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DEVELOPMENT
Daily Activities
- Avidly explores environment
- Likes to feed self
- May begin using spoon
- Loves water play
- Enjoys throwing, rolling, pushing, pulling toys
Motor Skills
- Stands unsupported
- Walks without assistance with wide stance and outstretched arms
- Climbs stairs with assistance
- Refines grasp
- Picks up objects from a standing position
Language
- Adds gestures to speech
- Prefers adults to other children
- Likes to watch and imitate activities
Cognitive
- Looks to parent for help in solving problems
- Learns cause-effect relationship
- Repeats enjoyable actions
- Looks for hidden objects in last place seen
- Begins to experiment through trial and error
FEEDING
Your baby should be learning to feed him/herself. Now is a great time to introduce the spoon. This will be messy. Remember no peanut butter, hot dogs or shellfish. Limit juice intake to six ounces per day. We encourage three solid meals per day.
Your baby needs whole milk until two years of age. Remember NO Bottles! Babies do not grow as fast during the second year of life. Trust your baby’s appetite. He/she is much more interested in exploring his/her environment.
SAFETY TIPS
- Keep all medicines, chemicals, cleaning products locked safely out of reach
- Avoid choking hazards and suffocation
- Never leave a child alone in the bathtub
- Keep the crib sides up. Keep an eye out for explorers
- Never eat, drink, or carry anything hot while you are holding the baby
- Place plastic protectors over outlets
- Never allow smoke near your baby, have you checked your smoke alarms?
- Use an approved infant car safety seat. Follow instructions for proper installation. Remember Tennessee State law mandates rear facing until twelve months and at least twenty pounds. Parents should wear seat belts to set good example.
- Place the Poison Control number close to phone (1-800-222-1222).
SLEEP
Most babies are sleeping through the night. Limit daytime naps to two hours.
TEETHING
Your baby may begin teething. While getting teeth, your baby will drool like a madman and chew on almost anything. A teething ring or partially frozen washcloth may come in handy!
NO WORRIES
Each child is unique. It is therefore difficult to describe exactly what should be expected at each stage of a child’s development. While certain behaviors and physical milestones tend to occur at certain ages, a wide spectrum of growth and behavior for each age is normal. These guidelines are offered as a way of showing a general progression through the developmental stages rather than as fixed requirements for normal development at specific ages. It is perfectly natural for a child to attain some milestones earlier and others later as they continue to grow and learn.
