PS Mommy thread with toddlers 12-36 months

[lliang_chi]

Monnie, adorable how A uses everything as a phone. Does she "call" anyone more often, daddy, grandma, etc? Aw, poor A with the rough 24 month appointment. Glad she got through it though. Ethan always forgets the "traumatic" doctor appointments by the time he goes to his next doctor's appt. Thanks for the input for cooking. DH would probably just order in if I don't feel like cooking.

MP, I want to say Ethan did the plural thing too. He doesn't anymore, so maybe it's something Ev will grow out of. So adorable that Chunky is the only non-Atticus cat. Maybe he's Ev's special cat since you guys call Ev Monkey. He's identifying with it. LOL. Ethan notices when Quizas is at camp, he'll ask "Where Quizas go?"

Dandi, wow, O is TALL if he can reach the light switches! Ethan can reach the elevator button but still can't reach the lights unless he climbs on a chair. He has learned to push his little potty/sink stook all over the place though, so it's only a matter of time till he turns things on and off. I'm glad O is back healthy and smiling again. That picture looks so adorable and mischievous.

Hi Vintage

JGator, you must take a pic of K with all the sunglasses & accessories on. I imagine it's stinkin' adorable. Ethan doesn't really like wearing sunglasses, with the exception of Daddy's $100+ pair of course. Do you have any pictures of K in those adorable little girl Indian outfits. OMG I just die whenever I see them. I agree about Indian food taking so long to make but man, oh man, is it worth the wait!

AFU: We spent the weekend on a lake at a friend's lake house. DH's friends have 4 kids ranging from 2yo - 8yo. Ethan has a little crush on the 8yo daughter. He kept asking for her all weekend and saying he wants to share his dump truck/excavator with her. LOL. I told her parents and the dad said K already has her share of admirers, which he's none too thrilled about, LOL. But all in all the weekend was fun. Ethan got LOTS of outside digging/rocks time and got to go on a boat etc. He had a fun weekend. He passed out HARD on the 2+ hr ride back, thank goodness. Hopefully we'll be able to get him back on a reasonable sleep schedule. He was too excited to go to sleep the whole weekend.

 

[JGator]

VL, your son is so adorable. I'm glad things are going well with you.

Monnie, I like some of the Trader Joe's options for frozen Indian myself. But when my MIL is in town, she pretty much does all the cooking and has no recipes - it's totally cooking by taste and memory for her. She cooks all Indian except she makes vegetarian pizza also which is always a hit! Sorry ot hear the 24-month appt was so hard. I'm glad A is enjoying calling people on the phone - that must be so cute.

MP, yes, I know that look exactly when she gets her P-A-C-I (we have to spell it out now so she won't know what we are talking about). I read somewhere that you tell them it's time to give the pacis to the paci fairy who gives them to new babies. K loves babies so she might go for that, but right now, she cannot be reasoned with. And, now that you mention it, K has started using plurals over the past couple of days, but not for everything.

LC, sounds like you had a great time at the lake. I'm glad you got some relaxation in! I will post some photos of K in her Indian outfits. She got 2 that fit her now when the inlaws were just here. I will have to get a picture of her with her jewels on soon.

AFU, we took K to the pediatrician today thinking she might have a UTI, but nothing was confirmed as she doesn't have a fever. They didn't want to catheterize her to get a urine sample so we have been advised to let her soak in plain water a couple times a day and let her go naked every day too to dry out. She has been touching her diaper a lot lately, and she was crrying while doing that yesterday so hopefully it's nothing.

 

[monarch64]

JG! K is so beautiful. I love her clothes and that she is bejeweled! Great photographs, thank you for sharing. I hope she doesn't have a UTI, and feels better soon. Thanks for the tip on the TJ's Indiana food, next time we visit a TJ I'll pick some up!

 

[JGator]

Monnie, thanks for your kind words on K. If/when you do go to TJs, check out the chana masala (chick peas), palak paneer (spinach and cheese), and the pakoras (appetizer fried chick pea flower with veggies). My DH really likes the pakoras, and K will eat the chana masala even though it is a little spicy. Also, they have the Indian bread/naan which you can just put in the toaster oven which is great.

