Toddlerhood 101: What to Expect When Your Baby Becomes a Toddler

It's exciting to be on the brink of toddlerhood, but it can also be pretty tough. She knows what she wants, but she doesn't always know how to make it happen.
Learn more about your baby's development at WhatToExpect.com: www.whattoexpect.com/toddler/...
Download the What to Expect app:
itunes.apple.com/us/app/pregn...
play.google.com/store/apps/de...
Heidi Murkoff, creator of What to Expect, is here to guide you through every stage of your baby's life. Watch all of our first year videos: • Your Baby's First Year
FOLLOW US:
Facebook: / whattoexpectwhenyouree...
Twitter: / whattoexpect
Pinterest: / whattoexpect
Instagram: / whattoexpect
Transcript:
Always on the move, always exploring and discovering, always learning by doing and by trying to do. Your baby has plenty to be buzzed about these days. Life, and just about every single moment of every single day (save the ones she's forced to nap during of course) is packed with opportunities to seize, territory to be taken on, new skills and concepts to grasp, and a whole lot of frustrations.
It's incredibly exciting to be a baby on the brink of toddlerhood, but it can also be pretty tough stuff. She knows what she wants, but she doesn't always know how to make it happen. Her get-up-and-go knows no bounds, but her ability to get up and go where she wants to, when she wants to, does. Her verbal ability, a word or two, a few gestures, can't communicate what she wants to tell you.
She'd like to be master of her own domain, but that's no easy feat when gates and latches lock her out, cribs and car seats contain her, the remote is always being taken away from her, and she's almost always the smallest one in the room, surrounded by much bigger people who are always telling her what she can eat, what she can touch, when to go to sleep, when it's time to get off the swing.
These exciting times can be conflicted, too. Your baby's eager to declare his independence, but with strings attached to you. He craves freedom, but also an all-access pass to your lap and your arms, and as needed, your legs to cling to whenever you try to walk away, or whenever the independent life gets a little too overwhelming after all.
Before you even push send on those first birthday invites, you'll be glimpsing some behaviors that signal the start of the second year; increased separation anxiety and fears, negativity, pushing away a food baby doesn't want, and sometimes one that she does want. That's how conflicted she's feeling.
Mini meltdowns that are achingly cute, but try not to laugh, because they're serious to her - usually a result of all the frustrations she's facing. Biting or hitting, also triggered by frustration, particularly when words fail her, which they pretty much do all the time.
One welcome development; as she starts to understand her own emotions, she'll start to show empathy for those of others: comforting a baby buddy who's crying, or you when you've had a hard day.
How do you help your baby transition to toddler? As always, let your little one move ahead at his own pace and his own comfort level, with encouragement, but without pushing, with necessary limits, but also with unconditional love.
Rely on routines and rituals to make this time of enormous development less challenging. The more things change in his life, the more he needs them to stay the same; the same steps to bedtime, the same cup for his water, the same stuffed animal to clutch, the same song played over and over again.
Combat early negativity by being less combative yourself. Choose your battles and try to find win/win solutions. Say no when you absolutely must, but make redirection and distraction your go-to strategies when baby tests boundaries. As much as you can, make her environment safe enough to explore with a minimum of restrictions. Say, "No hitting, hitting hurts," if she lashes out, but keep calm and move on.
Remember, too, that she never means to be mean or to hurt you or anyone else. She's not even remotely capable of bad behavior yet, only behavior she can't control. After all, she is, as they say, only a baby.
Most of all, as your baby takes off for toddlerhood, sometimes slowly, sometimes at break-neck speed, don't forget to push pause every now and then so you can watch in wonder at the wonder years ahead. Here's to a happy first birthday.

[@jessicaray4740]

i remember when i clicked on this channel during the early months of my baby. i was clueless and it helped. through all the changes baby and i went through this year.... i needed direction again. a whole new phase, toddlerhood. i was relieved when i saw the narrators face cause i remembered it. everything she said just brought sense and comfort. and i thank you xx.

[@miahjohnson7875]

Same exact thing here

[@zuzanacoynehanakova2511]

same, she has he best voice, ilove the way she talks

[@christengardner1466]

When I watched the very first video till now she turned a year today and I can't help but cry

[@driscillaanderson3019]

I am so happy to see that I have a job to do that

[@moonmooni2656]

Thanks a lot for this video..baby is 13mths old and very very attached to me.this video will definitely help me

[@villagelifeexperiences7819]

Hilarious video. I love it

[@Savelife01sworld]

My baby is a year old now. Almost 13 months old

[@shizzlemywizzle1]

Mine just turned 13 months :)

[@gabrielac937]

And mines just about to turn 13 months now ❤