Question 1

Developmental Milestones 10 months–3 years — Čuvarak, Belgrade

Accepted Answer

Anastasija Martinović: As an educator at Čuvarak I support families in noticing concrete behaviors across four developmental areas. This is an educational guide, not clinical advice, intended to help you track observations and discuss them with your pediatrician if needed. Focus on four practical areas between about 10 months and 3 years: movement, problem-solving and play, communication, and social-emotional skills. Observe specific actions—reaching for a toy, stacking blocks, babbling, pointing, or taking turns—rather than a general impression that a child is “behind.” The range of typical development is wide; checklists are conversational tools, not diagnostic tests. Contact your pediatrician if the child is not developing one or more expected skills, loses a previously acquired skill, or you have persistent worry—loss of a skill requires prompt contact. The pediatrician can initiate developmental screening and refer to a developmental specialist, physiatrist, speech therapist, psychologist, or other relevant professionals as needed. This guide is educational and not a replacement for medical or clinical advice.

Question 2

How to Encourage Safe Walking for Babies and Toddlers — Čuvarak

Accepted Answer

Anastasija Martinović, educator at Čuvarak, shares practical, gentle ways to support your child's move toward walking. This is educational information, not medical advice. Every child follows their own timeline for first steps, so focusing on a specific age is not the most helpful approach. Instead, create daily chances for movement on a safe, flat surface. Allow barefoot time or non‑slip socks so your child's feet can feel and adapt to the floor. Short, frequent sessions of unpressured floor play build leg strength and balance over time. Contact your pediatrician if the child seems markedly stiff or floppy, consistently favors one side of the body, is not progressing in standing or moving, or loses a motor skill they previously had. The pediatrician can refer to a physiatrist or physiotherapist for further evaluation. This guide is educational and does not replace medical assessment.

Question 3

Is my 1–3‑year‑old talking enough? A practical parent guide

Accepted Answer

Anastasija Martinović: As an educator at Čuvarak in Belgrade, I work with families supporting young children's communication every day. This short guide gives practical actions you can use at home to encourage talking and to decide when to seek a professional assessment. It is educational information, not medical advice. When you wonder whether a child of about one to three years is speaking enough, shift attention from counting clear words to what the child is trying to do with language. Watch understanding and attempts to communicate: can the child follow simple directions, point or show things, use gestures or eye contact to share attention, or try sounds and word approximations to get needs met? These interaction signs are meaningful evidence of progress even while pronunciation is still developing. Contact your pediatrician and request a speech‑language pathologist assessment if communication does not progress, the child struggles to follow simple directions, does not use gestures or shared looks, speech is largely unintelligible for age, you must constantly repeat, or you suspect hearing issues. For hearing concerns, an audiologist or ENT is the appropriate next step. This guide is educational; Čuvarak can support practical home strategies and help you prepare for a professional evaluation but does not replace medical assessment.

Question 4

Does bilingual upbringing slow speech?

Accepted Answer

Anastasija Martinović: As an educator at Čuvarak, I encourage families to use the languages they feel most comfortable with. I offer straightforward, everyday strategies to support children's communication when they grow up with two languages. Bilingual children usually follow the same developmental milestones as monolingual children, but they divide their exposure between two languages. It is normal for them to know different words in each language and to mix forms while they are learning. Frequent, high-quality interaction in the language(s) you use matters more than switching everyone to a single language. Contact a speech-language pathologist (logoped) and your pediatrician if difficulties are present in all languages, if communication stalls or regresses, if the child does not understand or attempt to communicate, or if you suspect hearing issues. Multilingualism by itself is not a reason to refer, but it should not be used to delay seeking help.