AFU, K seems to be feeling okay. We let her play for 45 mins yesterday with no diaper - she peed after 30 mins. She really didn't like the feeling of being wet! Fortunately, she was contained in an area with a tile floor. We got K an easel and a table and chairs from Ikea over the weekend - she really likes them. The easel was only $15 so you really can't go wrong for the price if any of you are in the market for one.

ETA, does anyone else's toddler hate sitting in the shopping cart at the grocery store? Any suggestions? K cries and wants me to hold her or let her run around. I had her pushing the cart under me at Costco over the weekend as a compromise.

 

[monkeyprincess]

JGator, darling outfits on a beautiful little girl! Yes, Ev sometimes freaks out when we try to put him in a grocery cart and also in a high chair in a restaurant. We can usually trace it back to the fact that he is either tired or hungry (in other words, crabby) when it happens. I sometimes bribe him with his freeze dried yogurt bits when I'm desperate. I tell him that if he wants yogurt, he has to sit like a big boy in the cart or high chair. That seems to work. Usually, he only has a fit when we are trying to get him in, but then he gets over it after crying for bit. On Sunday when we were running errands, the little stinker tricked me. He was sitting in the cart and said "hugs" and reached out for a hug, which I thought was the cutest. But when I went in for the hug, he grabbed me and clung on to me and said "out, out, out" and wouldn't let go until I took him out of the cart! It's tough because he's too squirmy to hold for long, and he isn't very good about holding hands after a few minutes. DH is a dork and sometimes turns the cart around and pushes it backwards so Ev is facing forward instead of toward us. It gets a lot of stares and smiles from other people, but I have to admit, it usually works.

 

[monarch64]

JGator, darling outfits on a beautiful little girl! Yes, Ev sometimes freaks out when we try to put him in a grocery cart and also in a high chair in a restaurant. We can usually trace it back to the fact that he is either tired or hungry (in other words, crabby) when it happens. I sometimes bribe him with his freeze dried yogurt bits when I'm desperate. I tell him that if he wants yogurt, he has to sit like a big boy in the cart or high chair. That seems to work. Usually, he only has a fit when we are trying to get him in, but then he gets over it after crying for bit. On Sunday when we were running errands, the little stinker tricked me. He was sitting in the cart and said "hugs" and reached out for a hug, which I thought was the cutest. But when I went in for the hug, he grabbed me and clung on to me and said "out, out, out" and wouldn't let go until I took him out of the cart! It's tough because he's too squirmy to hold for long, and he isn't very good about holding hands after a few minutes. DH is a dork and sometimes turns the cart around and pushes it backwards so Ev is facing forward instead of toward us. It gets a lot of stares and smiles from other people, but I have to admit, it usually works.

Uh...I do a lot of "donuts" and other tricks with the cart after the 15 minute period of good cart behavior is over. This is most often necessary in places like Lowe's, which is fortunate because their aisles are pretty wide. I'll have to try your husband's backwards pushing trick--I hadn't thought of that yet!

JG, thanks again for the tips on which foods to try!

We went to my neighbor's parents' pool over the weekend and Alex learned how to swim around in her puddle jumper floatie thing. She is used to a life vest on the lake, but we found this thing for the pool and it works great. She didn't want to take it off vs. the life jacket because that stupid thing rides up into her neck and annoys her to no end. So, win! on that contraption.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Monnie, I love the puddle jumper life vest thing. K loves it, too.

JGator, I have had to get creative with the cart. Like MP, I will bribe K if necessary. I'll also let her ride in the bigger basket part since she's good about staying seated. I tell her if she stands up, she'll have to sit in front and buckle her in. At Target, she'll even ride on the side of the cart (standing on the bottom part, holding onto the side), which is not something I'm happy about, but will work in a pinch. She also likes to help push, but usually I need to go and she pushes really slowly and gets mad if I hurry it up. I try to avoid shopping with her as much as possible because it's difficult.

 

[lliang_chi]

Ditto the puddle jumper. I got one for Ethan for the lake house trip we had over the weekend. For just splashing around (at a pool or on the shore), I'm OK with the puddle jumper. But when we got on the boat, he put on a regular life vest that has floatation on his back. Oh and speaking of donuts, our friend like Ethan drive the boat for a little while. He liked a) Go FAST! and b) driving the boat in circles.

JG, awesome pics of K in her outfits. SO ADORABLE! You have to post the bling shots. This is PS after all Ethan is OK with sitting in carts. Does the grocery store have those car-carts? Ethan *loves* sitting in those when we go shopping.

