12-Month-Previous Child: Feeding, Sleep, and Milestones by Month

Congratulations! You’ve made it to your child’s first yr! Take a while to marvel in any respect they’ve achieved up to now yr and study all they’ll obtain sooner or later. This text will stroll you thru the brand new milestones your 12-month-old child will obtain and provide you with perception into how their feeding schedule and sleeping habits would possibly change, their common weight, actions you are able to do collectively, and extra.

Throughout the previous few months, your child has change into fairly the mover, and this month might be no completely different. They may proceed to develop their mobility and develop of their independence. Some new developmental milestones to look at your 12-month-old attain embrace:¹

• Enjoying video games, comparable to peek-a-boo and patty cake, with caregivers
• Understanding the phrase “no” and hesitating when instructed “no”
• Persevering with to babble, with some strong phrases comparable to “mama,” “dada,” or “baba” (for bottle)
• Pulling as much as stand
• Strolling round whereas holding onto furnishings (aka cruising)
• Placing toys into and pulling them out of containers
• In search of toys you’ve hidden
• Feeding themselves finger meals
• Consuming from a cup and not using a lid (with some help)

Now that your child is 12 months previous, they’ll transition from breast milk or system to complete cow’s milk. In the event that they’re getting breastmilk, you’ll be able to proceed so long as there’s a provide and your child continues to need breastmilk. They’ll additionally begin transitioning from a bottle to a sippy cup. To make the transition smoother, supply cow’s milk, breastmilk, or water in a sippy cup at mealtimes as an alternative of a bottle, and slowly lower the variety of bottles provided. Typically, the final bottles dropped would be the ones earlier than nap/bedtime.²

To make sure your child will get sufficient strong meals, restrict their cow’s milk consumption to 16-24 ounces every day.² Another meals to keep away from embrace sugar-sweetened or eating regimen drinks, high-sodium meals, and unpasteurized dairy or juice. Additionally, keep away from sizzling canine, uncooked laborious greens, laborious cheeses, popcorn, nuts, and grapes, as these are choking hazards.² When you plan on giving your child juice, restrict it to 4 ounces every day and guarantee it’s 100% fruit juice.¹

Juice isn’t a necessity for teenagers; consider it extra as a deal with! The rationale to restrict juice is as a result of the sugar isn’t usually wanted for his or her our bodies and could be detrimental to their enamel and oral well being.¹¹ Nevertheless, in case your baby is sick and having hassle feeling effectively sufficient to eat/drink, juice or different sugar-containing liquids (comparable to an oral rehydration answer or ORS) is acceptable to maintain them hydrated and maintain their blood sugars regular.¹²

It may be daunting to consider meals on your 12-month-old, so right here’s a pattern menu to assist in giving you some concepts for his or her feeding schedule:³

• ½ cup iron-fortified toddler cereal
• ½ cup complete milk, breastmilk, or water
• ½ banana or 2-3 items of fruit reduce up into small items

• ½ cup of complete milk, breastmilk, or water
• 1 piece of bread with cream cheese or peanut butter
• ½ cup of yogurt

• ½ cup of cooked inexperienced greens
• ½ cup complete milk, breastmilk, or water
• 2-3 oz of protein comparable to rooster, turkey, or eggs

• 1-2 ounces of cheese
• 2-3 items of fruit
• ½ cup of complete milk, breastmilk, or water

• 2-3 oz of protein like rooster, turkey, beef, beans or eggs
• ½ cup cooked yellow or orange vegetable
• ½ cup of grains or starches like rice, pasta, or potatoes
• ½ cup of complete milk, breastmilk, or water

Additionally, at this age, many infants nonetheless have a cup of complete milk or breastmilk earlier than mattress.

