Arbor – 18 Months Old

Arbor is 18 months old (but who is counting?). I enjoy documenting and sharing our third daughter, Arbor’s, development and milestones. Here is everything you want to know about Arbor at 18 months old.

Arbor – 18 Months Old Stats

Height: 2 ft 9.8 in
Weight: 27 lbs
Diapers: Size 3 Pampers Swaddlers
Shoes: Size 6
Clothes: Arbor wears mostly 18-24 months, but I also buy some 2T clothes that run small.

Are you still breastfeeding at 18 months old?

Yes but it feels like she only nurses out of habit these days. It’s always very short lived and sometimes seems like she isn’t getting any milk. I will be away from Arbor for two and a half days this month – which would be the perfect opportunity to wean her.

All About Our 18 Month Old

One word to describe Arbor: BUSY. She is always speed walking to her next adventure. Arbor is curious and chatty, but also very much of a Mama’s girl. If she gets hurt or scared she runs straight to me. We spent a few weeks experiencing a lot of stranger danger with everyone seeming to frighten her. Even her Daddy. But thankfully we have exited that stage and she now says, “HI!” to everyone she encounters.

Arbor knows what she wants and tells everyone around her if she can’t do it herself. She lets you know when she is doing something she isn’t supposed to do – like climb on the table – by saying, “Help me!” I don’t like to say Arbor is the typical third child – charming, affectionate, and sweetly manipulative – but she’s coming into that role nicely. *spoken with sarcasm and humor

Music and dance are two of Arbor’s favorite things. The family spends a lot of time listening to songs and busting a move in the kitchen. Arbor likes to copy her big sisters during playtime – sometimes they teach her things they probably shouldn’t (like jumping on the couch).

Arbor’s 18 Month Old Milestones

Developmental milestones are tricky because not every baby hits the them at the same time. With that being said, I have always viewed my child’s development on a broad scale. If other babies are doing things she is not doing, and the pediatrician says we are on track – I’m not worried!

Arbor is walking, running, and climbing without assistance. She spends a lot of time climbing in and out of everything (like her yellow bus) and on top of any surface she can reach. Arbor speaks in short phrases, says new words daily, and feeds herself (sometimes with utensils!). She can take off her diaper (but not her clothes) and likes to put on her big sisters’ shoes. She’s cutting four new teeth all at once – which explains the difficult two weeks we had with her temperament.

What does our 18 month old say?

At 18 months old Arbor talks… a lot. She speaks with multiple word phrases and repeats most words she hears. We can’t keep up with her growing vocabulary, but she still gets frustrated when she can’t tell us what she wants. Arbor can say a lot of her family member’s names, but calls Ailey = sissy sometimes. She also refers to her Auntie Lizzie at Auntie Nono (Donut) because she brought her a donut recently.

Some of Arbor’s favorite phrases: “hot chicken,” “bowl of rice,” “bus and mow mows” (lawnmower), “oh no mess,” “oh no baby poo poo,” Mama see = “I want to see Mama (or any noun + see),” “all done,” “Help Me,” “more please – thanks.” “Happy Dada = Happy Birthday,” “Abbis (Annabelle) make eggies”

18 Month Old Favorites

Favorite Foods: Eggies (scrambled eggs or mini frittatas), NoNos (Donuts), all types of berries, applesauce, any type of RICE, milk and cereal (this is a new one), pouches, bananas, whole apples, peas, tortilla chips and salsa, anything with ketchup, pizza

Foods she does NOT like: Pasta with red sauce, mashed potatoes, most foods that are smooth/creamy (ex. hummus)

Favorite Toys: baby dolls, Eee Eee (stuffed monkey), Mr. Fox (she can’t say his name), Hop (stuffed bunny), the big yellow bus, books, Tonies, things she isn’t supposed to play with, Squishmallows, the hose (outside)

Favorite Things to Do: climb on the table, sleep, take a bath, brush her teeth, take off her diaper, watch the busses and lawnmowers outside, feed the squirrels, water the plants, draw with chalk, draw with everything anywhere she isn’t supposed to draw, help clean up messes, take care of her baby dolls, play in the water table/splash pad/baby pool, watch Cocomelon (Cocobus)

Things she does NOT like to do: have her diaper changed, wear a diaper if her pants are off, to be told what to do, sit on top of the fridge,

Favorite Songs: the intro to Boss Baby, most songs by The 1975, “Wheels on the Bus,” “Electric Feel,” “Baa Baa Black Sheep,” “Happy Birthday”

Our 18 Month Old’s Daily Schedule

5:30am Wake-up: Arbor wakes up on her own anywhere from 5:15 – 5:30am every morning. She usually plays in her crib until I go to get her around 5:45/6am. I follow the same routine when I enter the room: turn on lights and open the shades, turn off sound machine, remove her sleep sack on her changing table and change her diaper. Finally I nurse her and we head downstairs for the day.

6:30am Breakfast

8:30/9:00am Snack (let’s be honest though, she snacks ALL day)

10:45am Lunch

11:30am – 1:00/1:30pm NAP: Ideally she is to nap from 11-2, but that rarely happens.

1:45pm/3:45pm Snacks

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 asks to sleep with her monkey (Eee Eee) and Mr. Fox.