NEL, I find it difficult to go grocery shopping with Ethan because he ends up wanting to eat EVERYTHING! "I need cracker, I need stawberry, I need apricot" Did K wear the puddle jumper last year when you guys went on vacation? How does she like the water?

MP, according to Ethan he's too much of a big boy to sit in high chairs. So he absolutely refuses. Not so bad with chairs, half the time he ends up wanting to sit on Mommy/Daddy wap. That's not so bad since we're usually done with eating before he is since he just pushes food around and goofs off.

 

[JGator]

LC, we haven't tried the car carts, but they do have them at our regular grocery store. I will make a point of getting some bling shots soon.

NEL, avoiding shopping sounds like a good plan. Eating out has been challenging lately too with the high chairs. Actually, eating at home too - she doesn't want to sit in her booster seat. We are thinking of getting a different booster to see if that helps.

Monnie, post some pics of Alex in her swimming puddle jumper. I'm sure she's adorable.

MP, K does the hug thing all the time in the shopping cart. She just grabs me and won't let go. I will have to get creative or just stop bringing her to the store. We do give her food and it helps, but she still wants out.

AFU, K is super shy in public these days and even sometimes at home. Like yesterday, she had her 3-hour nap with the nanny and came out and looked down at the floor when my DH and I were trying to talk to her. She was shy with us? What? So odd! Then, we took her out to dinner, and there was a baby at the table next to us. She immediately put her head down face first on the table and wouldn't look up for 10 minutes. After a while, she would look over at the baby, but only if he wasn't looking at her. Today, she is currently at story time, and her nanny sent me a picture of her looking down. She said she hadn't looked up yet for the first 20 mins of storytime. I really hope this is a phase because I don't want her to feel scared/shy/nervous around others.

Also, I decided to tackle our getting to sleep and nap issues last night. I was doing my usual rocking before bed routine, and K was wide awake so I decided to just rock for 15 mins and then put her in the crib awake. I told her I was going to put her down with her baby (her favorite doll) and she said No. I put her down, and she stood up and cried. I told her to lie down with her baby and she did, but as soon as I started for the door she was up again. So, I held her for a couple minutes and pointed to her stuffed animals and pacis and baby in the crib and said I would get her in the morning. So, I left, she got hysterical and cried for 30 seconds! And, that was it! I told her nanny she has to do the same thing for her nap today as the nanny has been holding her for her naps lately (up to 3 hours!) because she cries if she puts her down in the crib. So, sleep training phase 2 is underway officially for naps and getting to sleep at night! She mastered STTN in January, but I was not up for this challenge until now! 19-months is old enough, I think!

 

[monkeyprincess]

JGator, Ev is not a very shy kid, but even he will occasionally do that shy thing too where he puts his head down when we are out in public and someone comes on a little too strong. He has never done it with DH or me, but he will sometimes act really shy and clingy at first when relatives come by or there's a new teacher at daycare. I thinks it's a pretty normal reaction to a new situation or when they're feeling overwhelmed. It's great you are bringing her to group activities and exposing her to other kids and situations. At this point, I don't think there's much more you can do. And good for you for taking a stand on the bedtime thing. We are still bringing Ev up to his crib once he falls asleep, although he has gotten pretty good about going to sleep even if he wakes up on the way to his crib or once he is in his crib.

LC, I think Ev thinks he is too much a big boy for the highchair too. I'm worried he's way too squirmy for a booster or his own chair at this point and he gets so grabby with silverware and glasses and food if he's in our laps, so he's going to have to put up with the highchair awhile longer! Fortunately, he's generally pretty well-behaved if we order his food right away and keep him occupied.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Oh, JGator, I know that look too well! Our K's are like two peas in a pod. If they were to meet, they'd both be looking at the floor the entire time! Mine actually turns her head to the right and looks down. Never straight down or to the left and down. But I am so excited that she only cried for about 30 seconds after you left the room! That's fantastic!

MP, JGator and LC--I have a high-chair hater, too. My issue isn't that she fights it, it's that she just unbuckles herself and gets down. I don't even buckle her in anymore. I just let her get up and down. When she gets down, the meal is over. We haven't been out to eat as often since having the baby, but I stopped using a high chair when we're out. K's big enough to just sit at the table and she's good about staying seated in public (the shyness coming into play).