Question 5

How to calm tantrums in 1–3 year olds — Čuvarak practical tips

Accepted Answer

Anastasija Martinović: As an educator at Čuvarak, I share practical, experience-based strategies for families. These are educational tips, not medical or mental health treatment; contact a professional if you have serious concerns. When a 1–3-year-old melts into a tantrum, your calm is the most useful tool. Stay near the child to keep them safe, lower your voice, and say one short sentence to name the feeling and limit the behavior, for example: 'I see you are angry. Hands are for gentle touches.' Keep instructions simple, avoid arguing, and remove dangerous objects or other children from reach. Contact your pediatrician or a child psychologist if tantrums are very intense or prolonged, often lead to injury, seriously disrupt sleep, preschool or family life, or if you feel you are losing control. Seek urgent help if there is any immediate risk of harm to the child or others. A clinician can assess the situation and recommend next steps; this guide is educational, not diagnostic or therapeutic.

Question 6

How much sleep for a child (10 months–3 years) and how to build a calm bedtime routine

Accepted Answer

From Anastasija Martinović’s perspective as an educator: I offer practical, non-clinical guidance to help families create a predictable, calming routine for children aged 10 months to 3 years. This is educational information, not medical advice. Children between 10 months and about 3 years vary widely in how much sleep they need; rather than focusing only on exact hours, watch how your child is functioning during the day. A predictable bedtime sequence helps send the signal that the day is ending: calm play, hygiene, one book or song, then bed at roughly the same time each night. Consistency within your family’s rhythm is more important than perfection. Contact your pediatrician if you notice loud snoring, pauses in breathing, difficulty breathing, unusual sleepiness, persistent insomnia, frequent night wakings with pain, or if sleep significantly disrupts daytime functioning. If sleep or behavioural problems continue despite a consistent routine, after a health check you may consider a psychologist or a sleep counselling service.

Question 7

Picky eating in children — practical strategies for parents (10 months–10 years)

Accepted Answer

Anastasija Martinović: As an educator at Čuvarak I often support families who feel worried when a child won’t eat. This guide shares practical, everyday steps you can try at home; it is educational, not medical advice. At Čuvarak we follow a simple principle: adults decide what and when to offer food, children decide how much to eat. Offer a mix of familiar favorites and small portions of new foods at the same meal so a child sees variety without pressure. New foods often need many calm, no‑expectation exposures; offer tiny tastes repeatedly over days or weeks rather than demanding immediate acceptance. Contact your paediatrician if your child is not gaining well, is losing weight, has few wet nappies, signs of dehydration, coughs or chokes while eating, vomits, reports pain, has an extremely limited selection of accepted foods, or if mealtimes seriously disrupt daily life. The paediatrician can refer you to a nutritionist, a feeding/speech therapist (logoped), or a gastroenterologist for further assessment. Acute choking is an emergency and requires immediate medical attention.

Question 8

Screen time for children under 3 — practical limits and alternatives

Accepted Answer

Anastasija Martinović: As an educator I share practical, everyday guidance from working with families; this is educational information, not medical advice. For babies and toddlers, priority goes to back-and-forth talk, play, movement, reading and good sleep. Screens should not replace caregiving moments, meals, physical activity or settling at bedtime. When you do use screens, choose short, purposeful material and stay with your child to name what you see and connect it to real-life experiences. Contact your pediatrician if screens are seriously disrupting sleep, feeding, speech, play or close relationships, or if your child becomes strongly and persistently upset at every separation from screens. A psychologist can help when families need support with routines and boundaries. These notes are educational, not a substitute for professional medical or developmental assessment.

You do not have to carry parenting alone.

120 topics. One calmer place for parenting.

Developmental Milestones 10 months–3 years — Čuvarak, Belgrade

How to Encourage Safe Walking for Babies and Toddlers — Čuvarak

Is my 1–3‑year‑old talking enough? A practical parent guide

Does bilingual upbringing slow speech?

How to calm tantrums in 1–3 year olds — Čuvarak practical tips

How much sleep for a child (10 months–3 years) and how to build a calm bedtime routine

Parents’ questions

Developmental Milestones 10 months–3 years — Čuvarak, Belgrade

How to Encourage Safe Walking for Babies and Toddlers — Čuvarak

Is my 1–3‑year‑old talking enough? A practical parent guide

Does bilingual upbringing slow speech?

Send Anastasija a question