Can we talk 1 year olds?

[ikuradesuka]

I know, I know, I know.

 

But ds is...another one of THOSE babies.  He literally demands a commentary on what is going on ALL day.  He is very expressive, and very determined, and has complex plans.  And I'm exhausted.  I feel like I'm an aide to a dignitary, and he just turned 1 last week!

 

We read books, and sing songs (in multiple languages), and count stuff.  I started showing him the abc's and words because I thought maybe it would give him something to think about.  He plays outside a lot and loves to ride on the tricycle (we push).  He says 40-50 words, and a few phrases.

 

Toys last for a very short time, and then he's done.  He reminds me the most of my eldest dd.  By 7 months old, she was stacking dice, and was pretty much done with toys forever.  Every now and then she would play with something, but, mostly, she wanted to THINK.  He will play with cars for a long time, as long as we are creating ramps and driving with him, or lining them up by color, or counting them, or something.  

 

He did wear himself out last night walking up and down a small incline, saying, "Up! Up! Up!" with each step.  He did that over and over again for well over an hour.  Even being outside and having fun physical things to do isn't enough to give me a break.  He still has a zillion questions about whatever he is exploring, and then he wants a drink, and then he needs help to do x, and then, and then, and then.  Dd1 was every bit as intense, but was much quieter, so I just seemed weird or something.  But ds2 is so extroverted and expressive, complete strangers wind up having conversations with him and walk away shaking their heads, realizing they just had a conversation with a baby.  

 

I'm not complaining.  He's a lot of fun, and I enjoy seeing all his plans and ideas.  I do feel like my older ones are being left to themselves too much because the little guy is so demanding of my time.  

 

Anyway, I guess I'd just like to hear stories of other babies, and the fun things you thought up to do, or what they thought was interesting.  

 

And, weirdly, I think he could use a curriculum of some kind, but I don't have time to create one.  I'm thinking that if I had something that I could pull out every day that had new and interesting things in it, the kids and I could all take turns playing with him.  Maybe having new stuff to think about and look forward to would calm him down a little?  

[Korrale]

Check out the forums at brillkids.com

[Dmmetler]

We did Kindermusik and went to the library preschool story time for 3-5 yr olds, did sign language and labeled the whole house in English, Spanish, and ASL, and talked about everything (the captioning was more for me to remind ME of the vocabulary since I was trying to use two languages I hadn't used regularly since college!). I lost my post-baby weight because she was much calmer away from home, so we went to the botanic gardens and zoo a lot.

 

She started reading signs at 15 months, and adding/subtracting for me by age 2, so I definitely know what it's like to have the kid who just totally floors you, and to not know where to turn.

[Jackie]

At that age I was still working full time and the nanny got to figure out some of it for me, for which I was very grateful. I still remember being out of the house nearly every day with DD because seeing other people and places was fun for her. We went ahead and got a membership to a local children's science museum and went regularly. We did Kindermusik and a parent/child gymnastics class and a parent/child swim class. We set up an art space that got used very often. I looked up Montessori-inspired Practical Life skills and started her on some of them.

 

The only toys that worked at all were the very open-ended ones. I remember the M&D shapes clock lasting a bit longer than some because it had more unusual shapes. Books were her favorite things then, and they pretty much still are at 5yo. Life became a bit easier when her imaginative play really started kicking in around 18 months, then easier still when she learned how to read, and much easier when she started reading fluently enough she could immerse herself in all the books she wanted. Now we have slightly less intensity academically because she can meet some of her own needs, partnered with more intensity socially because we homeschool and she desperately wants to be around other kids really frequently.

[Lawyer&Mom]

My Dd1, 22 months, is thankfully in full time daycare. Otherwise I'd be reading to her all day long. Mother Goose is a big hit, she has most of the rhymes memorized.

 

This is the age when she's supposed to start forming simple two word sentences, right? Last night she made up a song for herself, "Daddy wears purple shirts all day long." She's also a problem solver. If she catches me nursing Dd2, it's "Put the baby in her bed Mommy."

 

I bought the preschool package from Timberdoodle when she was 18 months. We don't use all of it yet, but it was nice to get a big box of educational books and toys all at once. I put everything away in a cupboard, and I pull things out when she needs something new.

[kiwik]

Yep. Daycare here too. Not full time. But i don't feel my kids ask that many questions - others disagree.

[bakpak]

I second the Montessori Practical Life stuff. If he minds well, like my DD did, I could use things designed for the 2-4 age group and not worry so much about small parts. This is a great resource, especially for the price: http://www.montessoriathomebook.com/Home.html/book/

 

Be creative and set up little trays of things he can do. Transferring items is a huge hit with littles. Transferring water with a scoop or spoon or dropper (when he's older), transferring snow, transferring sand, transferring beans, putting toothpicks in the small hole in a toothpick holder, etc. Little spoons or tongs are well loved.

 

My DD LOVED puzzles. She was always ready for more advanced ones much earlier than the recommended ages. These were the first jigsaw puzzles my DD figured out: http://www.amazon.com/Djeco-First-Puzzles-In-Jungle/dp/B002SVE03W. They're very sweet because they are in the shape of the animal, not just the standard rectangle. I started her with the easiest 3-piece-one and it took her a couple of days to really get it by herself. Within 5 days she could do the 6 piece one and she steadily moved up from there, doing 50 pieces independently 5 months later. So your child may or may not be quite ready for puzzles, but it's a good item to keep in the back of your mind.

 

Also, have you introduced crayons yet? :)

 

As you know novelty is important to these kids, so while repetition has its place for all young children, new books, new songs, new environments, new languages feed their burning curiosity. Maybe put the older kids in charge of some of teaching/playing with him some so you can focus on the older ones? Soon enough he'll be chasing them down and out of your hair more I suspect. You may just be in the thick of it with him right now, and it will get easier.

 

 

[ikuradesuka]

Thank you!  Lots of helpful ideas!

[AuNaturel]

My daughter was talking by 9 months old and advanced very fast with language. She was an extremely difficult child for the first 3 years--so picky and opinionated.

 

She had very few toys, not because we didn't offer them, but because they didn't interest her. She liked pretending with figurines and dolls only and she would make up stories with them. She only wanted to play by herself and would do so for hours. She didn't let me read her books until she was 3, she insisted on reading them by herself (even though she couldn't read). If she wasn't such a ham, we would have worried about her. Go figure, she writes short stories now and reads 300 page novels (age 9).

 

Because she was so fickle, I had no choice but to teach her 100% hands on. I spoke to her constantly, we sang songs, danced, acted like animals, colored, went on "adventures" (even if they were just make believe in the house). She enjoyed treasure hunts and games like I-Spy. She still does to this day!

 

It's odd for me now because even though my son is extremely smart, he's quiet. He can talk, but getting him to talk is difficult. He's a typical 2 year old boy and I have many different toys that he plays with consistently. He also enjoys books and being read to. He pats the chair with an arm full of books and insists his chosen reader goes through each one, sometimes a few times over.

 

He absolutely loves Bob the Train and will sing along with the Phonics Song, Old MacDonald, the Wheels on the Train (instead of the bus) and many of the others. It's my only guaranteed way to have him practice speech and increase his vocabulary. They're very fun music videos with clear and slow pronunciation. I sing along too...it drives me a little crazy. If your daughter likes singing, she may like Bob the Train. He is on YouTube. It's my go-to when he's clinging to my hip and I need to wash the dishes or prepare dinner.

 

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