LC, we had the puddle jumper on vacation last year, but I don't think she ever used it. She loves playing in the waves, but never really gets past her chest. She loves it in the pool, though. She has a meltdown every time we have to leave swim class. My playgroup is going to start meeting at the beach so our kids can play in the water, though K will swim until she's shivering, then will get mad when I try to make her take a break and warm up.

 

[lliang_chi]

JGator, sorry K has been so shy. It seems like it's a phase she's going through though. I'm glad you had success with the sleep training. I hope the nanny gets on board with having K go to sleep on her own. Just now, Ethan woke up (DH was telling an animated story), and was crying for me to come inside. I managed to talk him down and reminded him he doesn't get his DVD in the morning if I come in. I got him to lie back down and go to sleep. So I hope we're back in the "Put yourself back to sleep" stage that we were in about 8months ago.

MP, These boys thinking they're too cool for school Yes Ethan defiintely gets grabby with glasses, silverware etc. We make it a point to move everything away. It's a pet peeve of mine when we go out to eat and the waiter will put my glass of wine *right* in front of Ethan. Hello! On what planet do you think it's a good idea to a)put an alcoholic drink in front of a toddler b) put a highly breakable glass in front of a toddler.

NEL, how's Speech Therapy going for Katie? I'm glad to hear your transition back to working has been pretty OK. Sounds like C is an easy baby just like K was. Lucky you Maybe you guys should have more babies since we need more easy going people in the world. Ethan *loves* the water too! He doesn't really swim for real, so lately I've been thinking of putting him in an ISR (Infant Swimming Resource/Infant Survival Resource) which I equate to anti-drowning lessons. We're kinda on conserve mode though since we'd like to buy a house.

~LC

 

[Loves Vintage]

JG - Are you doing the music classes with K? I remember someone mentioning them on here a few months back. If yes, how does she do with those? S was very reserved when she was younger, but a lot has changed in the 3's. She plays with other kids at the playground. Kids are so cute! We will go to the playground, and girls will just walk up to her and say "Wanna play with me?" "What's your name?" and off they go running around together!

K is so gorgeous by the way! You post the best photos!

NEL - I wanted to post along the same lines to you when you posted about your daughter and the soccer class. My daughter was the same way with gymnastics! She was 2.5 at the time, and really just was not interested in separating from me, and she is and was very cautious like your daughter. I would see boys just jump off of equipment and land hard on mats, jump right up and do it again. S would point out a dainty toe and try to figure out how to step off without falling. I stood by her every step of the way, and she NEVER liked that class. Then, we started music classes together. I had a LONG conversation with the director. I told her I was concerned that S was reserved and might not do everything other kids were doing. She reassured me that she DOESN'T HAVE TO! She was only 2, and she is entitled to choose what she is comfortable with. Sure enough, she spent most of the first class sitting in my lap or being held in my arms, but she listened and she sang a little too. And, that was ok for us. We've done a few of those classes now, and each "semester" she would do more and more. She sings now. She dances now. It is really a beautiful class. It's been perfect for us! (She has also become a lot more comfortable running around, climbing little rock walls, etc.) so we may be past some of the cautiousness!! A whole new world!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Speech therapy is actually going really well. A new therapist started yesterday, but my in-laws said that K was only shy with her for a few minutes. I think K is used to the routine now, so the transition was easier. Also, the therapists are really easy going about the whole thing. They just play with Katie and narrate what they're doing, then try to get her engaged and talking. K is really relaxed, which makes me happy. And her vocabulary is growing. Two months ago she only used about 5 words without being prompted (mama, dada, uh oh, baby and bye bye), but now she has about 15 - 20 words that she uses on her own, though they are usually monosyllabic. Yesterday she even said "thank you" when I gave her something, which is the first time I've heard her use two words together. Anyway, I don't mind slow and steady growth, I'm happy with the progress!

How is E's potty training going? And is he liking his big boy bed? We're still light years away from both of those transitions.