Your 12-month-old’s sleep schedule will look fairly just like the earlier months. They may want 11-14 hours of sleep per day, which incorporates one to 2 daytime naps.⁴ Some 12-month-olds will transfer to one nap per day, and a few will keep at two naps per day; it depends upon your child!⁵

You might have thought that sleep regression could be one thing of the previous at this age, however sadly, some 12-month-olds will expertise one other interval of sleep regression. Sleep regression occurs when your child has a change of their sleeping habits. They’ll expertise elevated fussy intervals at evening or have issue falling asleep. Among the most typical causes of sleep regression embrace:⁶

Fortunately, sleep regression doesn’t final ceaselessly. Sleep regression cycles usually final one to 4 weeks. Some methods to assist your 12-month-old overcome their sleep regression embrace the next:⁶

• Know their sleep cues and put them to mattress on the first signal of tiredness.
• Have a constant bedtime and naptime.
• Maintain a constant daytime and bedtime routine.
• Give them additional consideration through the day and earlier than mattress to assist them with any separation anxiousness.
• It’s okay to permit them to fuss for a couple of minutes in the course of the evening earlier than soothing them if that feels proper for your loved ones.
• Some mother and father will restrict cuddling, rocking, and nighttime feeding since these actions can encourage frequent awakening in your 12-month-old.

Throughout the previous few months, you and your child have been on a predictable schedule, which is able to stay comparatively unchanged. The one vital change could come in case your child transitions to 1 nap per day as an alternative of two. In case your child has moved to 1 nap per day, intention for a nap time round 1 p.m. or following lunch.⁵ Use a shortened model of their bedtime routine to assist your infant put together for his or her nap.⁵ Resulting from transferring to 1 nap per day, some 12-month-old infants may have longer wake home windows than others.

At this age, it’s nonetheless applicable on your child to go to mattress between 6 p.m. and eight p.m., however each household is completely different with what time works for them. Begin your bedtime routine in loads of time to make sure your infant is prepared for sleep at their bedtime.⁵

This month, your child may have their 12-month-old well-child checkup. It’ll embrace a short bodily examination, a examine of their weight, and the administration of vaccines. On common, a 12-month-old child ought to have doubled their delivery weight and grown roughly 10 inches.⁷ Your physician will enable you to perceive in case your child is rising appropriately and provide you with recommendation in the event that they’re behind of their progress.

At this go to, your child may even obtain their scheduled 12-month vaccines. These vaccines embrace:⁸

• Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)
• Hepatitis A
• Varicella, often known as the chickenpox vaccine
• Annual flu shot (if wanted)

Despite the fact that your child may have a scheduled well-child checkup at 12 months previous, their physician could must see them if any of the next signs happen:⁹

• Decreased urge for food for quite a lot of days
• Elevated sleepiness, issue waking up, or crying greater than standard
• Temperature greater than 105 F or that lasts longer than three days
• Diarrhea that lasts longer than per week or vomiting that lasts longer than a day
• Indicators of dehydration comparable to decreased tears, dry/cracked lips, and a diminished quantity of moist diapers
• Constipation
• Bother respiration, chilly signs lasting 10 days or extra, or a cough lasting greater than two weeks
• Unexplained rash or rash with a fever

Your child is turning into much more expressive and interactive as they hit their first birthday, and fascinating them is a lot enjoyable! Some straightforward actions to interact with 12-month-olds embrace:¹

• Studying them books, particularly ones with flaps
• Telling them what actions you’re doing
• Singing to them
• Responding to all their babbles, even in case you don’t know what they’re saying
• Stacking blocks with them, constructing the tallest tower, and watching them knock it down
• Encouraging their love for music by giving them toy drums, cymbals, or different noisemakers

Making certain your property is a protected atmosphere on your child is essential. As they change into extra cellular, they’ll begin to get into issues they shouldn’t. Observe these security tricks to maintain child from hurt:¹⁰

• Maintain all family cleaners and medicines out of attain (name poison management at 1-800-222-1222 if unintended ingestion happens).
• Pad or take away any furnishings with sharp corners.
• Set up gates on all stairs.
• Maintain your water heater at not more than 120 F to keep away from unintentional burns.
• Take away all water from the bath after use, and by no means go away your infant unattended within the bathtub.
• If weapons are within the dwelling, make sure that they’re secured in a gun protected and unloaded always.
• Use a rear-facing automotive seat that’s secured appropriately within the again seat.

It might appear that your child’s first yr of life has flown by, but it surely has additionally been full of monumental quantities of progress for each you and child! Every new stage of their improvement is unimaginable to look at, and plenty of extra pleasing levels are but to return.