By Melissa Grant
By Melissa Grant
There’s the newborn phase, a period in your life where you honestly can’t remember when you last washed your hair as you adjust to life with a little person and little sleep.
Then there’s the terrible twos, infamous for epic meltdowns and tantrums. There’s also the ‘threenager’ stage, which apparently makes the terrible twos seem like a walk in the park.
However, there’s an age stage that few people talk about and that’s sweet 16 (months, definitely not years).
My daughter Emmy is this age and it’s the absolute best. I’m not sure what I was expecting this stage to be like but it’s an absolute delight.
However no two kids are the same, so maybe 16 months isn’t so sweet for some parents. Perhaps 18 months or 20 months is more of a sweet spot.
Nevertheless, here are six reasons why I’ve found 16 months to be a great age:
Sleep. I’m well rested as those times of getting up one, two or three times a night are well behind us. In fact, getting up during the night is lucky to happen once a month. Rushing around cleaning during naps is also a thing of the past, with the day sleep now lasting between two and three hours.
Understands commands. Dear daughter can complete simple tasks which can be very particularly helpful when doing menial things around the house. (For example, ‘give this nappy bag to daddy’, ‘put this in the laundry basket’.)
Doesn’t know no. Vocabulary at this age is minimal. My toddler knows some words (go go, daddy, mummy, nan nan, doggy), and fortunately no isn’t one of them.
Hilarity. My little girl’s personality is really starting to shine through and she does some funny things, like trying to scare me during games of hide and seek and trying to be the centre of attention during her swimming lessons. The best time is just before bed when tiredness becomes total silliness.
Happiness. This is simple but so important. Meltdowns are a rarity and teething issues are seldom. There are lots of smiles and high-pitched noises (much better than crying).
Predictability. The daily routine is so established that there’s no guessing when or how things will happen. For example, when my daughter is put in her cot she goes to sleep and after dinner she runs straight to the bath.
I’ve found 16 months to be such a great age that I sometimes don’t want it to end.
As parents, we’re often guilty of looking forward to the next developmental stage rather than enjoying the one our child is in. I’m so grateful for this current stage as it’s given me some time to reflect and appreciate all that is wonderful about our daughter before my husband and I move onto dealing with the next stage, whatever that brings!
