IMMUNIZATIONS

Your child will receive MMR (measles, mumps and rubella), varicella (chicken pox), & hepatitis A today.

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DIET

 

By one year of age, your child’s diet should be nearly the same as the diet for the rest of the family with continued attention to choking hazards (nuts, popcorn, grapes, hotdogs, etc). It is very important for your child (and your entire family) to be eating fruits, vegetables and a variety of proteins (meat, beans, eggs, etc) daily. As a toddler, your child’s appetite will vary from day to day and different foods may be refused from time to time. Don’t force your child to eat or resort to unhealthy foods. Continue to offer nutritious food when your child seems hungry. Allow your child to feed him/herself. Mealtime may be a messy time, but remember, eating is a new skill that your child needs to learn.

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It is now appropriate to change to whole milk. You may continue to breast feed as long as you wish but may supplement with whole milk. Your child should drink no more than 24 oz of milk per day. In addition to starting whole milk, you should wean your child off the bottle. There is no “right” way to wean off the bottle. You can do it “cold turkey”. One day, just put all the bottles away. Give him lots of TLC, all the liquids he or she wants from a cup, but no bottle. Or, you may gradually take away a bottle feeding every few days until off the bottle completely. Finally, you can dilute the bottle more and more until he or she is drinking just water from the bottle. Also, wean off the use of the pacifier at this time.

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SAFETY

 

• Continue to use a car seat in the back seat at all times. Safety recommendations are to leave your child rear facing in an appropriate car seat until he or she reaches the maximum weight for the car seat to be used that way. This is usually about 2 years of age. Car seats/booster seats need to be used until your child is 4’9” which is likely 8-12 years of age.

• Poisons, chemical and medications need to be out of reach of exploring hands. Keep the poison control number near the phone. 1-800-222-1222.

• Razors, glass, and other harmful objects shouldn’t be put in the waste basket.

• Never leave your child unattended around the bathtub or pool. Be sure a responsible person is watching your child anytime he or she is near a pool or lake.

• Be sure all firearms in the home are kept unloaded and out of reach (preferable locked up) with the safety on.

• Keep your child away from hot objects such as ovens, heaters, and fireplaces. It’s good to teach them “hot” as well, but their curiosity or clumsiness may exceed your warnings!

 

DEVELOPMENT

Reading to your child is very important at this time and until he or she can read alone. Reading stimulates language development and it is fun! Research shows that children who are read to daily from a young age are less likely to have difficulty with reading in school.

 

PHYSICAL

Good toys for this age include blocks, balls, push/pull toys and pots/pans.

• stands alone, cruises, starting to walk

• feeds self finger foods, bangs toys together

• drinks from a cup

 

SOCIAL

Play learning games with your child and include him or her in family meals and activities.

• knows name.

• expresses emotions (jealousy, anger, affection)

• loves an audience (will repeat a performance that brings response from others)

• points to show interest in things

• waves bye-bye

• plays games such as “peek-a-boo” and “pat-a-cake”

 

LANGUAGE

Teach simple names for things by pointing to body parts, toys or pictures and saying their names.

• recognizes ‘no-no’

• loves rhymes, music

• says two words (mama, dada)

• imitates vocalizations and sounds

• follows simple directions

 

It has been said that a child learns more the first few years than at any other time in his or her life. At this age, your child is constantly learning about the world around him or her. Allow exploration. Constantly saying “No” may stifle the urge to learn. Use “No” for dangers. Whenever you need to take something away, give something else to replace it. Redirecting or distracting your child is an excellent way to end unwanted behaviors and will be more effective at this age than long explanations or repetitive commands. Children’s actions are often done in search of attention, so give praise and attention for good behavior while keeping your response to negative behavior brief.

Your child’s emotional health is as important as his or her physical health. As children develop their own emotional reactions, they are very sensitive to the feelings between mother and father. Tension and misunderstanding between mom and dad may lead to the development of emotional tension in your child. Be aware of the emotional health of your child. Model healthy ways to handle and express emotions including anger and frustration. Teach your child words for feelings and encourage sharing his or her feelings with you.

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Next appointment is the 15 month well check