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Age 1
Behavior
One-year-olds are usually very mobile. They
like to crawl, cruise and walk and it is very important to you as a parent
begin putting limits on this behavior. Your child will need to learn by
exploration but with safe limits. Baby proof your house so that your
toddler will be able to explore it without having to hear the words "no
touch" constantly.
Remember to praise your toddler for good
behavior. You are his hero so everything you say will affect the child. It
is also very important to teach your child the word "no". Saying "no" in a
stern voice with an eye contact is usually very effective in this age
group. Some parents have a fear of the word "no." They do not want their
child to feel restricted, so they bend the other way and let their
youngster run wild without any limits. A child needs guidance for his or
her own protection and to feel safe and cared for. Guidance is also needed
for your child to learn that others have rights. "No" at the appropriate
time is as important for the child's development as is nutrition and love.
Discipline needs to be consistent in order
to be effective. To discipline your one-year-old, use distraction, loving
restraint, removal
of the object from the toddler or the toddler from the object. Discipline
does not mean punishment or spanking. If you become angry with your baby
hand your child over to someone else to give yourself a "time out", a
chance to cool off. By keeping yourself in control and talking in nice but
firm voice when it's time to disipline with no yelling teaches your child
the proper way of communication from early on. Despite your child's desire
to become independent, you will find
that your one-year-old is often bonding to you, the parent/parents, more
than before. In addition, stranger anxiety may cause some parents not to
be able to leave their child with grandparents or a baby sitter. You may
be afraid of the baby sitter doing things wrong with your baby or you may
feel sad to see your child look at you wanting to go with you. It is
important for some parents to get out from time to time without their
little one. You get to breathe, and your child will learn that sometimes
you do go away, but you always come back. It's also ok if you just want to
cherish this time in your child's life and choose not to leave your child
with a babysitter. Your child is this young only once so if this is the
choice of parenting style for you it's perfectly normal and won't make
your child too "clingy" to you. As your 1-year old will get older he will
be going through periods when he will want to take distance to you and
then be very attached again. It's normal behavior and should be supported
by you by giving him the distance when he needs it but also showing that
he can check back with home base as soon as he feels the need.
Encourage your child to play with
age-appropriate toys. Children at this age love push and pull toys.
Develop motor coordination by clapping and dancing to children's music.
Encourage your toddler to play alone with supervision to let them figure
things out on their own as well as with other toddlers, playmates,
siblings and parents. Remember to give your child enough play time with
mommy and daddy too. As much as he is becoming his own person with his own
will doesn't mean that he should be expected to be independent all of a
sudden. You little one still needs a lot of time and affection from you.
Remember that aggressive behaviors -
hitting and biting - are common at this age. If you child hits, teach him
how to tuch things softly and he will learn that hitting is not
acceptable. If biting/hitting continues, however, it is time to get
professional help.
Development
Activities your child will learn and/or do on his own:
- Pulls to stand holding on to
furniture
- Walks alone with an unsteady gait.
- Play social games such as
pat-a-cake, peek-a-boo and so-big.
- Have a vocabulary of one to three
words in addition to "mama" and "dada."
- Drink from a cup - not bottles.
- Feed himself
- Point with a finger and waive.
- Will begin to cooperate a little in
getting dressed by holding still.
Feeding and proper nutrition
Your baby's appetite is
going to decrease in the next six months. Your child has been
experiencing very rapid growth for a while - doubling their birth
weight at  5-6
months and tripling it at a year. Now their rate of growth is slower
than during the first year and their appetite cuts back. Do not
misinterpret this normal decrease in eating as a sign of
illness or disease. Do not force your child to eat.. Develop a
"take it or leave it" attitude and do not get into the
habit of substituting, bribing or begging your child to eat. Your
child will determine the amount of food he needs. Therefore, never
overload the plate. If your son or daughter wants more, he or she may
have it. One of our problems as adults is over eating, and many of us
learned this in childhood.
Most babies at this age are eating
mostly table foods but if your youngster still prefers "baby
food" that is OK. Milk intake decreases considerably.
Discuss milk feedings with your doctor. If you are formula feeding,
you might consider weaning to whole milk and limit the amount of milk
to 24 ounces or less. It is important to eliminate all bottles by one
year of age. After one year, the bottle is more of a comfort item and
can cause damage to the teeth. If you are breast feeding, discuss
with your child's pediatrician your feelings about weaning to a cup.
Your child will either want to feed
himself or will still want you to do it. Give your 12 month old
child a spoon to hold to get used to it, although most cannot master
utensils until 18 months. As much as possible, let your toddler feed
himself.
