I’ve been following Susie Allison of Busy Toddler for quite a few years and am constantly amazed at all her toddler hacks. I swear, all my good ideas are founded in something she shared. This spring, she posted a photo on Instagram that read, “Do You Have a Taby? Try This Activity.” I immediately clicked through – albeit a little confused – because the photo caught my eye. It was a little boy my son’s age, and as soon as I started reading, it all made sense.
Allison wrote, “A taby (noun; pronounced tay•bee) is my made-up term for the sort of middle limbo a child is in between turning one & when they full[y] become a toddler. There’s no set start or end – it’s all about each individual child.”
Yes, I have a taby! I always knew the time between my little one’s first birthday and toddlerhood was a unique season. I had never given it a name, though. Before being introduced to the term, I held on to babyhood. “Well, he’s 14 months, but he’s still my baby!” Still so snuggly, uncoordinated, napping, and nursing — definitely a baby… and yet, not.
In the two months since my baby has embraced tabyhood, I’ve tried to be intentional about marking his precious taby milestones while introducing age-appropriate activities such as…
Continue to take monthly photos
Did you document your baby’s changes each month until their first birthday? Don’t stop! Tabies grow and change so much in their second year of life.
Introduce new foods
One of my favorite things about tabies is that they have teeth and an appetite! And after one, no foods are off-limits, so keep offering bites and expanding those taste buds.
Read interactive books
Our favorite books are flap, touch-feely, and the Poke-a-Dot line. My little one isn’t talking much yet, so books where I read and point and he gets to reply with touch are perfect for contributing to his vocabulary bank.
Buy yourself 5 minutes with tape
Busy Toddler is a gold mine of ideas, but my favorite one is to use blue painter’s tape to affix little toys to a cookie sheet or high chair tray. Tabies then explore and problem-solve in an attempt to free their cars or critters.
Hide-and-seek
Practice object permanence with a simple game of hide-and-seek. The smiles my son gives when he turns the corner and sees me are an absolute joy.
Toothpick drop
When you finish a plastic spice container, wash it out and put the dotted lid back on. Settle your taby into their high chair and provide that and a handful of toothpicks. Show them how the toothpicks fit into the holes and let them practice their fine motor skills by filling up the jar.
Muffin tin matching
Muffin tins are one of the most useful kitchen items for little learners. Let your taby practice placing a cotton ball in each space. Or Cheerios. As they get older, you can introduce counting or color matching. A muffin tin will always be the perfect sorting base.
Window paint
Fill a gallon-size plastic bag with ¼ cup of paint and both seal and tape it shut. Tape it to a window – at your taby’s standing or sitting level – and show them how to squish the paint around for a fun, no-mess painting experience.
Play dishwasher
They’ve watched you forever and now it’s their turn! Within reason, of course. My little one loves to unload the silverware and pass it to me to place it in the drawer. He helps with the kids’ plastic bowls and cups too, sometimes playing more than actually putting them away, but it’s all part of the process.
In the precious window between being a baby and a toddler, be mindful to embrace the sweet moments of your little one’s transition. Let them be small. Let them hold onto the safeholds of their infancy for a while longer. Engage their growing minds and test their physical abilities. Plant seeds of wonder and appreciation for all the little things. Your taby is a special one – a smidge baby plus a dose of toddler all wrapped into one. Cherish this time. It flies by just like the rest.