LV, thanks for posting about your daughter and I'm so glad she's loving the music class! I honestly think that quiet kids tend to gravitate toward music naturally. I'm probably just biased, though, because my kid loves music. We've done maybe 6 or 7 music classes at three different places and she's loved them all. She's also slightly obsessed with music at home--my husband plays piano with her every day. And she's OBSESSED with watching operas. I'll have to cut her off for days at a time because she becomes so obsessed with watching them. She even tries to sing some of the pieces to us when she's in the bathtub. Anyway, I think music is a great thing. We're taking a break from soccer and going back to art classes on Fridays. I'll stick with what she's comfortable with and then keep trying to introduce something new until she's ready. I was planning to have her start ballet in the fall, so I'm hoping she's okay with that...as long as they play music, she'll probably be fine, haha.

 

[Loves Vintage]

NEL - Awesome! That's so adorable about the opera! Kids are so amazing! We tried a dance class too. It was not a typical dance class, meant to be more laid-back, and S was more willing to try stuff there, but honestly, the class was crazy. There were only 8 three year olds, and it was kind of like a little circus of kids who would not listen at all! A lot of the parents were in the room, which was probably a contributing factor to the distraction of it all. A more formal class might be better, but I've never checked one out. Glad to hear the speech therapy is going so well too!

 

[monarch64]

Here are a couple swimming/puddle jumper pics. She and her neighbor friend just adore each other.

 

[lliang_chi]

NEL, I'm really happy to hear K's making progress with speech therapist. Aw, I love little baby "Tank Cue" Potty training is pretty much what it is, peeing is fine, poopy is still mostly accidents. He has accidents for peeing too (didnt' quite make it, or just plain ol' accidents) but it doesn't bug me too much. Funny I've just gotten numb to the whole potty training thing. We're still using the crib, so I really can't expect Ethan to be night trained too. I'm glad to hear D's still playing piano to K. Does C sit in on the music sessions too?

LV, aw, so adorable that S is running around and less shy now. I love that she enjoys her music class. i was thinking of looking for a music class for Ethan, but so far no luck. They're all pretty expensive. I'd love to do one with the park district, so maybe in the fall.

Monnie! Look at your girl with her puddle jumper! So adorable. Wow it looks so warm there! It just got cold again, I can't wait until it's consistently warm here in Chicago. So probably in July...

 

[monkeyprincess]

For those of you with kids in daycare, does the daycare have music lessons? Ev gets music several times a week at daycare, so I've never felt any need to seek out any other classes, but maybe I should reconsider. He'll also get dance classes once he moves up to the next room. Oh, and you can add Ev to the list of those who love music. My mom dexcribed it best when she said he always seems to have a song in his heart. So sweet. My MIL is giving us her baby grand piano in a few years, and I really hope his love of music translates into playing instruments. I played piano and few others when I was younger, but I was never dedicated enough or had enough natural talent to pursue it too hard.

NEL, so happy to hear Katie is finding her voice! It's amazing to me to watch a toddler's vocabulary develop, and how they learn how to string words together. Sounds to me that Katie is on the right track now.

LC, oh I know what you mean about the drinks. The other thing that regularly shocks me is when they put a really hot plate of food right in front of a toddler. DH and I have to maintain about a two-foot clearance space in front of Ev at a restaurant

 

[lliang_chi]

MP, E has music classes @ daycare too. That's another reason why I never pushed too hard to find one. But the staff member who played guitar left our center. I think they still do music, but just singing and dancing.

 

[JGator]

Monnie, love the swim pics of A!

LV, we are taking K to Music Together on Saturdays. She sits on my lap at the beginning and will stand on her own by the end of class. She also looks down, but last week, she started to sing during a quiet lullaby song. She also will play with the instruments when they take them out and put them in the center of the circle. She really loves music and claps when songs end on our cd player in the car. The instructor said she's an observer. And, they are totally okay with all types of participants in the class.

LV, thanks for your encouragement. I hope K ends up like S. We had a play date 2 weeks ago at our place and about 90 minutes in she started interacting with the other girl who is 2 months younger. Before that, she was looking down and clinging to me. Also, on the pics, it's all the camera lens. I am using a 35mm camera with a 50mm lens (got this info from Puppmom a while back - her photos of the boys are always amazing). It focuses on the subject and blurs out the background which I think is pretty cool.

NEL, that's amazing that K sings operas!! Sounds like our 2 K's are very similar! I'm glad to hear her verbal vocabulary is expanding!

LC, did you ever get Ethan the special clock? My nephew had one and it worked well, but I don't know how old they would need to be to understand. I think it just lit up either Green or Red.

