milestones « champuru.net

Toddler Milestone – Drinking from a cup unassisted

After we returned from church on Saturday night, I was rushing around getting ready for bed. Hubby and Baby Champuru were playing in the bedroom. I had a glass of water sitting on the desk. Baby Champuru signed and said the word water, indicating that she wanted a drink of water. Hubby took the glass and held it to her mouth. She said “no” and patted the floor in front of her, indicating that she wanted him to put the glass down. Which he did. To his surprise, she took the glass in both hands, lifted it to her lips, and began to drink. Unassisted.

We had never taught her to drink from the cup on her own. We had always held the cup to her lips, tilting it ever so carefully so as not to pour too much water in her mouth. This was the first time she drank from an open cup without help.

She enjoys using the open cup, but is still prone to spilling if she gets too excited or distracted. Nevertheless, she is making great strides toward independent eating and drinking this month!

Spoons and milestones

Baby Champuru has developed an affinity for spoons lately. I gave her a disposable plastic baby spoon, a plastic measuring cup, and a plate to play with and she has been pretending to cook. She also uses her stacking cups as bowls to serve us meals. She will stir her pretend soup in the measuring cup, then pour some into a stacking cup and proceed to feed it to her dolls. Or me. Whomever looks hungrier at the time.

During mealtime, she has been asking to hold the spoon. Everyone knows that: toddler + food + spoon = BIG MESS. So I had been previously hesitant to let her control the spoon. Last week, I gave her the spoon as she was eating Cheerios. Her baby doll was sitting next to her on the high chair. Using the spoon, she picked up two Cheerios and proceeded to feed it to the doll. I was surprised by her coordination and took note of this. Perhaps it was time to allow her to try feeding herself?

On Sunday, I finally decided to let her attempt to feed herself. I know it’s good for her development and I can always clean up. I’m always cleaning anyway. What’s the difference, right? With a bowl of yogurt before her, I handed her the spoon and she gleefully shoveled a spoonful of yogurt into her mouth. She stopped and looked at me, as if to gauge my reaction. I gave her a huge smile and burst out enthusiastically, “you did it! Good job! You’re feeding yourself! Mommy is SO proud of you!” She gave me the biggest smile ever. She accomplished something and she knew it. It was a great moment.

Today, I discovered that Baby Champuru has created her own word for spoon and it’s “money.”

I don’t know why or how it came to be, but whenever she wants a spoon, she says “money.” Oddly enough, when I refer to the object as a spoon she knows exactly what I’m talking about. But when she verbalizes it, she says “money.” I keep correcting her, but she refuses to call it by any other name.

Is that weird or what?

Potty progress

Today’s Milestone: Baby Champuru’s first time using the potty! Hubby and I were so happy that we praised her and she got so embarrassed that she started crying. Ooops! Hope that doesn’t deter her from wanting to use it again.

Baby’s First Dental Appointment

We took Baby Champuru for her first dental appointment today. I didn’t realize it but babies should have their first dental appointment right around the first birthday. (We’re a little late.)

Today’s appointment was mostly a consultation and check-up — no cleaning involved yet. The dentist said that the child must be able to sit still on the dental chair and be able to “kiss” the suction tube before they start any actual cleaning which is usually around age 3-1/2. The dentist did, however, check Baby Champuru’s teeth to determine plaque build-up. She also gave us tips on proper brushing technique for toddlers, which really seemed more like a lesson in Gracie Jui-jitsu than dental care. I found it amusing how she demonstrated the most effective way to restrain the child for two-handed brushing: wedge the child’s head between your legs while pinning their arms under your thighs. Sounds cruel, but I suppose it’s either being subjected to a full nelson twice a day — or metal caps on your teeth until your baby teeth fall out. Lesser of two evils, I guess?

The dentist also predicted that because Hubby and I both had extensive orthodontia in our past that we should start saving our pennies now for Baby Champuru’s braces in the future. She also said that we should start flossing her teeth now, too. Egads. Flossing a toddler’s teeth? Is that even possible? Oh yeah, apply the rear naked chokehold for that one.

We’re going back to see the dentist in 3 months so that she can check to see if our (ground game) tooth brushing technique has improved.

Here are some tips she shared with us:

Limit exposure of food/drink on teeth. Limit eating/drinking to 3 meals + 2 snacks per day. Don’t let the child graze on snacks or walk around with a sippy cup filled with juice all day. Limit juice (even if diluted) to twice a day — eliminate juice if possible and offer water instead.
Cavities are caused by bacteria. Sharing food with your child can pass bacteria from your mouth to theirs, so it is important that parents keep up with their dental routine and stay cavity-free to help their child stay cavity-free.
Careful brushing is important. Focus on two teeth at a time, aiming the brush at a 45º angle and brushing from side-to-side. (Fancy circles or sweeping away from gums is not important at this juncture.) Be sure to brush teeth on outside, tongue-side and biting surfaces thoroughly.
Use floss picks when flossing children. The dentist said that some children actually find flossing less invasive than brushing, so you might try sitting them down in front of the television (distraction helps!) and attempt flossing before brushing.

16 months

At sixteen months old, Baby Champuru I have observed a few things about her personality:

She is nurturing. She cares for her baby doll (given to her for Christmas by my Uncle Toshi and Aunt JoAnn). She feeds her, tucks her in for naps, and gives her hugs and kisses.
She is independent. She insists on doing things herself as much as possible and is offended when I try to help her do something she feels she is capable of doing on her own (such as washing her hands).
She is loving. Lately, she has started giving more hugs and kisses on the lips to her Daddy and I. She is a little more hesitant to give those away to people she doesn’t know well, but will wave at almost anyone and may even blow a kiss or two.
She loves to be outdoors. Playing on the jungle gym or running around chasing bubbles are among her favorite activities.
She is incredibly focused. When she becomes curious about something or sets her mind to a task, she is not easily distracted. She will stick with a task for quite a while as she tries to figure it out before becoming frustrated and eventually asking for help.
She is a leader. When she is with other children, she does not often play the role of the follower. She has her own ideas about what should be done and will make her thoughts known to her playmates by leading them in that direction.