Your baby at twelve months

Babies of a year have usually trebled their birthweight. The average weight for a one-year-old boy is 10.04kg (22lb) and 9.5kg (around 21lb) for a girl, so Jamie is definitely average!!

According to www.mumsnet.com :
Your baby loves toys and increasingly understands how they work. He may look as though he's more interested in the paper but that's just because it's colourful. Jamie likes boxes. At 12 months your baby wants to feel secure so that he can investigate the world and assert his independence.

How he thinks: Sometimes you'll catch him looking at you before he does something - like sticking his fingers in the CD player - to check it's okay. There's no point looking disapproving as he'll do it anyway and laugh because it's become a game. Everything is a game at the moment; unless its mummy leaving the room! He'll start using objects the way they should be used, miraculously using a brush on his hair and trying to brush yours rather more relentlessly. (Jamie prefers chewing his brush). He discovers ways to makes things happen, for example he'll pull the tablecloth to get hold of his beaker. He's become a more complex character, capable of doing more than one thing at a time. He can remember where the cupboard is where the crayons are kept, crawl or walk to it, open it and find the crayons. What else he does while he's there doesn't bear thinking about. I can identify with this. He knows where things are after I have taken them off him - usually the TV control! His memory starts working and instead of the end of "This little piggy went to market" being a constant surprise, he will remember how it ends and start giggling before you get to tickle him under the chin. He will be strongly attached to whoever cares for him most often and this gives him the confidence to make a bid for freedom. If you are going out and leaving him, make sure you say goodbye to him. He realises that people come and go, although he'd rather you didn't, and he may feel more insecure if you disappear all the time without telling him.

How he speaks: He may be able to say one or more words with meaning which means he can point to a dog and say 'dog'. By this he means there's a dog, rather than just dog. The difference is subtle but means he names objects that do things. He will understand simple instructions such as "can you get your shoes?" although don't expect him to do so. He begins to understand why people talk all the time and being sociable, wants to join in, so don't hurt his feelings by insisting he speak up clearly and distinctly or not at all. Praise him for his babbling and the way he tries to add inflection onto his baby words. Remember in old age you may be the one who's not making much sense. No definite words as yet but he loves pointing at thinks and being told what they are.

How he behaves: He will be keen to kiss you but won't be very good at it unless he's an early kisser. Most babies press their mouth to your cheek and dribble before they get to grips with puckering up. He loves laughing and enjoys a good joke, which in baby terms is you putting your hat on him and lifting him up to the mirror so he can see how funny he looks. YES!!

His physical achievements: He may be an early walker in which case you will be hunched over from holding one of his hands as he staggers along. He'll walk with his feet wide apart, like a little drunk baby. If you want him to walk with a trolley buy one which can hold a baby's weight and not topple, it must be heavy. If yours is light, try weighting it with telephone directories.
He may be an expert crawler, in which case he will probably be pulling himself up on furniture and weight bearing. He is certainly cruising around the furniture and he loves his trolley! His ability to pick things up is now masterful. He has a fine pincer grip using his thumb and forefinger that can manage 5 pence pieces (and pinching mummy and daddy) Be obsessed with checking what's on the floor and what money has leaked onto the sofa from someone's pockets. He will use his grip to pick up and throw his toys with one hand, often with some force, so get ready to duck or to weep. He may be able to draw a line with a crayon, which counts as his first drawing. He has signed a number of birthday cards! He can feed himself with his forefinger and thumb and likes using a spoon, although the food to mouth ratio may not be 100%. But he will rapidly get better at feeding himself. He'll manage to eat a piece of his first birthday cake, unless it's one with concrete-hard royal icing. Building towers of bricks is easier for him now and he may manage three, although he still prefers knocking them down. He's into stacking stuff and putting objects in and out of containers because he is now learning about the relationships between things.

What he can see: Virtually the same as you. He can follow rapidly moving objects and understands that things can be two-dimensional.
What's in his mouth: He will start showing his molars, which are useful for chewing but can seem to take a lot of effort to push out. Jamie has 4 on the top and 4 on the bottom and they are sharp. Most children have all their first (‘primary’) teeth - 10 at the top and 10 at the bottom - by the time they are 2½. Remember to start good habits early and clean baby’s teeth with a special brush and toothpaste. I admit I don't clean then every day as he won't give the toothbrush back!!
What he likes to play: He'll enjoy books, especially ones with babies. He may well say Baba in a rather superior voice when he sees one. He likes physical games like being jogged on your knee while you pretend to drop him. He loves "this little piggy went to market" and laughs with the anticipation of a tickle. Nursery rhymes and that old favourite "Incy wincy spider" are fun for him. He loves his Dear Zoo and other pop up books and can sometimes be left to play on his own for a little while.

He is turning into a little boy....