Your Baby's 12 Month Visit
NUTRITION
It is recommended that, after 12 months of age, infants should be introduced to whole milk. The extra fat in whole milk is needed for brain development. No low fat milk until after the second birthday! Your infant will need about 12-16 ounces a day. Remember if your infant isn’t a big milk drinker, cheeses and yogurt, and there are also plant-based sources of calcium.
Your baby now can have most of the same foods as the rest of the family. Avoid foods that could cause choking hazards like nuts, fruits with seeds, grapes, stringy vegetables, raw carrots, popcorn and hard candy. Given a choice of healthy foods, toddlers will eat a well balanced diet. Repeatedly offering new foods may keep her from becoming a picky eater. Your baby’s appetite may decrease at this age and vary from day to day. This is normal because the rate of growth is slower now. As long as your baby is eating a variety of foods from the 4 basic food groups, there is no need for additional vitamins or iron.
Mealtime should be a pleasant experience for the entire family. Let your child experiment with food; do not force eating. If your baby has a tendency to fill up on one food group in place of eating another food group, offer the less preferred food first and encourage your child to take some bites of that before offering their preferred foods. Have your child sit in a highchair and do not allow walking around or running during mealtime. Offering a couple of nutritious snacks during the day is appropriate but isn't necessary if you find that snacking spoils your baby's appetite for the more nutrition-dense foods usually at mealtimes.
Encourage your baby to learn to feed herself with her fingers. This is also the time to introduce utensils to your growing toddler. Remember, at first it will be a bit messy, but with a little time, she will become a master at feeding herself. By 12 months of age it is also recommended to start weaning infants from the bottle. This can be done quickly by offering whole milk only from a cup and cutting down the amount of formula offered in bottles consistently over the next several weeks. Juice is not recommended.
SLEEPING
Establish a bedtime routine and a consistent time for bed. Be firm when it comes time for bed. Have a quiet time prior to putting your baby to bed, so that he or she is not overly excited from play and unable to go to sleep.
Do not allow food or drink in bed. No bottles should be allowed in bed!!! Be sure to brush your baby’s teeth each day with a soft toothbrush with a sesame-seed sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste.
PLAYTIME
Your baby will be active and on-the-go all the time. Babies want to show independence, but need a safe place to explore and need to be watched constantly. Encourage her to play alone and with others. Appropriate toys and games include blocks for stacking and building, naming body parts, picture books, soft cuddly toys, push-pull toys, and balls.
DISCIPLINE
Discipline is a form of guiding your child and teaching him how to gain self-control, to respect other’s rights and to live by society’s rules. Infants one year of age need reasonable limits set to help them learn what is expected of them, as well as to protect them from harmful situations.
Most one year olds understand the meaning of “No”. You must be consistent in teaching your children; thus, “No” means “No” for the same thing every day. Parents should discuss what are and are not acceptable behaviors so the rules are consistent. Do not be surprised if your child says “no” in return. Children this age are trying to learn to be independent, but they cannot judge correct or safe behavior. Anticipate problems; for example, put valuable or breakable articles out of reach instead of having to say “no” all the time.
If he breaks a rule, remove him from the problem area and encourage some other activity. Avoid slapping hands and spanking at this age since he will find this action hard to understand. If parents show loss of control by hitting or yelling, they will teach their children similar behavior when frustrated.
Don’t forget to praise correct behavior in your child. Say things like, “I like it when you help me pick up your toys.” Catch them being good!!
SAFETY
If your baby plays outside, a fenced yard and constant watching are necessary. Streets and driveways are very dangerous.
Poison-proof your house. Check storage cabinets for kerosene, solvents, paints and removers, drain cleaners. Keep these items out of reach and locked up. Keep all medications locked up.
Never leave your baby alone in the bathtub or near a pool of water. When outdoors, remember to use sunscreen and protective clothing to avoid sunburns.
Watch out for burns. Check for lighters or matches left around the house or yard. Turn handles of skillets away from the edge of the stove. Do not leave hot liquids on counters or tabletops. Teach the meaning of “hot.”
Child safety seats are still required by state law at this age. They should remain in a five point rear-facing car seat until age of 2. The safest place remains the back seat. Remember, children younger than age 12 years old should never be placed in the front seat where there is an air bag activated.
DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES
Follows one step commands with gesture
Plays social games (peek-a-boo, pat-a-cake, waves bye-bye)
Shakes head “no-no”
Uses “mama”, “dada”, and 1 or 2 other words specifically.
Imitates speech sounds and some actions
Crawls, pulls to stand and cruises holding onto furniture; walks with assistance
Pick up small objects with index finger and thumb