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My baby at 10-12 Months
"Baby Times" information for you!
Saint Elizabeth offers you our "Baby Times" information from local and area experts on your 10-12-month-old baby! We have divided the information into useful "Time" categories. We want you and your baby to lead long and healthy lives.
WEANING YOUR BABY
If you are breastfeeding, the question may have come up as to when to wean your baby from the breast. If you are bottle-feeding, most babies are weaned from the bottle by 1-year of age. This helps prevent tooth decay and from babies falling asleep with the bottle or using the bottle as a pacifier.
The position of the American Academy of Pediatrics is that every infant be fed breast milk or infant formula for the first full year of life. Breast milk and/or formula should be the sole source of nutrition for the first 4- to 6-months of your baby’s life. Most infants begin solids around 6-months of age. Many infants will begin to drink from a cup at 9-12 months of age. Once they experience this, some infants lose interest in breastfeeding. The longer mom breastfeeds, the longer baby will receive the benefits of human milk. There is no “right” time to begin weaning your baby from the breast. The decision on when to stop breastfeeding should be made based on your baby’s interest and mom’s level of desire to continue breastfeeding.
Baby’s can be weaned either directly to a cup or to a bottle. If your baby begins to lose interest in breastfeeding, it is still possible to provide your baby expressed breast milk in either a bottle or a trainer cup.
Weaning-Substitutes
When weaning, you should begin by substituting 1 feeding-a-day with either a
training cup or a bottle. It is often most difficult for baby’s to give-up the
first feeding of the day, and the last feeding before bed time—as they often receive
comfort and security at these feedings. Usually, the easiest feeding to give
up is the mid-day/afternoon feeding. Many babies are into more of a “play” routine
during the day, and may not miss the breastfeeding or bottle quite as much.
If baby is weaning from the breast to a bottle, try to find a bottle with a small hole in the nipple, so that the formula flow is more similar to that of breast milk. If the bottle-feeding is too easy, your baby may choose the bottle over the breast. As baby begins to take more formula or breast milk from a bottle or cup, mom’s body will produce less breast milk. Since weaning is a “process” it may take several months for your baby to completely give up breastfeeding. Moms will experience fewer difficulties if weaning occurs gradually over several weeks or months.
If weaning directly to a cup, try to find a cup with two handles to make it easier for your baby to hold onto. Many babies look at the cup as a new toy to play with, and may be tempted to drop or throw it onto the floor. For this reason, it’s always good to have a tight-fitting lid!
Train children in the right way,
and when old, they will not stray.
Proverbs 22:6
BABY BECOMES MORE MOBILE
While it is important to remember that every baby develops at their own pace, many babies reach some significant milestones in growth and development between 9- and 12-months of age.
The baby you once held in your arms and who was once dependent upon you to place them on their back or their tummy, is probably sitting-up on his/her own by now! Some infants begin pulling themselves up when they can reach furniture to hang on to, and many babies will begin to creep (pull themselves forward while on their tummies) or even try to make some crawling motions. Some infants may even try to walk by 9-months of age.
While this is an exciting time for growth and development, it can also be a dangerous time. You used to be able to put your baby in one place and trust that he/she would be there 5-minutes later Now that they are beginning to be mobile, the whole world is out there for them to explore. If you haven’t covered sharp corners of furniture, removed table cloths/dresser scarves and any cords hanging down over counters, now is the time to do that.
Many parents purchase walkers to help their babies learn to walk. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend walkers for infants, as they are linked to more than 20,000 injuries and/or infant deaths each year. Contrary to what many parents believe, walkers do not promote muscle development or help an infant learn to walk
TAKE CPR
CPR—Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation is a life saver. It is also a life-long tool. Now is the time to take the class/renew your skills.
Infant CPR generally applies to babies 1-12 months of age. CPR for children usually applies to children who are 1-8 years-old. Adult CPR techniques usually apply to anyone 8-years or older.
While no article can replace the importance of a CPR class, the steps of CPR
for children for non-health care providers, according to the American Heart Association,
are identified in this article. They are as follows:
1. Determine unresponsiveness by shouting or gently shaking
2. Open the airway and look, listen and feel for air exchange. If none present,
give two rescue breaths, taking about 2 seconds for each breath.
3. Shout for help
4. Look for signs of circulation (movement, coughing, normal breathing on own)
5. If no signs of circulation, begin CPR by providing 5 chest compressions with
the heel of one hand, midway on the sternum. (nipple line). After the fifth compressions,
give one rescue breath.
6. Continue the cycle of 5 compressions to 1 breath for about 1 minute.
7. Check for signs of circulation.
8. Call 9-1-1 or if help is present, have them call.
9. Continue with CPR until help arrives.
If a child is choking, the same steps apply as for CPR, however, each time, before giving two rescue breaths, look into the mouth to see if you can find an object. Do not put your hands into the mouth, unless you actually see the object and can remove it.
KEEPING YOUR MARRIAGE STRONG
1. Keep Christ as the head of your marriage, treating your spouse the same as Christ treats the church.
2. Pray together as a couple
3. Identify your spouse’s needs and work to fulfill those needs.
4.Communicate openly and often, remembering that you have two ears to listen and one mouth to speak.
5.Encourage and support each other’s individual interests.
