- can feed and drink from a cup by himself with some spillage
- can stack two to three blocks to make a tower
- can flip over books
At this age, your toddler is going to be very curious that he would walk, run and even climb while making a mess and chaos around the house. As this is due to his impulses, he does not always understand what is or isn’t acceptable. Therefore, we need to help him to understand that his misbehaviour is not appropriate.
With this, you would need to set up some boundaries and expectations and introduce the concept of consequences. Here are some tips that you may practise to discipline and teach your toddler on good behaviour:
Key Milestones in Five Senses
- can say between seven to fifteen words
- can understand more commands and daily conversations
- enjoys pretend play
- uses eye contact and gestures to get what he wants
- starts to develop a sense of what’s right and wrong
- being more self-centered
Have you ever seen your little one refusing to share his toys with his peers or siblings, even when he is not playing? Worry not, it is just that he does not understand that others have different feelings from his own.
What he has in mind currently is just:
The world revolves around me.
With that in mind, you can gradually introduce the value of empathy to your toddler through your actions as followed:
16-Month-Old Baby Activities
At this stage of toddlerhood, you are going to have so much fun playing with your toddler. It is also great if you can bring him outdoor to discover the world around them. Believe us, your toddler is going to enjoy his time at the playgrounds, parks and open areas.
Besides exploring the nature, you can equally plan activities that enhance his skills and development as follows:
Say ‘No’ to Developmental Milestones Comparison
While it is easy for us to fall into the trap of comparing our little one with his peers of a similar age, always remind yourself that every child grows at their own pace.
Therefore, stop comparing and instead, support your toddler’s growth and development with nutritious food, physical activities and love.
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