103 Week Old Baby: Your Baby's Development and Your Recovery This Week

Your toddler is noticing and naming more of the world this week.

At around 25–26 months, your toddler is using describing words, "dirty", "soft", "clean", "hard", "big". They pause to think before answering a question, and they're learning how everyday tools work: door handles, taps, buttons, light switches, small cups and plates.

A lot of toddlers hate haircuts. What often helps:

• An early-morning slot before tiredness kicks in
• A kids' specialist, not a busy adult salon
• Sit on your lap, not on the big chair
• A favourite short show on your phone (screen time well spent)
• Warn about the little buzz sound before the clippers start

• Expand your toddler's 2 words into 3: they say "big car", you say "yes, a big red car".
• Describe what you're both doing: "I'm pouring cold water into your hot cup".
• Let your toddler "help" with real tasks and narrate: "You're pressing the button. The button turns the light on."

• Door handles are a new skill. Your toddler can now open doors, including the front door. A lock or chain above their reach, or a door handle cover, is worth it. Same for taps: set the water heater lower if you can.

• If your toddler refuses food and water for more than a day, has blood in their stool, or has no bowel movement for 3+ days with hard pellets, call your pediatrician.

• Soft khichdi with a spoonful of ghee, mashed roti dipped in dal, a small bowl of curd-rice with a pinch of jaggery, these go down easily and pack iron and fat in the right amounts.

"Big red car" said back with a smile: that is how language blooms, one warm echo at a time. Narrating taps and buttons may feel ordinary, yet these little chats are the heartbeat of toddler development. Your voice is the soundtrack your child is learning the world by.

Around 24.5 months. Your friendships, neglected, evolved, or strengthened over the baby years.

The friendships that survived the baby years

• Some old friends understood and stayed. Some drifted. Some new mum friends arrived. The shape of your social life is different from before, and that is fine.

For maintaining what you have

• A regular voice note exchange, easier than calls
• A monthly meet-up, however brief
• A shared WhatsApp group with 2–3 close mums
• Showing up to important moments, births, illnesses, birthdays

For making new friendships

• Daycare or playschool parents, usually in similar life stage
• Mum-and-toddler classes (music, dance, swim)
• Neighbours with same-age kids
• Online Indian mum groups (Mompresso, Instagram circles, Facebook)

For solo or single mums

• Friendships matter even more when you don't have a partner sharing the load. Building 2–3 strong friendships in your first 2 mum years is a real investment for the next decade.

Indian-tradition note

• Many Indian friendships run on what's called "ladies' time", weekly afternoon meet-ups, kitty parties, walking groups, religious study circles. These are real social infrastructure. Worth joining or starting one.

Eating well

• Three meals + two snacks.

Worth flagging

• If you find yourself isolated for weeks at a time, going days without speaking to anyone, or dreading social interaction, that may be PPD or social anxiety at year 2. Treatable. Talk to a therapist. Online therapy platforms are widely available in India.

Indian-tradition friendships

• Many Indian women build deep friendships through shared rituals, Karwa Chauth, wedding sangeets, bhajans, kitty parties, walking groups. These shared activities create context for friendship. Worth participating in or starting your own, religious or secular both work.

The friends who stayed, the ones you found in waiting rooms and WhatsApp groups: they are part of your strength now. Tending these bonds is mother self care of the deepest kind, the sort that carries you through hard weeks. A voice note sent today is a rope bridge for tomorrow.