What to Expect: Fifteen Months
At fifteen months, your toddler is entering a crucial stage of development, where they begin to explore their environment, develop language skills, and assert independence. This guide offers practical tips to help you support your child through these changes, focusing on parenting strategies, discipline, sleep routines, dental care, and safety.
TODDLER PARENTING
As your toddler grows, offering choices and addressing their anxieties are key to nurturing their independence.
When possible, offer choices. For example, allow your toddler to choose between 2 good options, strawberries or kiwi, for snack time.
Anxiety around strangers is very normal at this age. Offer comfort and patience.
Take time for yourself and seek support from other parents.
Show your child how to use words:
Use precise, simple phrases to talk to your child.
For example, use simple words to discuss pictures in a book.
Assign words to describe your child’s feelings.
Explain their gestures with words.
DISCIPLINE
Effective discipline involves guiding and protecting your toddler through redirection and praise.
Use distraction and redirection to stop tantrums when you can.
Praise your child for positive behaviors and for following directions.
Set limits and use discipline to teach and protect rather than to punish.
Limit the need to say, “NO!” by making your home and the nearby environment safe for your child to play.
Teach your toddler not to hit, bite, or hurt other people.
Model appropriate behaviors.
SLEEPING
Establish a consistent bedtime routine to promote healthy sleep habits.
Put your child to bed at the same time each night. Early is best (7:00 pm to 8:00 pm)
Make the hour before loving and calm and have a simple routine that includes reading.
Tuck your toddler in while they are still awake.
Don’t give your toddler a bottle in bed.
Avoid offering positive attention if your toddler wakes during the night. Instead, use words to reassure your child and offer a blanket or toy for comfort.
TV, computers, tablets, and smartphones are not appropriate at this age. Do not put a TV in your toddler’s bedroom.
Consider creating a family media plan to set prescribed screen time maximums based on age.
DENTAL CARE
Focus on dental health by brushing your toddler's teeth and scheduling their first dentist visit.
If you have not done so yet, take your toddler to their first dentist appointment.
Brush your toddler’s teeth twice daily with a soft toothbrush. Use a tiny smear of fluoride toothpaste (no more than a grain of rice).
Wean your toddler from the bottle.
Brush your teeth. Avoid sharing cups and spoons with your toddler.
SAFETY CHECK-IN
Ensure your toddler's safety with proper car seat use and home safety measures.
Safety In The Car and On the Road
Never put a toddler in the front seat of a vehicle with passenger airbags. The back seat is safest.
Keep your toddler rear-facing in an approved convertible or 3-in-1 car seat until maximum height or weight restrictions indicate a need to switch to forward-facing. Use the back seat. In most cases, this will be past their second birthday.
Everyone should wear a seat belt in the car.
Safety Around Water, Sun, and Chemicals
Keep your toddler within arm's reach when they are near or in water.
Empty buckets, pools, and tubs when you are finished using them
Never leave your toddler unattended in the bathtub, even with a bath seat or ring.
Keep poisons, medicines, and cleaning products locked out of your toddler’s reach.
Program poison control numbers into all phones. Call your healthcare provider if you are worried your toddler has swallowed something. DO NOT make your child vomit.
Keep pan handles turned toward the back of the stove. Do not place hot liquids on a table with tablecloths that your toddler might pull down.
Safety in the Home and Emergency Planning
Place gates at tops and bottoms of stairs.
Install operable window guards for the second story and higher windows. Operable, meaning an adult can open the window in an emergency.
Keep furniture away from windows.
Have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on every floor. Test monthly and change batteries yearly.
Make a family escape plan in case of fire in your home.
Conclusion
By incorporating these strategies into your daily routine, you’ll foster a nurturing environment that promotes your toddler’s development and well-being. Offering choices, encouraging language, setting consistent sleep patterns, and maintaining good dental hygiene are all steps that contribute to a positive and healthy upbringing. Additionally, prioritizing safety both at home and on the go ensures that your toddler can explore their world securely. Remember, this is a period of significant growth, and your support during this time will lay the foundation for your child’s future development.
