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You have probably come to realise that each month, rather each week, brings in a boatload of changes in your baby. It is one of the most astounding processes you can witness in terms of your child’s physical growth and their overall development. Your little bundle of joy could be running around and be well on their way to being a tiny terror as a toddler and stretching their vocal capacities by spouting words like ‘mama’. If they are still crawling about, don’t worry! Your baby will get there in their own time.
Growth of a Baby
Your baby’s physical growth follows the same route; their own unique path and each month will bring fresh surprises and things to look forward to.
Baby Development
Your baby has reached an enormous milestone in their 12 months. At this point, they understand basic instructions and can walk about a little. They even recognise familiar faces outside of the immediate family, and they can point in delight at things they like. They are teeter tottering about and exploring their world. Brace yourself; the milestones will keep on coming.
48 Week Old Baby Development
Your baby is almost a toddler, and you are so excited for those changes. The babbling will soon come close to words and whole sentences. The crawling is on the verge of becoming the pitter-patter of tiny feet. Before you get ahead of yourself, here is what you can expect at eleven months. You little may be walking but will more likely be walking about using the support of nearby things. If they have not shown any interest in pulling themselves up, it is okay. They will get there soon. The babbling and gurgling will get closer to sounding like questions and sentences that have elements of expression akin to adults.
49 Week Old Baby Development
You have done it! Your baby has finally fit the 12-month mark, and you could not be more proud. You should now be weaning your baby off their bottle and onto more adult options. They are now reserved for sleep time, and even that should be slowly weaned out with cups and bedtime stories that make sleepy time more enjoyable.
As for the verbal, those sounds are getting close to things that sound suspiciously like words, aren’t they? Encourage any babble irrespective of how incoherent it is. Respond and encourage every single noise coming out of that little mouth.
50 Week Old Baby Development
It is official – your little one is nearly a toddler. They have now tripled the birth weight. They have developed the weight and muscle in their legs to really begin to take big steps on their own. The average time a baby takes their first steps is around 12 to 13 months. Their vocabulary should be expanding, and you should be using pronouns like “I am going out to the park.” instead of “Mommy is going out to the park.”
51 Week Old Baby Development
Just a week more for your baby’s first birthday and you are still weaning them and encouraging them to walk and develop. Do not worry if you are having trouble getting them to bed and breaking the habit of the bottle. They may find it hard to kick the bottle so you could try watering down their milk till it is water and then switch to a cup. Make sure bedtime is worth it, and all their energy is directed at something active during the day.
Your baby is now up and about, and this presents a whole new range of challenges. Things like your curious and the family dog have to be kept out of reach. This adds to the challenge of bedtime. Baby has now figured out the rails on their cot can be used to swing over, and you have a jailbreak or an attempted one on your hands.
Baby Health
Your baby is would have gained weight and increased the muscle tone in their legs to help support their little body. Most babies grow by 25 cm at this point, and you will a rosy glow thanks to the excitement of discovering the world around them. They will burn a lot more energy now thanks to this activity and lose a little weight, which is all good. Expect them to grow taller and leaner as this little toddler-to-be gets their exercise.
Baby Milestones – 12 Months
There are three milestones types that you need to look out for – the cognitive, the physical and, the social and emotional developmental milestones.
- Getting into sitting position without help.
- Uses support to pull themselves up to stand.
- Walks are holding furniture.
- Walks a few steps without support, which marks the beginning of toddlerhood.
- Uses a wide variety of grips such as the pincer grasp, raker grasp and the entire palm to hold objects.
- Pokes and points with the index finger.
- Has three pairs of teeth, i.e. upper and lower pairs.
- Improved vision thanks to better hand-eye coordination and better distance judgment.
Behaviour
You will find separation anxiety is quite common amongst babies at this point in time. They are busy exploring the world but worry about leaving you. Some toddlers are shy while others are outgoing. Do not push your little one too far beyond their bounds as they will get there in their own time. Expect some amount of crankiness as their patterns change and they re-adjust to new sleeping patterns and things like bottle weaning. They could be picky eaters and give you trouble on multiple occasions.
12 Month-Old Baby Activities
Activities help develop various developmental skills climb a little further and ensure you and your baby have fun along the way.
- Tie a cardboard cut-out of something enticing like a star or their favourite animal at a suitable height then put a sturdy box or something for them to grasp it. This will keep your little one occupied for hours on end and encourage them to stand. It is a play on the whole proverbial carrot and the stick but makes sure it is something more interesting than the carrot.
