18-Month Checkup

Ryan had his 18-month checkup today with his pediatrician. Here are his growth stats:

Weight: 23 lbs (13%)

Height: 31.75 inches (30%)

Head: 19 inches (64%)

Overall Ryan is a healthy 18-month old. However, his Dr. really gave me a lot to think about today. He is still concerned about 3 areas of Ryan's development: sleeping, eating, and speech. He believes that the difficulties we are having with Ryan are all somehow related to each other. And he believes that changing the way we treat Ryan can really be beneficial for his development. He basically wants Adam and I to get tougher. Not just with discipline, but also with how we feed Ryan and put him to sleep. His Dr. said he has seen similar cases where the parents gave in too much to their "difficult" children, and they ended up with more serious problems down the road. I certainly do not want to be responsible for any of Ryan's developmental issues, and I am willing to change the way I treat him if it means a happier and healthier Ryan. I still have a lot to digest from the appointment, and a lot to talk about with Adam. But here are the 3 main changes the Dr. suggested:

Sleep: I think everyone knows how horrible Ryan's sleep habits are. At this point Ryan's Dr. suggested we really crack down and let Ryan cry himself to sleep. We have tried many gentler methods and they just don't seem to work for him. Because Ryan is no longer in a crib, this makes it harder to keep him in his bed. His pediatrician went as far as to suggest we shut his door and use a video monitor to ensure Ryan is safe while falling asleep.

Eating: Ryan's eating habits are pretty unhealthy. I told that the Dr. that while I know Ryan's diet isn't good, I have a strong desire to just make sure Ryan is fed. Unfortunately that means his diet is lacking many important components. The only finger foods he will touch are chicken nuggets, crackers, and chips. Ryan's Dr. wants us to only offer Ryan healthy options going forward. If he eats them, fantastic. If not, mealtime is over. He said Ryan will likely become hungry and eventually will try the healthier finger foods. He also said no more baby food; Ryan is too old to be relying on Stage 2 purees for his nutrition.

Speech: We will focus more on this once the sleeping and eating habits are under control. Ryan should have between 15 and 20 words at this point, but he still only has 2. His Dr. suggested we pick a couple things/activities and withold them from Ryan until he says the word. Things like "outside" or "train".

I sincerely hope this new "tough love" method works. I often feel like Ryan is unhappy and fussy most of the time, and as a result, parenting him is often not very fulfilling or enjoyable. I am hoping that these changes will make all of us happier.