MP, we ordered K a new booster - http://www.amazon.com/Bumbo-B10103-Booster-Seat-Lime/dp/B00BORYGNU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401997057&sr=8-1&keywords=bumbo+booster- it doesn't have a tray and it has straps to strap it to a chair and to strap the toddler in. She used it at a friend's house recently and liked it. She will probably hate it when it's at our house though! K grabs everything in sight at the table too. And, I have noticed that too about waiters/waitresses. They must not have kids yet.

AFU, sleep training part 2 at night is going well. Day time naps are another story. She cries after about 30-40 minutes. I told the nanny not to get her until it's been an hour though, and she has done that. I'm hoping she will start getting more sleep because we are replacing a 3-hour nap with 2 30-40 minute naps and that can't be good for her. She's cranky at night/dinner time. I just have to post a photo I took today - I think it's my new phone wall paper.

 

[monarch64]

JG, I have to tell you that if I were you and lived near NYC or LA, I would totally hook up with an agent and get that girl some modeling gigs. She photographs soooo beautifully and her look is strikingly unique. Sorry, I am just taken aback every time you post a pic because she is so pretty! Anyway, this latest is a really awesome shot. Excellent wallpaper material!

 

[JGator]

Thanks, Monnie. I think Alex could be a model also! She really is stunning. PSers have gorgeous kiddos! Must be something about being a diamond lover.

AFU, naps yesterday were a nightmare! Crying for 30 minutes - I almost broke down and got her I felt so badly for her and she kept yelling Mama, Dada, Baby! Heart breaking. Today's nap seems to be going better. We'll see how long she sleeps, and if a second one is needed based on that. Wish us luck!

 

[monkeyprincess]

JGator, I totally agree with Monarch. K definitely could be a baby model. It's something about her eyes and coloring and just general adorableness. Everybody on here has such darling kiddos, I've always thought so. Hope your sleep training continues to go well. I did something similar with Ev last night after DH unsuccessfully put him to bed. I sat next to him and sang to him a bit and then left. We saw him on the monitor saying please please and uh oh over and over again until he just collapsed out of exhaustion. For now, what we're doing seems to work, but I know we need to have a firm bedtime rule at some point.

Monarch, cool floaty thing. We still aren't in pools or lakes much, but definitely something to put in my wish list for future reference.

AFM, quick funny story. Last night, I was yelling for DH from upstairs, and Ev copied me and started yelling DH's name. And then he was like, Uh oh, where [DH] go? I tried not to laugh and to reinforce that he should call him daddy, but when DH came up, Ev said "Der [DH]. I found him." Couldn't help but laugh again, which only encourages Ev of course. I've got to work on my poker face.

 

[lliang_chi]

MP, LOL Ethan did the same thing a few weeks ago. He was sitting at the dining table and called "J" to DH. DH's response was, "I don't think so, buddy. It's Daddy." Ethan has also started calling me "mom" Maybe I'm being silly but he's too little to call me "mom" so I insist he call me Mommy or Mama. He has his whole surlly teenage years and onward to call me "mom". I want to be Mommy for as long as I can.

JG, I'm sorry K had a rough nap yesterday. Hoping it goes better today. Sleep training is hard but really it's the best thing for them, even if they don't see it. How old is K again? I've taken to rationalizing with Ethan, he's 2y4m. So I can tell him, "If I come in you won't get Teacher (his favorite DVD) in the morning. Do you want Teacher tomorrow?" "Yeah." "OK then you have to lie down and go to sleep by yourself." it takes a while but he does it.

 

[mia1181]

OMG! I just skimmed this thread and saw all the gorgeous kids we have here on PS! Seriously, too adorable!


Question, for moms: Did your kiddos ever have periods where they did not grow in height at all followed by a growth spurt? Or when did your tall baby become a short toddler because they will probably just be a short adult?

I was curious and measured my 15 month old DD and she measured shorter than her last appointment when she was 12 months. I measured her both standing and lying down and got the same measurement. I don't think my measurement is off. I know that they might have been off on their measurement, but even if we took out that measurement, she has dropped considerably in percentiles.

