PARENTHOOD: The Wonder of Reaching the Walking Milestone with Poppy

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We recently reached a very exciting milestone with Poppy...she can now walk! It's the milestone I was nervous and excited about in equal measures because life with two children is busy at the best of times, so how would I manage with two children on the move? Would I spend my days trying to look after two children running in opposite directions? In reality I've been surprised at how much reaching this milestone has had a positive impact on our family life. Life has changed, that's for sure, but in ways I certainly didn't anticipate. Poppy is now on a new and exciting journey into the world of being a toddler and it is an absolute honour to witness all the wonder that comes with it.

It all started when Poppy was around 14.5 months old; she started getting braver with cruising around furniture and was even letting go every now and then. I remembered from watching Isabella learn to walk, that babies suddenly seem to 'get it' and then they're off. It is such a wonderful and incredible journey to witness, isn't it? I find it fascinating how babies learn so much simply by watching the people around them. No one physically showed Poppy how to lift one foot, move it forward and put it back down again, yet here we were at 14.5 months on the edge of her being able to walk for the first time. It makes me quite emotional thinking about Poppy reaching these big milestones of childhood because not only does it mean she's growing up, but also that the world around her is opening up. She's able to see more, do more and learn more.

If reaching milestones, like walking or crawling, throws up lots of questions and you just aren't sure what the answers are (as I know it often does for me, despite being a second time parent!) then fear not - there are plenty of places to seek advice. Did you know you can head over to the  SMA Careline^®, where SMA^® Nutrition have a dedicated team of expert parents with first-hand experience ready to answer any parenthood questions you might have. Think of them as a best friend in the world of parenting, available for free 24/7 across UK and Ireland to answer questions, share their wealth of experience and be a friendly person to listen. They are contactable via telephone (free of charge - Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm), email, LiveChat and even via Facebook Private Messenger. So a resource really worth making the most of in those times of need.

After weeks of almost taking those all-important first steps, Poppy woke up one morning and she just 'got it'. She went from relying on our hands or a walker to steady herself to being a free, independent toddler. It has completely changed the dynamics between Isabella and Poppy too, which is a change I hadn't been anticipating. They now both love to splash in puddles, play dress-up and kick up autumn leaves, most importantly together. Days are spent playing together rather than alongside each other and although I'm under no illusion that the days of sibling arguments are imminent, we are enjoying this middle ground of blissful playing at the moment.

Now that Poppy is on the move I am more conscious than ever about ensuring she has the right nutrients to keep her strong and healthy. SMA^® PRO Growing Up Milk (12 months to 3 years), as part of a varied diet, helps by providing a blend of vitamins and minerals to support children's normal cognitive development, immune system and growth.

SMA^® PRO Growing Up Milk is enriched with iron to help support normal cognitive development plus a blend of vitamins (including vitamins A, C and D) to help support the normal function of a the immune system plus Omega 3 & 6^† and iodine to help support normal growth.

^†The beneficial effect of essential fatty acids is obtained with a daily intake of 10 g of Linoleic acid and 2 g of a-linolenic acid.

SMA^® Nutrition have been a leader in baby nutrition research for over 100 years, so you know it is a brand you can trust.

Excitingly, they have also recently rebranded with the aim of making their packaging easier to read and for each variant to be quickly identified. The new packaging designs are sleek, clear and provide all the information we as parents want when buying our toddler's formula milk.

They have also recently launched an Organic version of their Growing Up Milk, which can be bought in 800g tins nationwide.

The developmental milestone of walking made me nervous for many reasons but mainly because I had the vision of standing in the middle of Isabella and Poppy with them both running the completely opposite directions. It's funny to look back on now and although I'm sure there will be moments like that I am so pleased to say that Poppy learning to walk has made parenting two children a lot easier in my experience.

Which milestone did/will you anticipate the most when it comes to your child growing up?

Feel free to leave a comment - I love reading every single one :)

This post is sponsored by SMA^® Nutrition who I’ll be partnering with over the next few months.

Helen x

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Breast milk is best for babies and breastfeeding should continue for as long as possible. SMA^® PRO Growing Up Milk is suitable for young children from 1-3 years, as part of a healthy balanced diet and it is not a breast milk substitute.  SMA^® Organic Growing Up Milk is suitable for young children from the 12^th month, as part of a healthy balanced diet and it is not a breast milk substitute.