Little Eco’s 17 Month Update

Good Morning Beautiful People. My little Eco turned 17 months 2 Friday’s ago and after reading through previous posts that feature him it occurred to me that I haven’t shared any in depth updates on his development and progress via my blog. I must admit, I am a more live in the moment Mama as opposed to documenting Eco’s childhood but it is something I am trying to get better at as I am sure he would love to look back and be able to read parts of his childhood he didn’t remember. So without further ado, here is Little Eco’s 17 Month Update…

Sleeping

A few months ago I seriously considered transitioning Eco from our bed into his own space in his cot which is flushed up against our bed but after re-evaluating the situation, my significant other and I have mutually agreed that we are perfectly happy with Eco sleeping with us until he is ready to sleep by himself. For those that read this blog regularly, follow me on social media or know me in person will know that we have been bedsharing pretty much since his arrival as he was a tummy sleeper and our HV advised that we can allow him to sleep this way so long as he was supervised.

I guess I am part guilty for not adapting as he grew older but truth be told I strongly feel I sleep more soundly and can be more responsive to Eco’s needs with him right by my side as opposed to putting him in his own space.

Neither my partner or I are ready for him to sleep in his own room yet as we prefer our Son to be near and feel he is still too young to be away from us.

Regarding sleeping during the day, Eco has been having just one nap during the afternoon (still on or next to me) for the best part of 7/8 months now but the length he now sleeps for has recently increased. He naps for a total of 2.5 to 3 hours but takes it very late in the afternoon, usually between 2.30 pm – 3 pm which means his usual bedtime of 8 pm is now gone 10 pm.

I am trying to get his body-clock back to napping around 1 pm but he loathes being woken up from his sleep if he sleeps past 6pm (which is often the case) and still rises each morning around 7am so not sure how best to go about making nap time earlier (advice welcome!)

Feeding

Our breastfeeding journey is still going strong at 17 months and two weeks old. I had a personal goal in mind to reach 18 months and think we will surpass that for Eco sure does LOVE mummy’s milk! That said we are working on cutting out all daytime feeds and have so far managed to successfully remove any random nursing sessions that isn’t first thing in the morning and just before his afternoon nap.

I have been persistent to not nurse my little to sleep just before he turns in for the night and have mostly succeeded with loving cuddles whilst singing nursery rhymes but still get woken up multiple times during the night for comfort feeds that help him transition from one sleep cycle to the next.

We will eventually look at night weaning Eco but feel it will be much better to do so when he is able to communicate (talk in sentences) as the idea of battling with Eco to stop the short comfort night feeds will be too distressing for him. I am aware it will be a hard habit to break and ideally would ideally like him to self wean as opposed to us weaning him off but do not want to extend past 2 years old as I want him to be nursery ready.

On the eating front we are happy with Eco’s relationship with food. He will pretty much eat anything you give him but in very small portions in comparison to his peers of similar age. He definitely has Mummy’s traits as a grazer.

Health

Eco continues to remain on the 50th percentile since birth and now weighs approx 10.12kg. I was a bit concerned he may have dropped down as he does not eat as much as other todder’s his age and is EXTREMELY ACTIVE but I must remember he is still breastfed so takes nutrition from me too! As I have never expressed I can never truly gauge just how much he actually drinks in ozs but am reassured by the Health Vistor he is a healthy weight.

Eco is tall for his aged measuring 80 cm which is no surprise as Daddy is 6ft. His shoe size has increased by half (now 5.5) since he was last measured just after his 1st birthday. He appears to be a late bloomer for teeth coming through and had been rocking his top two and bottom incisors from the age of 10 months but, as of the last few weeks his top incisors on both sides have finally made an appearance and can also see the bottom ones either side ready to burst through. Despite being a little grouchy he is coping with the discomfort superbly.

Development

Ahhh where to begin? Our little Eco is thriving and it is an absolute joy to be at home with him and watch him grow, learn and thrive!!! For this section I have broken his development into a few sub headings to make reading easier.

Personality

Eco is a very confident, affectionate little boy and literally has a smile and wave for everyone. He loves attending his toddler groups and now seeks out other toddlers and older children to play with. He has grasped the concept of sharing and loves to read books. I love that he now chooses which book he wants to be read and comes up to either Daddy and I to sit on lap and share a story.

