Living and Loving – September 2019

had dropped her lunchtime nap,
might suddenly need one again.
“You might put your child down for
her nap at the usual time and not be
able to believe that she’s still asleep
halfway through the afternoon,”
suggests Michelle, “or perhaps she’ll
have lots of little cat naps instead.”

Mood swings
Another short-lived sign of a growth
spurt is your baby or toddler being a
bit out of sorts, whether that means she
gets more upset than usual, or takes
no more than a second to turn from
perfectly happy to a bundle of emotion.
“I think part of this is hormonal,” says
Michelle. “It’s a little bit like having PMS,
when your hormones are fluctuating
and you may get short-tempered or
irritable. So it can really help if you can
appreciate that your child isn’t having
meaningless eruptions but, instead,
is trying to handle a change in her
emotions.” Sitting with your little one
calming her down and having lots
of cuddles can all help her feel less
irritable. But if you’re worried about
your child, or the change in behaviour
continues, it’s always a good idea to
contact your healthcare provider.

Developmental growth
Not only is your little one growing
overnight, she’s also making big mental
leaps during a growth spurt. And the link
between physical and psychological
growth is not a coincidence. Your
baby’s brain goes from weighing just
25% of that of an adult brain at birth, to
80% by the time she’s two, so it makes
sense that growth is linked to a leap
in capability, too. “Not only do babies
grow in length, they grow in head
circumference,” says Michelle. “This
means, around the time of a growth
spurt, you also tend to see milestones
such as sitting up, rolling over or
your baby taking her first steps.”
It’s all a lot for your baby to deal
with, but with a mom who understands
just what’s going on, and knows how
to support her through it, she’ll find
the process a whole lot easier.

40 | SEPTEMBER 2019 | L&L

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