Lately, the topic of a child’s transition from being an infant to being a toddler has been on my mind a lot. While my oldest son recently made the transition out of the toddler age group, in just three short months my baby will officially turn a year old. He is already almost a toddler.
In some ways, Blake seems more like a toddler than a baby. He has been crawling for months now, and he is very interested in learning how to walk. Sometimes, he simply cannot bear to be down on the floor and he cries for me to place him in a standing position, leaning against a table or chair. He’s starting to say simple words and make social gestures like waving and clapping his hands. As much as he is growing and changing, I remind myself constantly that he is not a toddler just yet, even if he does take his first steps before his first birthday.
I thought that it might be useful to get reacquainted with the types of things that children experience as they move from being an infant to being a toddler. Mobility is one of the major differences that parents are sure to notice as their infants progress from sitting and crawling to walking, running, and jumping as if they had known how to do those things for a long time.
Along with a toddler’s mobility comes an increased curiosity about the world around them. Babies are curious, yes, but toddlers are even more so. Once they realize that they can act on their curiosity and try to discover what happens when they push, pull, open, close, or whatever else they can think of, toddlers get into anything that is within reach. You may think that you have baby – proofed your home, but as your baby becomes a toddler you will quickly notice that your little explorer has a knack for pointing out (and getting into) things that you had no idea you would have to adjust, remove, or otherwise modify in the name of keeping him safe.
Mobility and curiosity are just two of the ways in which your baby’s world expands as he transitions from infant to toddler. The best advice that I can give to parents of infants as they prepare for life with a toddler is to try to keep your sense of humor. I will also readily admit that this is much more easily said than done.