I love documenting and sharing Arbor’s development and milestones. Arbor is 17 months old (but who is counting??). Here is everything you want to know about Arbor at 17 months old.
Arbor – 17 Months Old Stats
*Arbors 17 month old vitals are an estimate as she has not been to the pediatrician since March
Height: 2 ft 8 in
Weight: 25 lbs
Diapers: Size 3 Pampers Swaddlers (our favorite brand)
Shoes: Size 6
Clothes: Arbor wears mostly 18-24 months but I buy some 2T clothes that run small.
Are you still breastfeeding at 17 months old?
I didn’t think I would be here, but I’m still breastfeeding my 17 month old! I breastfeed Arbor in the morning and at night before bed. She doesn’t always want to nurse at night, and if I am not putting her to bed then she doesn’t even ask for it. During the day she sometimes asks to nurse 1-2 times – she doesn’t need it and it’s a habit I have to cut out. I know I will never nurse another baby, so I continue to allow it for selfish reasons (I love the bond!).
All About Our 17 Month Old
Arbor is the busiest baby we have ever had. She rarely sits and chills unless she is tired or we really talk her into it. We cannot take our eyes off of her for a second because she is known to get into mischief. Arbor has an agenda and likes to stick to her plans. Her sisters called her “Bee-boop.”
Whether it’s playing in the toilet, climbing the stairs to go to her sisters’ bedroom, or eating Muffins’ wet food, Arbor likes to do all the naughty stuff. We can usually distract her by telling her there is a bus outside (her favorite!) or a ‘mo-mo’ (lawnmower). When she is concentrating she bites her inner cheek or lip and makes the cutest face. She also plays peek-a-boo and hides her face behind her hands from time to time.
Arbor is a chatterbox who loves to laugh. She has started trying to make us laugh too, doing silly things like putting her stuffed animals on her head (like Ms. Rachel). She loves to dance and requests songs: “My My” is “Happiness” by The 1975 and “I I” is “I’m in Love with You” by The 1975. Her love for The 1975 is deeply rooted in her Dad’s (and now my) obsession with the band.
Arbor’s 17 Month Old Milestones
Arbor has lots of tricks up her sleeve (like taking off her diaper while wearing footie pajamas). She can crawl up the stairs and knows how to sit and scoot down the stairs. She’s helping more when we get her dressed and likes to step in grown-up shoes. Arbor is trying to color with chalk on the sidewalk and copy her sisters with markers or crayons on paper.
Arbor has a strong opinionated personality and lets you know what she likes and doesn’t like. She shows excitement by clapping or shaking her hands and screeching. She shows fear by saying, “No no” when we run the carpet cleaner or vacuum. If she hears a new noise she asks, “What’s that?” and sometimes climbs into your lap.
One interesting fear, or rather dislike, is any family member above the age of 30. Arbor tells them, “Byebye” and runs to Mommy or Daddy. We haven’t been able to figure this out – but she gives her poor grandparents a run for their money. I know she has been experiencing separation anxiety with me, which is difficult because she is often attached to my leg.
How many words does a 17 month old say?
Annabelle and I tried to count how many words Arbor can say and quickly decided the limit does not exist. Arbor can easily say around 50 words though. She says new words often, repeating what she hears someone else say and then using it over and over again with joy. Arbor can say a few phrases and babbles a lot. She likes to sing songs (ex.”Twinkle Twinkle”) in her own language too.
Arbor’s favorite words: bus, Bubby (Muffin the cat), “All done with this,” “What’s that?,” Bye-Bye ______ (insert someone’s name), More ______ (insert something), Oh Wow!, sissy
Some of Arbor’s newest words: house, water, gack (toothbrush), Hoho (the garden gnome), birdies.
What should a 17 month old be doing?
The most important thing a 17 month old should be doing is … whatever your pediatrician says. I always try not to worry about the things she should be doing, and enjoy whatever she is doing. However, it is somewhat comforting to know her pediatrician says she on track for a 17 month old. Perhaps she is a bit advanced in some areas because she has two big sisters to copy.
Arbor’s latest trick is taking off her diaper. She prefers to be naked and often fights against us when we change her diaper. Our neighbors are quickly learning to ignore the pants-less toddler in our front yard. If she didn’t pee on the floor (it’s happened a few times now) then we would let her live her best naked life. Until she can control her bathroom habits, she will be wrangled and put in a diaper at all time.
Speaking of bathroom habits, she tells us every time she has a dirty diaper. This is both convenient and also inconvenient since we are constantly changing her diaper. And she doesn’t like her diaper changed. So it’s a lose lose!
17 Month Old Favorites
Favorite Foods: Fruit (berries, whole apples, bananas, mandarin oranges, basically all fruits), scrambled eggs, ketchup, sometimes chicken, beans and rice from the Mexican restaurant, fruit snacks, pouches, popsicles, cucumbers, and most of what Mommy eats.
Favorite Toys: Arbor loves her big yellow bus, Tonies, baby dolls (she likes to take care of her ‘bebes‘), Hoho, Bluey House, ‘Nee’ (Sven the Reindeer or the bouncing unicorn), puzzles, her new water table, the pop-up tent. She also loves anything she is not supposed to play with (the bar cart, dishes in the cabinets, cleaning products, my makeup bag, etc). She calls these tiny bunnies she has “Hop” and likes to do the Hop Little Bunny dance with her sisters. She loves to read all books – especially Peek-a-boo books and books with pictures of real people.
Favorite Things to Do: Arbor enjoys looking at books, especially picture word books, and pointing out everything she knows how to say. She also likes to have you tell her what she is pointing to in the picture. We have a First Words book from Norway that is a favorite. She also LOVES the Chatbooks we have with family and friend photos. She looks through them with joy.
We spend a lot of time outside, running through the yard and checking on our new flowers. She likes to carry around the garden gnome, HoHo, just like Ailey used to do (she called him the same name!). Arbor enjoys running into the neighbor, Diane’s, yard and exploring her property.
If we turn on the television, Arbor really enjoys sitting in her Anywhere Chair. She has the My First Anywhere Chair passed down from her sisters. Her favorite shows are Ms Rachel, ‘House’ (Gabby’s Dollhouse), ‘Mimi’ (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse), or The 1975 music videos. Sometimes she sits with her sisters while they are watching their favorite t.v. shows (currently Girl Meets World and Hannah Montana).
Favorite Songs: Wheels on the Bus, Hop Little Bunny, You are My Sunshine, everything by The 1975, Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift
Our 17 Month Old’s Daily Schedule
6:00am Wake-up: Arbor wakes up on her own around 6am every morning. She usually plays for a little and then calls out for Mama. I enter the room, turn on lights and open the shades, turn off sound machine, remove her sleep sack, nurse her and finally change her diaper.
6:30am Breakfast
8:30/9:00am Snack (let’s be honest, she tries to snack ALL day)
11:00am Lunch
11:30am – 1:00/1:30pm NAP: Ideally she is to nap from 11-2, but that rarely happens.
1:45pm Snack
4:00/4:30pm Dinner (she eats an early dinner with her sisters)
5:30pm BATH Arbor loves tubby time, especially with Ailey and playing Tubby in the Dark with glow in the dark toys.
6:00-6:30 Bedtime Routine: Post bath lotion + hairbrush, PJs, play in bedroom, read books, close shades, put on sleep sack, turn on sound machine, offer to NURSE, sing bedtime song, lay down in crib awake. She has been sleeping with her fox and puppy.
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