Pull toys

I think pull toys are a must for a toddler, he loves pulling something behind him..if he doesn't have a toy with him, he uses Charlie's leash (which I am not happy about and actually don't want him to do it) or his doll (it's long enough to be pulled behind :).

Sheep he got from his granny.

Push and pull duck - he uses it as both

Wooden caterpillar I bought in Riga long before he was born. Charlie loves to chew on its antennas. 

We always meet interesting stuff on the way.

Kisses

Am I the only one who does not really enjoy the wet kisses, which are more like "I'm trying to eat you" or "Let me wipe my nose"?

What can a 13-month old do?

That satisfied look on his face when manages to do something on his own is worth all the trouble. I am all for toddlers helping with chores because they learn things don't happen on their own and it helps to build their self-confidence because they are useful, (important) part of the family.

Here is a list of what Teodor helps me with quite regularly:

• He puts vacuum cleaner cable to the socket for me (I have to push it in properly) - it is a new skill, he is so proud and eager to help with this. He also takes it out.
• He puts dishwasher tablet into the dishwasher (he no longer tries to eat it)
• He presses the buttons after being shown which ones to press
• He closes the dishwasher door
• He helps me to unload the dishwasher by handing me the dishes
• He sometimes re-organizes the dishwasher with dirty dishes - I don't consider it as help but from his facial expression I assume he does.
• He helps me to load the washing machine, either he hands me the dirty laundry or he takes it on his own and puts it in the machine on his own.
• He helps me to unload the washing machine and dryer.
• He can throw stuff to the trash bin.
• He brings clean laundry to where it belongs (I go with him and show him, otherwise he would put it all in one place, he can hold up to 2 pieces of laundry)
• He can wipe the floor after he peed on it and bring the dirty cloth to the laundry bin
• He can be asked to put something somewhere
• He can help with entertaining the dog "Teodor, please throw the ball to Charlie"
• He loves to help with brushing the dog

Can't really think of anything else now but I am sure there is more how he is involved in family life. 

How to entertain a 13-month old?

Take them for a toddler walk. Spring and summer are really great for this (I actually plan to continue even in autumn and winter), it does not require much activity from your side because the new walkers are quite slow and everything on the way is soooo interesting, so the walks is more about the walking and exploring experience than really getting somewhere.

Our morning walk is about 500m long and it takes us about an hour, I sometimes carry Teodor, so we get somewhere because we have Charlie (dog) with us and the walk is also meant for him :)

Here is a list of things he does on the walk (not all every time but you can see how he can turn a boring ten-minute walk into a whole adventure :)

Sit pretty under the almost-in-blossom tree and examine the flowers around.

Drain covers are just irresistible

Pee-a-boo before going home

Walking up the stairs on his own

Splashing puddles.

Examining a rock he found in the puddle. Charlie is not amused.

Watching cars

Taking his pull animal for a walk

Testing whether the licence plate is well-attached

Taking a selfie with mummy...this is one of the ways how to get him from A to B fast

Finding sticks (there is usually Charlie on the other end)

Climbing on everything

Sometimes we watch children in the kindergarten, that day nobody was out.

Sitting on whatever it is called and examining the "nail"?

Truck!!!

Playing with sand/picking up stones

If I had Internet on my phone, I could be online most of the time, those walks make it very easy to entertain the child, which is sometimes challenging at home as he doesn't have that many toys (ok, he has enough but not that many that he could be throwing them out of several boxes and it would take him an hour) or we don't let him watch youtube (we don't have TV). And I finally have to remember to dress myself warmer than the child because he is almost always in motion while I'm standing nearby being cold.

Baby signs

Elimination communication and baby signs were two things which sounded very interesting but I thought I wouldn't do them because the first one I considered for bored people who don't do anything else than watch their babies waiting for a sign he needs to pee/poop and the other one requires a lot of consistency and self-study from parents. Actually, I tried baby signs with him when he was around 7-8 months, but no response + it was quite difficult to sign something to him when he was in the wrap, so he couldn't see what my hands were doing, so I gave up. But lately he has been showing a great interest in broadening his passive vocabulary and copying my hand movements, so it was time to reconsider my attitude to baby signs.

Around the time he turned one, he started to be very interested in picture books, he pointed at a picture, looked at me and waited for me to give the thing a name. I sometimes signed something (made up signs) and I could see he loved it and tried to copy it. I've already said it many times on this blog that I believe in the child's lead in the raising process, so it was time for me to google some signs and start showing them to him. It's so wonderful when he signs something back or when he signs something and it's right. He seems to connect the sign and the word, but he does not always connect it with the real thing, he probably needs much more practise. The only things he signs with perfection are dog, milk (breastmilk) and I want to poop. The dad is teaching him "I want to play/torture the dog." :) Today he figured out how to sign a "bird" - it is challenging for his motor skills to do the same movement as mummy - so everything is a "bird" today :))


I hope to learn/teach him a lot more signs, so I know what he wants...It is wonderful when he climbs in our bed and signs milk or when he is out of his balance, he also signs milk and I know what he wants and can give it to him and it helps to keep the peace in our household...Or when we come home, he signs that he wants to eat, so I give him food and it prevents him from being grumpy...As he grows older, he will have more wishes and baby signs will hopefully help me to understand him better. Another reason why I decided to give it a go is that he has to master 4 languages and that's not easy, with signs he might talk to mummy and daddy even without knowing their mother tongues.

Raising money for starting our own business

We want to start our own business, but it requires a lot of money at the beginning...and as I'm flying to Czech in June and I have one spare luggage, we came up with the idea to sell things our dad makes in his free time. Anyway, boost our dad's ego and buy his creations, Czech people contact me on MK, the other people will find them on etsy (I will post a link this weekend when he finally uploads them there)

Montessori Permanence Box, 10 euros

Montessori coin box, 10 euros

Ball run with two wooden balls (not painted), 25 euros

Sandals

Shoes are a total nuisance...I spend hours surfing the Internet looking for the right shoes, right now, sandals are the issue plus he should get another pair of sneakers or whatever those shoes we need another pair of are called.

Shall I go with Liliputi sandals, which are not a "real shoe"?

Or Bobux, which are cute but also 3 times more expensive?

Or to try so well-reviewed KidOfit, which I personally do not consider cute...? But maybe shoes should be about functionality, not prettiness? 

Or to try something nobody in Czech really has? Zeazookids..they look great and actually have very positive reviews + they customize the shoe to your child's foot measurements, but is it possible to measure Teodor's foot precisely?

And what if we don't have summer this year?

Why are shoes for girls so much cuter and why is there almost always a wider choice for them than for boys?