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

Your toddler has a proper mouthful of teeth now, and mealtimes look a lot more grown-up.

By around 22–23 months, many toddlers have 16 teeth, the first set of molars is in and chewing is much easier. Your toddler can usually eat from a spoon (with drips), drink from an open cup (with spills), and walk wherever they want to go without a pram for short trips.

• Let spills happen. A splash mat under the chair, a bib, and patience.
• Small portions on a flat plate without lots of compartments. Toddlers eat better when food isn't overwhelming.
• Eat together when you can. Your toddler eats better when they see you enjoying the same food.

Across the day, aim for:

• Some grains (rice, roti, oats, pasta)
• Some protein (dal, egg, paneer, chicken, fish, beans)
• Some veg and fruit
• Some dairy (milk, curd, cheese)
• A little healthy fat (ghee, nut butters thin-spread, avocado if you get it) Portions are small, a toddler's stomach is about the size of their fist. Little and often is fine.

The bossy food demands ("noooo, different cup!") are normal. Offer two choices when you can, hold firm when you can't, and try not to turn every meal into a battle.

• A fever that stays above 38.5°C for more than 48 hours, refusing all fluids, unusual drowsiness, or trouble breathing, call your pediatrician right away.

A mouthful of tiny teeth and a proudly held spoon: mealtimes have become little celebrations in themselves. These everyday wins are the 21 month old baby milestones nobody photographs but every mother remembers. Wipe the spills and smile; the mess is proof of growing.

Around 21 months. Indian gathering season, weddings, festivals, family events, full energy demands.

Surviving Indian gatherings with a toddler

• Indian extended-family events often run long, late, loud, and food-heavy. Your toddler will be over-stimulated; you will be tired.

Things that often help

• A nap before the event for both of you
• A familiar comfort item (your toddler's blanket or soft toy)
• Comfortable clothes, fancy is overrated when you are chasing a toddler
• Eat something before, not during, events serve dinner late
• Plan an early exit ("we have to leave by 9 for bedtime")

The "everyone wants to hold the baby" reality

• Polite "they're warming up" usually works. Hand the toddler to one trusted person rather than passing them around. Toddlers feel overwhelmed by too many laps.

For mum's own energy

• Don't do the hosting + parenting at once. If the event is at your home, hire help for setup/cleanup. If it's elsewhere, pace yourself.

Eating well at events

Indian wedding/festival food is rich but rarely balanced. Try:

• Smaller portions of multiple things rather than large of one
• A glass of water between dishes
• Fresh fruit if available
• Skip the late-night sweets if you're nursing, they affect baby's sleep too

Worth flagging

• If gatherings cause panic or extreme avoidance, to the point you skip family events repeatedly, that may be social anxiety. Treatable. Talk to a therapist. Often shifts in 8–10 sessions of CBT.

Indian-event survival tip

• Keep an emergency kit in your handbag at events: a small toy, a snack, ORS, a thin shawl, a phone charger, the toddler's water bottle. The hosts will not always have what you need. Self-sufficient = less stressed.

Weddings and festivals ask a lot of a mother, and you show up anyway, with snacks in your handbag and a nap schedule in your head. Parenting a toddler through the gathering-season whirl is quiet heroism in a nice saree. It is okay to leave early; the best celebrations end with your little one asleep on your shoulder.