He did go through a phase of hitting and biting (only me) a few months ago but this has greatly reduced. I think this change of behaviour was down to frustration at being told he cannot have something and if I removed him from something dangerous that he thought was ‘fun’ coupled with not being able to fully express himself verbally as his speech is still developing.

Eco has always expressed a great fascination with how things work and can always be found opening and closing the lids on his toiletries and unscrewing the jars and bottle tops. He even surprised me by putting the charger jack into the tiny hole on my smartphone and looks best pleased whenever he does this. Eco still prefers non toy items such as my smartphone and if I accidently left it within reach, he will happily press the power button to come of standby mode, scroll up to get to the home screen then start swiping left to operate the camara.

Speech

At present, Eco can say ten single words although not perfectly pronounced and has yet to join two words or sentences together.

• Mumma
• Dadda
• Bebe
• Ba (Ball, Bird)
• Baabaas (Bubbles)
• Pop
• Gar (Car)
• Numnumnum (Yum Yum when he is eating something tasty!)
• Guhguhguh (glug glug glug when he wants water)
• Yes & Nooooo!

We are massive fans of phonics in my household and he can now correctly sound the correct phonics for all the letters in the alphabet (with the exception of ka = c+k) My Mother In Law is a nursery/ reception primary school teacher so she has played a huge part in passing on her knowledge and enlightening me with activities to do with Eco that has without a doubt helped him with speech including the recommendation to watch Alphablocks which he happily does each day for half an hour / hour in stages.

A post shared by Dani aka @breakinboundrez (@thiswomansword) on Aug 1, 2017 at 12:32pm PDT

Eco is currently obsessed with animals at the moment and can correctly make 9 animal sounds as well as being able to identify the animals when he sees them in books and in real life at the park or out and about. Body parts is something we have been teaching Eco too and he can correctly point to most successfully but is still learning tummy and neck.

I have also been self teaching Eco Makaton alongside spoken dialect which I personally find helps bridge the gap in communication when words cannot be spoken. From the age of 14 months I noticed just how frustrated Eco got at not being able to communicate his needs to Daddy and I so took to the internet to sought a solution.

Since introducing Makaton our little Eco is now less frustrated since and highly recommend this form of communication for all babies and toddlers who have yet to talk as it not only helps you and other caregivers to communicate with your little but also equips them with a new life skill of being able to sign which is a bonus.

Movement

Eco took his 1st steps at 11.5 months, was walking shortly before his 1st birthday and now confidently runs around given the chance. He can kick, catch and throw a ball and for the past two weeks has discovered how to jump unassisted.

Eco LOVES nursery rhymes and is beyond cute to watch him do all the actions to them. He tries to wink but is a two eyed blink followed by the biggest of smiles.

Self Care

Our little Eco is striving for independence with each day that passes. He puts his little hand out for shampoo or body-wash when in the bath and washes his hair and body. He also brushes his hair and teeth.

In the last week Eco has taken to assisting with getting dressed and will put his arms and legs in his trousers, t-shirts and jackets himself. It was only a few months ago that we were experiencing tantrums whenever attempting to get him dressed so this is a suprise welcome. Whilst he attempts to put his shoes on he hasn’t quite got the coordination to do so just yet and needs help with pushing them on.

We have been using utensils (a stainless steel spoon, fork and a normal cup) since he was 13 months old now and will look to introducing a baby knife in a few more months please god.

Eco Loves

• Watching Alphablocks
• Bird and plane spotting
• Role playing with his wooden toy cars
• Giving Kisses and Hugs
• Waving and Smiling at people
• Being outdoors (definitely a free range kid)
• Sleeping on/next to Mummy

Eco Dislikes

• Having his face, nose and hands cleaned when not in the bath
• Abnormal textures.
• Brushing his teeth before bed.
• Leaving the park, toddler group or soft play (cue meltdown!)
• Being told he cannot have something.
• Nappy Changes as he wants to be on the move!

I have enjoyed giving you beautiful people an insight into my little Eco’s Development and might just continue with every month that passes so I can document new skills and milestones as they happen.

Until next time x