At 18 months old Poppy is a confident walker with spurts of energetic running. Pulling and pushing toys are fun for her as well as riding on anything with wheels. She is able to walk backwards and loves dancing around and around to her Wiggles music. She copies the dancing moves on the TV and is able to sing along and repeat tunes. She participates fully in her music class and often offers herself as the teacher’s volunteer for action songs. She has now started to jump up with both feet leaving the ground – helped by all the practicing on her trampoline. Click MORE to read about other milestones…
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Her climbing skills have improved over the past few months – she is able to climb up and down her trampoline ladder and can use her upper body strength to pull herself into her highchair by herself – she can also climb over the side of the bathtub. She can crawl up on the couch, swing herself over the back and drop down to the floor where she runs around to do it all again. Her favourite movement activity is the hammock game where two people swing her inside a blanket. She LOVES this sensation and would have you swing her endlessly by saying and signing ‘more’ when you stop.Â
 
Her vocabulary is growing quickly with attempts at four and five syllable phrases. She points to pictures in books and says the word as well as knowing all her animal sounds and signs. Some of her favourite games are taking things in and out of containers and matching lids on pots or stacking blocks. She enjoys sitting with intense focus to try and manoeuvre blocks into their appropriate holes in her shape sorter. She also loves playing ‘kitchen’ with plastic pots and plates, food and dishes – she still tries to eat the playdough or paint though. Drawing, pasting and stamping are fun for her and she is able to use a computer mouse to play her Jumpstart Toddler game on the computer. The sandpit at Tiny Tots is always a winner and she loves water play – it’s a safe bet she will happily get wet from head to toe when given the opportunity.
Poppy recognises herself in the mirror and in photos says her own name clearly and loudly! She has just started to use plurals on her words and still learns new signs as I teach them to her. Her temperament is one of enthusiasm with a real sense of fun and laughter. She interacts with other children of different ages with a sense of play – she likes to repeat games once she knows what is expected of her. Her favourite game is hide and seek – although she peeps through her hands as she covers her eyes! She respects authority and knows not to touch things she has been told about. She will test boundaries carefully and with verbal reinforcement – I will find her standing at the door to the laundry saying “ah ah ah” or “no”.
She adores time with her Yogi and GranJan and ‘talks’ and signs about them every day. Running around the farm experiencing nature and feeding the animals brings squeals of excitement. Her world revolves around her activities and her Mum – and she fits easily into both daily routines or one-off adventures. Her sleeping and eating are predictable and consistent with growth spurts thrown in for good measure. She has all but two of her baby teeth through and has had two haircuts now. She still dresses in red every day and absolutely loves wearing shoes – anyone’s shoes! This winter has been a healthy and warm one – she had her share of colds, runny noses and coughs last year and must have increased her natural immunity.