Feed your baby three meals a day eaten
with the family, and a midmorning and mid-afternoon snack. Avoid
foods that can cause choking, such as peanuts, popcorn, hot dogs or
sausages, carrot sticks, celery sticks, whole grapes, raisins, corn,
whole beans, hard candy, large pieces of raw vegetables or fruit, or
tough meat. Always supervise your child when he or she is
eating.
Earache
in children
Sleep
Encourage your baby to
fall asleep himself by putting your child to bed awake.
Children at this age many times resist going to sleep because they do
not want to be
separated from people and their new activities. They are afraid that
they are going to miss something important.
It is common for your one-year-old to
still to take two naps a day, but he may start to give up one of the
naps. Some one-year-old children continue to experience night
awakenings for short periods of time. If this happens, check your
baby, but keep the visit brief, avoid stimulating your infant, and
leave the room quickly once you feel everything is okay. Do not give
extra bottles, take the infant into bed with you, or rock him or her
back to sleep. This will only reinforce the night awakenings it will
become a habit. Never put your baby to bed with a bottle.
Oral Health
Begin brushing your child's teeth with
a tiny, pea-size amount of toothpaste to get your child custom to the
routine of brushing teeth. Give your child fluoride supplements as
recommended by the pediatrician. Also ask your pediatrician when your
child should see the dentist for the first time.
Common
colds in children
Safety
Child-proofing your house is now the most
important thing to do. You child is now more mobile than ever and
curiosity takes place. Accidents kill more children than all
other diseases combined. Get down on the floor at your baby's eye
level and see what your toddler can get in to. And remember, that you
can never over child-proof your child's living environment.
Do not leave your 1-year-old alone in
a tub of water or on high places such as changing tables, beds, sofas
or chairs. Always empty buckets, tubs or small pools
immediately after use. Ensure swimming pools have a four-sided fence
with a self-closing, self-latching gate. Swimming pools are deadly to
children this age.
The cupboard under the kitchen sink is
very attractive to a baby of this age, so have a lock put on all
doors that have cleansers, detergents, bleaches, furniture polish and
insecticides behind them. As soon as you use medicine of any
kind, replace the cap and put the bottle out of reach, preferably
locked up. Be particularly alert when you have visiting grandparents
or friends who are not used to watching the medicines that closely.
Keep the baby's environment free of
smoke. Keep the home and car nonsmoking zones.
Do not leave heavy objects or
containers of hot liquids on tables with tablecloths that the baby
may pull down. Place plastic plugs in electrical sockets.
Learn child cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR).
Car safety
It is very important to have your baby
in a car seat no matter where you are driving. Even if the place is
just around the block. Any child who weighs less than 60 pounds
should be put in a safety seat every time the child is in the car. It
is also a law in all 50 states. Put the baby car seat in the
back seat of the car. This is the safest place for a baby to be in
case of a car accident. If the car seat is in the front an airbag may
seriously injure the baby. Fasten the harnesses on the car seat over
the child's shoulders with less than one inch of space. Do not
put small infants in seats with rigid shields. When you are shopping
for a car seat, look for the ones that are approved by the Consumer
Product Safety Commission. For hot days you also want to make sure
that the car is always kept cool inside. Check the seat's temperature
before you place your child in it. You also want to cover the car
seat with a towel or blanket so exposed metal or plastic parts of the
seat will not burn your baby's skin if it happens to be a hot day.
The following age and weight
guidelines will help you choose the right car seat. Consult the
manufacturer's instructions foe exact figures.
- Birth to 9 to 12 months (or 20
pounds): Use an infant or convertible seat facing backward.
- 9 to 12 months (or 20 pounds) to 4
years (or 40 pounds): Use a convertible or toddler seat in the
forward-facing position.
- 4 years (or 40 pounds) to 8 years
(or 0 pounds): Keep your child in a convertible or toddler seat
as long as he or she will fit. When your child has outgrown
the seat, use one of the following:
If the car has a lap/shoulder belt in
the rear seat, use a booster seat that positions the lap/shoulder
belt alone if it fits properly. Secure the lap belt across the
child's hips. The shoulder belt should not cross the face or
front of the neck.
Use the rear lap/shoulder belt alone if
it fits properly. It should not cross the face or neck or ride up
across the stomach. the belt should fit across the child's hips.
If no rear lap/shoulder belt is
available, use the shield-type booster seat restrained by the lap
belt in the car.
If no other type of restraint is
available, use the lap belt. Position it low on the hips and
adjust snugly.
- 8 years and older (or 70 pounds and
more): You can use the car's protection system without a booster
seat.
Car
Seat Buying Guide - click here
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The Ages