6. Develop shared interests.
7. Don’t let your career come before your spouse or family.
8. Never go to bed mad. Constructively try to work through differences.
9. Give thanks to God for all that you have.
10. Work to keep humor alive and well in your marriage!
INFANT “DISCIPLINE”
The word “discipline” means to teach. Many times, parents try to discipline their infants before the child is ready to learn and/or understand concepts of right and wrong. But this does not mean that parents cannot utilize some guidelines to establish some limits, beginning when a child is an infant. The University of Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota Extension Service offer the following “keys of discipline” for parents with infants.
PREVENT: create a trouble-free environment for your baby. Move things that might cause baby to get into things or do things that you do not want them to do.
IGNORE: If an infant’s behavior bothers you, but is not harmful, ignore it. (Such as, if your infant pulls all of the socks out of your drawer.) It’s best not to give your baby too much attention in these situations, as that will teach your child to do these types of activities to get attention from you.
DISTRACT OR REDIRECT: If your baby has your keys and you need them, provide your baby with another distraction before you take the keys away. It’s easier to get your baby interested in something new than to take something away from them.
REWARDS—Infants loves attention they receive from parents. Remember, it is important to give your baby attention when they are playing nicely—not just when they are doing something wrong.
FREEDOM WITH LIMITS—at this age, parents need to supply their child with an environment that they can be free to explore. Use gates and cupboard/drawer locks to keep your infant away from unsafe areas and objects, but will still give them the freedom to learn about their world in other areas.
PLAYTIME
LEARNING FROM OUR CHILDREN
The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18-years of age, and came up with $160,140! (That doesn't include such things as college tuition). Maybe it’ll be easier to take if you break it down. It translates into $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.44 a day! Just over one dollar-an-hour! You might be thinking that the only way to be “rich” is to never have any children. It is just the opposite.
- Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
- Giggles under the covers every night.
- More love than your heart can hold.
- Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
- Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
- A hand to hold, usually covered with jam.
- A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sandcastles, and skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.
- Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.
- Glimpses of God every day.
- For $160,140, you never have to grow up.
- You get to finger-paint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek, catch lightning bugs, and never stop believing in Santa Claus.
- You have an excuse to keep: reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh and watching Saturday morning cartoons.
- You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets.
- You get to collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand-prints-in-clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.
- For $160,140, there is no investment.
- You get to be a hero just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, taking the training wheels off the bike, removing a splinter, filling the wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
- You get a front row seat to history; to witness the first step, first word, first date, and first time behind the wheel. You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree.
- You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality- that no college can match. In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there with God.
- You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed,
patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them
without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost.
(Paraphrased from an anonymous Internet source)
The National Fatherhood Initiative suggests 10 ways in which dads can make a difference in the life of their child. These ten suggestions are:
1. Respect your child’s mother
2. Spend time with your children
3. Earn the right to be heard
4. Discipline with love
5. Be a role model
6. Be a teacher
7. Eat together as a Family
8. Read to your Children
9. Show Affection
10. Realize that a Father’s job is never done
You may think that some of these suggestions don’t apply to you right now—but as your child grows and develops, keep all of these suggestions in mind. The patterns you set now, with your one-year old, can make a difference in their life-time.
To learn more about the Fatherhood Initiative in Lincoln, contact the Northeast Family Resource Center at 471-3700. Special father/child events, programs and groups are available for you.
TIMELY TRIVIA
Babies are born with 300 bones,
but by the time we are adults,
we have only 206 in our bodies.
The reason?
Some bones fuse together later.
TIME OUT FOR SAFETY
Cruisin’—in the car. If your baby has not yet turned to face the front, now is the time for that to happen (as long as your baby weighs at least 20-pounds AND is 1 year-old before facing forward in a car seat.)
Here’s help in doing a safety check of your car seat:
1. Put your hands firmly on the base of the car seat. Try to move it. It should
not move more than 1 inch. If it does, the seat is not secure enough and could
cause your baby injury in a crash.
2. Check the amount of space between the harness and your baby. If you can bend
the strap over (make a loop)—it is too loose. You should only be able to slip
1 finger between the strap and your baby. Should be snug and have no flack!
3. no after-market garbage.
4. make sure if you have a latch system—that you use this correctly or, if installed
in the outside vehicle seats, use a regular seat belt in the middle to secure
your infants car seat.
5. Use the tether or have one installed. (Most cars after 1989 have predesigned
locations for tethers.)
6. Make sure harness straps are through the right slots. By now, most babies
at one year of age are forward facing. If this is the case with you, make sure
the harness straps are in the top slot. (the lower two slots are only for rear-facing
car seats)
7. Check for recalls.
8. Arm clip should be at arm-pit level. Sharp corners of furniture covered.
9. Sharp/glass objects out of reach
10. poisons out of low cupboards
11. keep purses, backpacks and brief cases, up an dout of their reach
12. make sure no cords are dangling down for them to pull
13. If haven’t done so, take out bumper pads, have crib rails up at all times
and the mattress in the lowest position.
- Never leave your baby unattended.
- Keep grass or soft foam under swings
- Keep sand boxes covered
- If using a wading pool, never leave baby unattended, even if for just 1 minute to answer the door. Remember, babies can drown in one inch of water.
- Keep pets away—dogs, etc.
- Use sunscreen
- Plants
- small objects/toys