- There is a logic behind all those toy block games out there in the market, and it is not based on the money-making racket as you might believe. Block games encourage dexterity and colour association, not to mention better hand-eye coordination in little ones. It could be anything from transferring blocks from basket to another as you name each coloured block or naming the shape of the block as you put it in the relevant hole (Think this is a star and it goes in this hole. This encourages association and the growth of cognitive abilities.). Yes, there is a lot of psychological studies that have gone into these simple games and does not worry again if your baby has trouble picking on it. You struggled with a couple of subjects in school and made it through, didn’t you?!
- The toy telephone game is a winner with a lot of parents. It enhances communication skills and builds on the association. Your baby will figure what it is and what it is used for quickly with your help. This activity is wonderful because it can be repeated with other objects and it is all up to you to make it exciting and fun for the baby. Talking to your baby through this activity will also help expand their vocabulary. Cherish this one as it lets you watch your little one develop right before your eyes.
12 Month-Old Baby Care
Your baby’s care regimen has changed with every step of their growth, and this 12-month step is no different. You will find yourself confronted with a whole new little being that needs new things to eat as they are weaned off the bottle or their routine changes as they realise there is more to the world than nap time. Watch your child during their explorations. It is now time to consider shoes as your baby needs protection for their feet. Ensure you get something with flexible soles and guess what? Those light shoes or the ones that make noise? They encourage your baby to walk more! More psychology studies at work there.
Now that your baby is eating all sorts of new foods and their teeth are making a more prominent appearance, it is best to start brushing their teeth with a soft baby toothbrush or a soft, clean cloth. Also, make your baby’s first appointment with a dentist.
Feeding
This is the point you switch from breastfeeding to formula or cow’s milk. Do not switch to low fat as your baby needs the fat to develop and grow. This refers to your baby’s brain growth in addition to their overall physical growth. As mentioned earlier, it could be time to start weaning your baby off the feeding bottle and onto a cup and talk to your doctor about purees and more solid food. Feeding time will be an easier transition if you make it fun and your little one is looking forward to it. Things will be so much better to get through if the baby is a given a little snack to suck on now and then.
Now that your baby can eat bigger foods, you need to watch out for choking hazards and keep an eye on them during their mealtimes. Honey is now an option on the menu, which is good news for your baby’s palate!
Sleeping
Your 12-month old little darling should now be going through the day with less sleep than before. Not only do they need less sleep but they are excited about exploring the world more as they learn to walk. Do not worry as this is perfectly healthy and is just them taking another step closer to being a toddler and the rest of their life. Their morning nap will definitely be a thing of the past, and you will need to realign your schedule to give them more activities and suit this new schedule of theirs.
They should, however, still get 14 hours of sleep a day till they turn two. Your toddler probably requires a 90 minute or even a nice long 3-hour nap till they hit the two-year mark as they still need that much rest in a day. So, rest easy knowing you will have some time for yourself and to relax.
Tips for Parents
Any parent needs tips to navigate the trials of parenthood, and the start of the toddler phase is no different as you realise you need to do certain things to encourage the progress of your 1-year baby development. Here are a few that will aid you on your journey of parenthood.
- Establish a sleep time ritual in the night to help get them to bed. This helps the toddler wind down and let loose of all the energy from the rest of the day. Let them run wild for a bit and tire themselves out, run a bath, read to them or sing to them. Ensure this routine remains consistent irrespective of whether you are at home or not. If there is another caregiver around, teach them the routine. This comforts the toddler and gives them a sense of control on their surroundings.
- Building on the above point, ensure you maintain a schedule throughout your toddler’s life. This structures them better, and even 1-year baby activities must be maintained consistently. Whether it is visiting the park, nap times, feeding times or even seeing parents return home, it should all follow a dependable flow.
- Do not deny your baby full-fat foods as the 12-month baby weight should be triple of their birth weight. They need it to grow and maintain their immunity at the moment. Irrespective of your family’s diet or any other similar elements, your toddler’s health comes first, and this fat promotes things like brain growth.
Your little one is on a fresh new journey and is setting out into the world. Soon, you will discover another layer of this tiny being in your life, and they will communicate their needs, demands and affections in multiple new ways. Enjoy this phase and follow the above advice while adapting to your toddler’s needs.
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