Child’s Age: 14 Months
Location: Ridgewood, NJ
Fun Fact About You: I am a designer in the home furnishings industry, I used to travel a ton for work and leisure through Asia and Europe and throughout the US. Now that I have my kiddo at home I am scaling back on the travel to be here for my daughter more 😊
What has one of your biggest parenting hurdles been?
My biggest hurdle thus far has been when my daughter got a stomach bug at 13 months. It was clear she was in so much pain and uncomfortable. But because there was no fever, there was no medicine that would help her much. It was so hard because she couldn’t express to me exactly what was hurting her and because of that I wasn’t able to help her feel better besides just holding her close while she cried. She wouldn’t let me put her down or stop crying for a full week! What I learned was that mostly everything is temporary. And sometimes you just need to throw the rules out the window and get through it!
What has one of your proudest parenting moments been?
My daughter has always been very attached to me and the people close to her. She is very skeptical of new people. She started daycare at 13 months and after just a couple of weeks she was thriving there. To see pictures of her, on her own, living her own little independent life over there, made me so proud!
What’s the parenting advice you wish you got?
One thing that I think is helpful to know early on is how much they start changing and developing at the toddler stage (1+). Mood, personality, health, physical abilities literally can change week to week. That was something I wasn’t so prepared for. Every time something happened I would think it was a permanent change – but I’ve since learned that almost everything is a phase. All we can do is our best in the moment!
What’s a perfect parenting product you used?
We love the Inglesina Fast Table Chair . We always bring it when we go out to eat. Our daughter likes to be right up at the table and involved and a lot of times the high chairs are restaurants are too low or just sit further away from the table.
What new things are happening in your child’s life this month?
This month our daughter has been much more exploratory with walking around. She has been walking since 12 months but usually would stick by our side in public or prefer to be carried. Now she is wanting to explore more in public and also walking faster/learning to run. This has all led to her getting more injuries at school which is a bit stressful.