Your baby ‘s first birthday is close. He is almost a toddler, and whether or not he has started walking, he will definitely reach the toddler status when he turns one-year-old. Your little one is now beginning to talk, wave, eat proper food during mealtimes and enjoy his favourite music and books. He’s developing a shining personality. On an average, a 12-month old baby has a weight of 9 kgs and a length of 76 cm. Compare this to how your 50 week-old-baby weighed when he was born, that’s some growth right there!
Few steps forward, one step back could be the description of your baby’s development at this stage. You may have seen him wave goodbye to you a few weeks ago, but since then, he never has stopped. This is no reason to worry, it just means that all his energy is being directed to an emotional adjustment – for example, when you go away for work or his routine suddenly changes. The energy he used to use for simple skills like waving is now fully focused on developing a brand new skill. Such regression can happen when your baby is mastering a new skill to dazzle you with. Your baby’s vocabulary will also grow at this point even if he is not saying a bunch of new words. His brain is constantly observing new things and absorbing new information so keep talking to him using correct, full sentences, and keep encouraging. You can start using pronouns like “I am going to come out with you” instead of “Mama is going to come out with you”.
You can expect to see the following 50-week-old baby milestones in your little child:
Your breastfed baby may continue to breastfeed even after 1 year of age. If you are following a child-led approach to breastfeeding, you can continue letting him take the lead. Some days, maybe in response to a virus or cold, he may breastfeed frequently while other days he might be too distracted to breastfeed and may resort to feeding frequently at night. Your milk supply will adjust accordingly. You can continue breastfeeding as long as you wish. When your baby turns 50 weeks, it is your decision whether or not you want to pump milk, depending on how your breasts react and your baby’s need for breast milk. Some mothers shift to giving their babies cow milk, and some continue to give breast milk. If you have developed a routine of pumping and storing milk and your baby is more than happy to have it in a cup when you are away, then you can easily continue with it.
Once your baby turns one and sleeps next to you in bed, you may wonder if now is the time to shift him to a crib or a separate room. Some families set up a nursery with a cot or a crib and you may envision your baby sleeping there, or you may find it easier to have him beside you in case he wakes up at night for a feed. Depending on what works for you, you can continue that or else you can do the transition slowly, for example, move the cot gradually from the bedroom to the hall to the separate nursery. For some days after shifting your baby to a cot in a separate room, you can lay a mattress on the floor and sleep next to him till he gets used to the shift. Having the same light, sound, and atmosphere in the new room can make your baby feel more at ease.
A few ways in which you can take care of your 50-week-old baby:
This is about the time to go for a doctor’s checkup as your baby is turning one-year-old.
Your doctor will take your baby’s measurements, do a physical check to know if he is meeting his milestones as per his age; he will see if he is talking, pointing, walking and so on. The doctor might also ask how many words your baby can speak, so count them and keep a rough number in mind.
Most vaccinations to be taken at this stage are boosters for what your baby has previously received. These include Hepatitis B, Hepatitis A, Polio, Hib, DTaP as well as the first doses for MMR and chickenpox.
Below are a few games and activities you can play with your little one:
You should consult a doctor in the following cases:
If your baby’s weight suddenly drops at this stage, don’t stress, it is normal for toddlers to gain height more than weight close to one year of age.