What is normal ...

[Safari10]

Just wondered what other mums' experiences were of a 14 month old's development. I have learnt to ignore HVs/websites as none of my friends' children really seem to match up to them much either.

For example - does your DC use a spoon/cutlery? Mine can use a spoon if she wants but tends to just bang it around!

• what sort of things do they eat? My DD has a pretty varied diet but is still not great with red meat

• how many words is your DC saying? My DD has just started forming words which kind of sound like they are meant to!

• does your DC still have milk from a bottle? Mine does, and water/juice from a beaker. All of my friends with older children said theirs had milk from a bottle until they were 2 or 3 years old (bedtime milk), and between us we only know of a couple of people who have got their children to take milk from a beaker. A couple of HVs have even said the reasons about changing to a bottle are rubbish!

Do we push our children forward too much? I think my DD is pretty smart, just wondered what other children were up to at this age as I think a lot of the "official" guidelines are rubbish (eg pointing at 6 months?!)

Can't remember, as DD is nearly 4, but she stopped having a bottle at just under a year and went onto a beaker with a lid. Much easier to clean. I only remember that because when she started nursery at 11 months at the end of her first day they commented on how nicely she drank from a cup and I was so (ridiculously) proud!

All the above, except the bottle, both mine had a zippy cup from 6months and exclusively a sippy cup from 11 months. There are good reasons for that one I believe. The rest, as and when, they sort it out in their own time.

zippy?! Sippy, doh.

I don't know anyone whose child has had a bottle beyond 1 year.

Pointing at 6 months? No, that's at 18 months.

DD never had a bottle, though, she was bf, and went straight to sippy cup at 6 mo, and drunk from a normal cup at 17 months (she did use it before, but with a lot of spillage!).

She didn't say much at that age, maybe mama, bye bye etc, no more than few words.

She ate well, but I don't think not liking red meat is that much of concern, except for iron intake- ask your GP about that.

DD could use a spoon from somewhere between 8-10 months, sorry don't remember exactly.

Oh, and also I don't think you can 'push' your child much with the things you mentioned, except the bottle- I think, but I'm not sure, that using a bottle for too long it's not good for their teeth ie for the shape of their palate?

Yes to getting off bottles as soon as possible - as much as anything else because they become a habit that then has to be broken. Our dd had a sippy cup from 6 months and now (16 months) can drink from an open cup as well, though she tends to tip the rest out when she's had enough.

She can sort of feed herself with the spoon, though it helps if it's something that doesn't fall off when the spoon gets inverted!

She says three definite recognizable words - daddy, tea and shoes.

She walks, but not brilliantly, still mostly prefers crawling or having her hand held to walk.

As far as the books go, she's average!

Thanks guys. Octaviapink - "daddy, tea and shoes" really made me laugh - exactly as a girl's first words should be!

Any recommendations for sippy cups? Shall I try putting her breakfast milk in her normal beaker first before dropping the bedtime bottle?

Yes, just offer it and soon she'll take it. Then in a few months time offer regular cup.

My 15 month old DS walked at 14 months, points (since around 12 months - not always AT something though...), can use a spoon (but very messily), and a fork.

He was BF and never liked bottles so has had a sippy cup since 6 months. He has a doidy cup at mealtimes which is hit and miss (literally).

He says daddy, mummy, hello, bye bye, toot toot (used to be just at trains but now at any form of transport, and also at most animals). He learns something and then stops doing it - stored in his brain for later while he gets on with learning something else I'm told.

He didn't clap his hands until he was a year old, and I know six month olds who can do that. It really does seem like they can be anywhere on a very large spectrum of development.