Your Toddler Month by Month

324 Pages·2008·19.036 MB·English

by  Tanya Byron

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Welcome to the toddler years. Whatever your hopes
and expectations of parenthood, the reality is about toddler
to become more joyful, fascinating, and exhausting
than you could have imagined. Every parent has
worries and anxieties about their child’s development: MONTH BY MONTH
this book aims to provide enough knowledge and My
understanding for you to feel confident about your oo
parenting decisions, to have realistic expectations, Nu
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and to enjoy the journey every step of the way. tr
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DR. TaNYa BYRON
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Using her child-centered approach, Dr. Tanya Byron walks you
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through the developmental milestones that your child experiences d
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during their exciting and incredible toddler years, giving you
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all the information you need to be able to feel confident as o
a parent, and enjoy this wonderful stage of childhood. Nl
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Dr. Tanya Byron is a mother of two and a clinical psychologist,
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specializing in child and adolescent mental health. She has
spent her career working with children and their families, and
has written a number of books about child and family behavior. DE
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Jacket images:Front: Bubbles
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your
toddler
MONTH BY MONTH

your
toddler
MONTH BY MONTH
your essential guide to the first 4 years
Dr. TaNYa BYrON BSc, MSc, PsychD
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Dedicated to my best friend,
London, New York, Melbourne,
Munich, and Delhi
Samantha Berlevy, and to her
Editor-in-Chief Dr. Tanya Byron
boys, Toby and Jonnie, and to
Text The Doris Partnership
Consultants Dr. Sarah Gregory and Sarah Sutton my children, Lily and Jack.
Senior Art Editor Helen Spencer
Editor Laura Nickoll
US Editors Shannon Beatty and Jane Perlmutter
Executive Managing Editor Adèle Hayward
Production Editor Luca Frassinetti
C.T.S. Sonia Charbonnier
Art Director Peter Luff
Publishing Director Stephanie Jackson
US Consultant Benjamin Garber, PhD
Photography by Vanessa Davies
Produced for DK by
Emma Forge, Dawn Bates, and Corinne Roberts
First American Edition, 2008
Published in the United States by
DK Publishing
375 Hudson Street
New York, New York 10014
08 09 10 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
TD346 - March 2008
Copyright © 2008 Dorling Kindersley Limited
All rights reserved
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission
of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited.
Cataloging-in-Publication date is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN: 978-0-7566-3360-8
Color reproduction by Colourscan, Singapore
Printed and bound in Singapore by Star Standard
DK books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for sales
promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. For details, contact:
DK Publishing Special Markets, 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014
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Discover more at www.dk.com

Contents
8 Introduction
You and your child Your growing toddler
16 Being a parent 18–24 months
26 Your parenting style 106 Your toddler’s development
32 Being your own person 114 Learning to talk
38 Being a child 119 Your baby’s brain
50 The importance of play 122 Playing and learning
130 What toddlers want and need
Your amazing toddler
133 Managing behavior
12–18 months 138 Your toddler’s wider world
60 Your toddler’s development 140 Just for parents
66 Walking and talking
Your older toddler
71 Your baby’s brain
76 Playing and learning 2–3 years
80 What toddlers want and need 148 Your toddler’s development
84 Managing behavior 158 Learning new skills
90 The bond between you 164 Your toddler’s brain
96 Just for parents 170 Learning through play
Family life
182 What toddlers want and need
192 Managing behavior 286 Families in transition
202 Overcoming sleep problems 292 When a child has special needs
206 Encouraging healthy eating 300 Managing challenging behavior
212 Communicating with your toddler 305 Recognizing child abuse
220 Your toddler’s wider world 308 Family time
222 Just for parents
310 Useful addresses
Your independent child
312 Index & Acknowledgements
3–4 years
234 Your toddler’s development
242 Your toddler’s brain “Enjoy the toddler years;
246 Playing and learning they are a unique and
precious time of bonding
256 What toddlers want and need
and discovery for both
260 Managing behavior
parent and child that paves
272 Your toddler’s wider world
the way for later childhood.”
276 Just for parents