Jen Meyers - Raising Your Child: The Complete Illustrated Guide: A Parenting Timeline of What to Do at Every Age and Stage of Your Childs Development

the complete illustrated guide

A Parenting Timeline of What to Do at Every Age and Stage of Your Childs Development

Jamie Loehr, M.D.,
and Jen Meyers

Text 2009 Jamie Loehr, M.D. and Jen Meyers

First published in the USA in 2009 by
Fair Winds Press, a member of
Quayside Publishing Group
100 Cummings Center
Suite 406-L
Beverly, MA 01915-6101
www.fairwindspress.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Digital edition: 978-1-61673-450-3
Hardcover edition: 978-1-59233-376-9

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available

Loehr, Jamie.

Raising your child : the complete illustrated guide : a parenting timeline of what to do at every age and stage of your child's development / Jamie Loehr and Jen Meyers.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-59233-376-9

ISBN-10: 1-59233-376-1

1. Child rearingHandbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Child developmentHandbooks, manuals, etc. 3. ParentingHandbooks, manuals, etc. I. Meyers, Jen. II. Title.

HQ769.L6175 2009

649.1--dc22

2008054003
CIP

Cover design: Carol Holtz
Layout & book design: Laura H. Couallier, Laura Herrmann Design
Editor: Nancy King
Photo research: Daryl Gammons-Jones
Cover images: All photos www.istockphoto.com with the exception of second from
right, www.fotolia.com

The information in this book is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace the advice of a physician or medical practitioner. Please see your health-care provider before beginning any new health program.

To my boys, Riley, Torin, and Cael,
for keeping me honest, and my husband,
Stevan, for the journey of a lifetime.

J.M.

For my wonderful family:
Devon, Kieran, Shannon, and Mariah.
And most of all, Caitlin.

J.L.

Our thanks go to our development editor, Nancy King, whose comments, insights, and editorial magic strengthened the book. Thanks to Jill Alexander, our editor, who launched us on the journey. A very big thanks to the creative team at Fair Winds Press, especially Betsy Gammons. We truly appreciate the hard work and dedication they put into producing this book. And thanks to Grace Freedson, our wonderfully supportive agent.

Thanks to our parentsPam and Rick Meyers, and Joan and Ray Loehr. Their love, advice, and support over the years in a very large way brought us to where we are now. Thanks also to all the parents and children we have known over the years who have helped shape our knowledge and experiences.

To our families, though, go our biggest, most heartfelt thanks. Their unending support, understanding, good humor, and love during the writing of this book made it all possible.

Chapter 1
03 MONTHS
Open Your Babys Eyes to the World

Chapter 2
36 MONTHS
Reaching and Grasping

Chapter 3
69 MONTHS
Rolling, Scooting, and the Beginning of Language

Chapter 4
912 MONTHS
First Steps, First Words

Chapter 5
1218 MONTHS
Shes Walking! and Falling

Chapter 6
1824 MONTHS
The Independent One-and-a-Halfs

Chapter 7
23 YEARS
Learning (and Moving) at Lightning Speed

Chapter 8
34 YEARS
I Can Do It Myself! From Getting Dressed to Using the Toilet

Chapter 9
45 YEARS
Solving Problems and Negotiating Like a Pro

Chapter 10
56 YEARS
The Art of Self-Control

Welcome to the first six years of your childs life.
It sounds like a long time, doesnt it? It is.
And it isnt.

Everyone says that children grow so fasta concept thats easy to understand before you have children because time goes by so quickly in your own life. But once your baby is born and you see how much she changes in the first weeks and months of her life, you will be absolutely astounded at how fast children grow. All of a sudden your baby is getting her first tooth. How did that happen so quickly? She turns one, starts walking and talking, and a couple of months later youve got a little kid in front of you. Your baby is no longer a baby.

Time goes too fast when youre raising a child. Its an incredible challenge! Are you making the right choices? Are you helping or harming your kid? What if nobody else seems to be doing it your way? Then, just when you get the hang of things, your child changes on you. This means that the rules youve been following no longer apply, and what youve learned and mastered doesnt necessarily work with your child anymore. Shes moved on to a new stage and is in need of new guidance. Youre back to learning how to do it again.

Child development is the process your child goes through to learn all the skills she needs to become an independent adult. Big skills like walking and talking. Seemingly small skills like stringing beads onto yarn or using a fork. In development, however, no skill is small. Each one is important, builds on your childs abilities, and makes it possible for her to reach the next milestone (and the next one, and the one after that).

In the following chapters, we have divided your childs development into four categories:

Developing Body is your childs physical development, consisting of gross or large motor skills such as crawling, jumping, and riding a bike, and fine motor skills, which involve using the hands and fingers for picking up small items, using scissors, and writing.

Developing Mind is your childs cognitive development, or how your child learns, processes information, and problem solves. It includes skills like exploring environments, learning to categorize, and doing math.

Developing Language is your childs language development, which includes learning to comprehend and speak whatever language(s) your child is exposed to on a daily basis.

Developing Person is your childs social and emotional development, which covers how your child interacts with others, expresses herself, values herself, and learns self-control.

Your childs development is an ongoing process, and she will be busy learning skills in all of these areas concurrently. And its critical to remember that her developmental timeline is unique, just like she is. Your child is an individual, and she will develop at her own pace. She may be ahead in one area and behind in another at any given time. Thats okay. As long as your child continues to show progress in a reasonable amount of time, you can rest assured that her development is right on track