9 month appointment (their measurement)- 27.5in (44th %tile)
12 month appointment (their measurement)- 29.25in (51st %tile)
15 months (my measurement)- 28.5in (5th %tile)

Her weight is fine at 23-24lbs (52nd- 67th %tile)

I'll attach a screenshot from my growth chart app. You can see she dropped in height %tile before but I thought that was just a natural transition from being a tall baby to the average sized kid she will prob be. DH is 6' and I am 5'4 so I would expect her to be about average height. I'm not worried about her being short as an adult, I'm just worried if she isn't growing properly.

She actually has a doctor's appointment tomorrow so we will see what they measure/say. But I just wanted to see what has been normal for others so I can prepare myself for the doctor's response.

 

[lliang_chi]

Mia, Ethan dropped significantly from just above average for height (60-70%) to below average (40%). The doctor said it's normal, and wasn't concerned. Said it's typical to drop in height when starting to measure standing up.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Mia, we had a similar concern with our little guy. He has really jumped around on the height chart. I think I asked a question about it on here after his 15 month appointment as well because he had gone from like 90 to 75 to 40% in the height charts while steadily moving up on the weight chart. I was really worried he wasn't growing like he should be, but then we had his 18 month appointment awhile back, and he seemed to have another growth spurt and was back up to 70% for height and 60% for weight. Who knows if that was accurate??? Our doctor was not all concerned and said it was probably the result of inaccurate measurements along the way and that he is probably settling into his growth pattern. Like you, I really couldn't care less what height he ends up as long as he is growing properly, but I have the added concern that he has a spinal defect (a hemivertebrae that causes scoliosis), and I just don't want that to affect his growth. I suspect both of our little ones are just fine.

 

[monarch64]

Mia, I think the measurements are sometimes not accurate. Alex measured 36" at 18 months but only 36.5" at her 24 month appointment. (not that .5" is not enough, I just was surprised to see less than an inch of growth having tried to clothe her and everything is too short) I also seem to recall a discrepancy between what I measured her at here at home and what the pediatrician measured her at 12 months. I'll have to measure her again this week at home because I think she is taller than 36.5". She was giving the nurse quite the run around (literally) when they tried to get her to stand against the wall for her measurement, and she didn't have her heels against the wall. My point is, I think your doctor is right and I wouldn't worry much about your baby's growth.

 

[mia1181]

Thanks for your comments ladies! It's good to see I'm not the only one whose kid seems to have growth spurts or whose doctor gets measurements all over the place. My doc told me a long time ago that they are usually more concerned with weight because height can be inaccurate, and her weight is really good.

She's always been super healthy and last time they found that she was slightly anemic and had an innocent heart murmur (which I know neither are big deals) so I might be just a little paranoid that something is going to be wrong. Maybe because I'm pregnant? Ah well, I'll relax and see what the doc says!

Thanks again!

 

[JGator]

Mia, let us know what the doc says today. I'm sure it's user error on the person who measured her though. K only gained 1/2 an inch from her 15 month to 18 month appt, but she's still around 50% for height. I was kind of surprised that she only grew 1/2 an inch, but they also took the measurement on the table with her wiggling around both times because she wouldn't stand on the scale.

LC, too funny that Ethan called your DH by his first name! K is 19-months old. She does seem to "get" what we are talking about more now so I think we could try rationalizing with her. I have been bribing her lately - ie, if you eat this, you can get/do that. And, it definitely works!

MP, good luck with any sleep training that you are comfortable with. I have found it's going amazingly well so I'm sure Ev would also be responsive. I think K and Ev are similar in their strong willedness and diferent in K being super shy in public settings and K being less verbally advanced! Ev is just amazing in his verbal skills!

AFU, it's been almost a week since we implemented the new bedtime and naptime ritual. K gets rocked for 15 mins and then put in the crib with her "baby"/doll. She finally started sleeping better for naps on the weekend - ie, not protesting, crying, or waking up after 30 mins. Her longest nap was 1 hour and 40 mins. And, her nighttime sleep has drastically improved as a side effect - she's been sleeping almost 12 hours at night! That may be a fluke so I'm not counting on that continuing, but I'm very proud of K. I'm going to cut the 15 minute rocking session down to 10 probably tomorrow or the next day. K started putting a couple words together recently. She says, "Hi Mama" and "Hi Dada" and "Where did it go". "Where did it go" is all slurred together into 1 word though. She also started saying Yes instead of Yeah. So, this page is covered with photos of K! Can someone else post an adorable toddler photo???