Your 18-month-old: Week 3

Now that your child has mastered some key words, she'll soon figure out (if she hasn't already) that saying those words in a REALLY LOUD VOICE is a surefire way to get what she wants. Some toddlers can even make simple two-word sentences such as "No more" or "All done." And, as a sign of your child's growing self-awareness, she may start referring to herself by name: "Claire go," for example.

唔，這麼說來，小馨說話真的比較慢呢!不過最近發現她進客房時，會說"電視"兩個字，理解力也愈來愈強。

Your toddler now

Keeping the crib – or not?
There's no optimal time to move your child to a big-kid bed. Some families make the switch to free up the crib for a younger sibling. (If that's you, start the process several months before your due date so your toddler doesn't link being kicked out of his bed with his baby brother or sister's arrival.) Others stick with the crib until their child is 3 or so.

對!家中的嬰兒床怎麼處理?這個問題幾個月前曾討論過，是否應該要移除，然後給下一個親戚的小嬰兒使用，不過，這個嬰兒床目前還頗大(可以睡到三歲)，看來小宣的小孩目前還用不到，所以我們一直把它擺在客廳，上面放了polar bear和一隻"波蘭牛"，小馨偶爾會過去摸摸它們。

Don't be too quick to make the move if you can avoid it. Keep in mind that once your child is in a bed, he can get up whenever he likes during the night. For that reason, many experienced parents advise keeping your child in the crib as long as you possibly can. Your child who slept so well in his crib is likely to start waking you up again.

Some kids never climb out of their crib, even when they're big enough to do so. Others climb out as soon as they're able. If you have a tiny escapee on your hands, you have a safety problem to deal with. Among your choices:

If you'd like to keep your child in the crib for now, try a crib tent, available online and at many baby stores. The mesh covering keeps your child in and pets out.
If you're not going to use a crib tent (or don't have one yet), have your child sleep on the crib mattress on the floor. This way your child won't fall and get hurt – but he can roam at night. Consider a safety gate at the bedroom door.
Move your child to a toddler bed. It's smaller than a twin and low to the floor.
Move your child to a regular bed. You can replace the crib with the bed, along with a bed rail if you're worried that your child will fall out. Or ease the transition by placing a twin mattress on the floor and adding the frame later.