Feeding
Your baby should continue having breast milk or infant formula
until he is 1 year old. Most babies now take 6 to 8 ounces of formula
4 times a day. Encourage your child to drink formula and juice from a
cup now. This is a good time to begin weaning from the bottle.
You can begin adding meat to your child's diet. Soft table foods also may be
added. Let your baby try to self-feed.
By now your child probably has one tooth or more. After meals and before bedtime,
try to wash off the teeth with a clean cloth.
Development and Discipline
Babies are starting to pull themselves up to stand. They love to
bang things together to make sounds. They may start to say "dada" and
"mama."
At this age, babies learn what "no" means. Say "no" calmly and
firmly and either take away the item that your child should not be
playing with or remove him from the situation. If your child
continues to do what you told him not to do, you can put your baby in
a playpen for 1 minute without any toys or attention from you.
Give your baby a choice of toys to play with and talk to him about
the ones he chooses. During play you can give lots of kisses and
hugs. Peek-a-boo is a favorite game.
Motor Skills
- Goes from sitting to lying position unassisted.
- May pull self to standing position.
- Stands holding on to furniture.
- Tries to move one foot in front of the other when held
upright.
- May try to crawl up stairs.
- May begin to walk with assistance.
Language Development
- Imitates the rising and falling sounds of adult
conversation.
- Imitates more speech sounds, but does not yet understand
them.
- Repeats sounds again and again.
- Tries to move one foot in front of the other when held
upright.
- May begin to say "mama" or "dada" appropriately.
Emotional Development
Your Child:
- Continues to resist doing what he does not want to do
- Begins trying to imitate some parent behaviors
- Loves showing off for family audience
- May cry when parent leaves the room
- May resist diapering
Using play to help your baby's physical development
What you can do:
- Provide bright colored toys and toys like cars and trucks that
move.
- Provide toys that make noises--busy boxes that push, open, squeak and move.
- Supply blocks and shapes that fit inside each other (measuring
spoons and cups).
- Play peek-a-boo games.
- Help him build towers with blocks.
- Roll a ball back and forth.
- Use bath toys that float, squirt, or hold water.
- Sing action songs together.
- Read storybooks together.
- Teach names of body parts by touching and repeating the
name.
- Teach sounds of animals. Point to animal pictures and make the
animal's sound.
- Make sounds that are easily imitated.
- Play records, tapes, music boxes, and musical toys.
Sleep
A regular bedtime hour and routine are important. Babies enjoy
looking at picture books. You may want to read one regularly with
your child. A favorite blanket or stuffed animal may help your baby
feel secure at bedtime. If your baby wakes up a lot at night, ask
your doctor or nurse for advice.
Safety Tips
Car Seat Safety:
If your child reaches 20 pounds and is still riding in an infant
seat, it is time for a new car seat. Some car seats can convert from
a backward-facing infant seat to a forward-facing toddler seat. Car
seats should face the rear of the car until your baby is one year old
and 20 pounds. Carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions when
installing new or converting old car seats for your child. For more
information you can call the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration at 1-800-424-9393.
Avoid Choking and Suffocation:
- Avoid foods on which a child might choke (such as candy, hot
dogs, popcorn, peanuts).
- Cut food into small pieces.
- Store toys in a chest without a dropping lid.
Prevent Fires and Burns:
- Practice your fire escape plan.
- Check your smoke detector. Replace batteries if
necessary.
- Put plastic covers in unused electrical outlets.
- Keep hot appliances and cords out of reach.
- Keep all electrical appliances out of the bathroom.
- Don't cook with your child at your feet.
- Use the back burners on the stove with the pan handles out
of reach.
- Turn your water heater down to 120 degrees F (50 degrees
C).
Prevent Drowning:
- Never leave an infant or toddler in a bathtub alone--NEVER.
- Continuously supervise your baby around any water,
including toilets and buckets. Infants can drown in a bucket
that has water in it. Empty all water and store buckets turned
over.
Avoid Falls:
- Make sure windows are closed or have screens that cannot be
pushed out.
- Don't underestimate your child's ability to climb.
- Do not use walkers.
Prevent Poisoning:
- Keep all medicines, vitamins, cleaning fluids, and
gardening chemicals locked away or disposed of safely.
- Install safety latches on cabinets.
- Keep the poison center number on all phones. The poison
control number in 1-800-222-1222
- Ask your doctor about syrup of Ipecac. Use it only if you
are told to do so.
Avoid cuts:
- Remove or pad furniture with sharp corners.
- Keep sharp objects out of reach.
Next Visit
Your baby's next routine visit should be at the age of 12
months. Please bring your shot card.
Additional Health Resources
Credits:
American Academy of Pediatrics
Pediatric Behavioral Health Advisor
|
