My 23 month old and my 37 month old

[BaylisAndHardon]

Ahh so your children are nearly 2 and 3. Anybody else find it really bizarre to refer to older children in months (or AIBU?!)

@RedMarauder
@Yeahnahmum if you were talking to the parent about potty training, speech issues or sleep problems then the exact age would be useful

Yes true. But only if you spoke to an expert perhaps. Not your friend or random stranger or anyone else. "Almost 2" is a good enough description to explain your potty training. You dont need to say 23 months is what im saying

It matters in my job so I do it automatically. A child of 13 months is very different to one of 23 months in developmental terms.

For me the cut off is 19 months. Then it's 1 and a half (I realise this is 18 months but still), then nearly 2, then 2, then 2 and a half and so on.

I can’t worked up about this. Why does it trigger so many people? Chill.

@Icantrememebrtheartist

Just as an after thought, you should be kind and don’t correct mums if they still do this, there could be a reason for it. I have one friend who has one child and it took her 16 years of fertility treatment to get her DC and she is really struggling to accept she will never get the chance to have another baby and still refers to her toddler in months. I know another mum who thought she would have 2 or 3 but hasn’t been able to conceive again. Just saying. You never know if there’s more to it.

I understand your point, but also I think you should spend time with and be present for the child rather than trying to cling to the baby. If you'll only experience it once then experience it, the whole thing not just the baby.

@Cadent

I can’t worked up about this. Why does it trigger so many people? Chill.

Saying you find it weird on a thread on mums net doesn't mean people are triggered or would react IRL. Chill.

@NeverAMillionMilesAway Can’t you come up with your own vocab instead of pinching mine? Chillax and stop judging other mums Judy.

@Cadent

I can’t worked up about this. Why does it trigger so many people? Chill.

You do know what 'triggered' means, don't you? Nobody here is saying that they have some sort of upsetting psychological reaction whenever little Noah is described as being 30 months old - they just think it sounds a bit silly. Which it does.

@Cadent

I can’t worked up about this. Why does it trigger so many people? Chill.

no one is "triggered" , just annoyed and find it a bit cringey.

Others find "hubby" or "hollybobs" or "making memories" annoying too.

Others find "hubby" or "hollybobs" or "making memories" annoying too.

Once heard someone say they were 'off on holibobs with the famalam' and went on a rampage.

Who cares?

There are women on a certain Facebook group I’m in who refer to their children as ‘48 months old’ or similar... and I do think it speaks volumes about them.

I'm intrigued- what does it say?

Desperate to infantilise their growing child and unwilling to let go of the baby stage.

I couldn't wait to describe DS in years rather than months because it meant he was growing up. Just as I was excited when I could talk of his age in days rather than hours and weeks rather than days iyswim. Can't remember when i first used years as he is now 435 months old.

When people do this, I make a really long drawn out effort to work out actually how old they are, out loud, counting on my fingers like a child.. just so they realise how ridiculous they are and how totally stupid it is to refer to their child as 27 months old!

I did it up until DS was 2 as we had a lot of medical appointments and was so used to telling them he was 22/23 months or whatever it's just what came more naturally. But now he's 2 I don't bother with months and just say he turned two 2/3 months ago

My DD is almost 3 (will be 3 in December) and my DS is 5 months old.

My view is that once you get past 4 month you stop referring to a baby in week and when you get past 18 month you stop referring to them in months. For the past year DD had either been 2, 2 and a half and now she is almost 3. With younger kids you do need to differentiate sometime as there is a lot of difference between a just turned two year old and one that is almost 3

I once had a report from a doctor saying my ds who was 33 months old blah blah blah. I personally stopped using months when he reached 2/24 months. But they still use it in medical setting. So maybe the parents just use it too, since there are a huge difference in small children in months rather than years.
Maybe the people who get het up with others using months instead of years should count their lucky stars they don't even need to think about it, rather than cringing at the parents who does?

I don’t think there’s a strict cut off to saying months but after 24 months it does become difficult for people to work out the age you actually mean. So personally I stop using months once baby gets to 20 months as it can be confusing for others.

I guess what I find strange is someone calling a 2 year old a baby, and a 3-5 year old a toddler. In my view a toddler is when they still toddle - so around up until they turn 3. And a 3-5 year old is a preschooler or just a child (if they’ve already started school). There’s no need for a special term to make them seem younger than they are. I can assume that a 3 or 4 year old may still be throwing some tantrums from their age alone, without them being referred to as a toddler.

"Almost 2" is a good enough description to explain your potty training. You dont need to say 23 months is what im saying

What difference does it make; they are both ways of saying the same thing rather than giving the child’s actual age which is still one-year old.

For me the cut off is 19 months. Then it's 1 and a half (I realise this is 18 months but still), then nearly 2, then 2, then 2 and a half and so on.

Where do you go with 21 months?

When people do this, I make a really long drawn out effort to work out actually how old they are, out loud, counting on my fingers like a child.. just so they realise how ridiculous they are and how totally stupid it is to refer to their child as 27 months old!

I might be tempted to say, ‘such a shame that at 400 months old (or whatever) you can’t yet subtract 24 from 27’

I am currently 507 months old!🤣

Yes. Over 18mths I wouldn't refer to a child in months. I might say almost 3 or 6 and a half.

I'm getting my 249 month old some lego for Christmas....

I agree OP, I think its weird to carry on past 2 years.