Your 15-month-old: Week 2

Whining and screaming: If your 15-month-old has started sounding like a hyena or worse, you're experiencing his intense desire to interact with you. Children thrive on their parents' attention, and a toddler this age will do just about anything to get yours. When he gets loud or whiny, kneel down to your child's level and tell him you're listening. If he keeps it up, calmly say, "I can't understand you when you talk like that. Please use your normal voice and I'll be happy to listen to what you're saying." Eventually, he'll get the message.

Your toddler now

Power struggles
Where there's a will, there's a won't. And your toddler is discovering that will, big time. The generally agreeable nature of a 12-month-old can morph overnight into something more exhausting. "No" will soon become one of her favorite words.

Rigid, contrarian behavior shows that your child is beginning to understand a huge concept: She's a separate person from you. (It's the seeds of the you-are-not-the-boss-of-me syndrome.) Power struggles at this age are likely to be over things like diaper changes, toothbrushing, and getting into the stroller or car seat.

Your best bet is to sidestep power struggles when you can. Let things go if they don't really matter (say, changing a shirt that has gotten dirty). Save your energy and follow-through for the big stuff (no hitting, for example).

15個月的小馨不會尖叫，但很會「講話」，聲音大到讓大人無法講話，好像要我們一直注意她。
現在她已經很會下床，似乎所有地方有困不住她，除非把門關起來，實在愈來愈皮了！

New this month: Pay attention to meeeee!

Whirlwind. It's a word that aptly describes a typical 15-month-old, and life with a toddler this age is never dull. His attention is equally divided between his toys and you. Children thrive on their parents' attention, and if you happen to leave the area where he's playing, he'll come looking for you within a few minutes because he wants to know that you're paying attention to him. "See! See!" is probably a common refrain in your house as your child tries to balance his drive to be more independent with his need to know he can depend on you.

Until now, your toddler has been preoccupied with checking out his surroundings and the objects in his world. Now he's just as curious about the effects of his behavior on other people, and his connection with you is vital to his confidence. During this period of social exploration you may see him trying to get your attention anyway he can. He'll shout, imitate gestures he sees you and other adults making, pinch, poke, shove, whine, and cry, all in an attempt to see how you react, and what it takes for him to get what he wants. He will quickly realize that various behaviors get different results from the adults who surround him. He may learn that he gets what he wants faster if he laughs instead of whines. Or that whining will get him what he wants from his grandfather, but not from his mom or dad. This experimentation is all part of socialization, and if you are consistent with enforcing limits, he'll soon learn which behaviors are acceptable and which aren't.