13 months...

Thanks to Gurgle.com http://www.gurgle.com/stages/Toddler/13_month_old/default.aspx?ReadMore=true – for their ongoing information.

Month thirteen is an exciting time as your baby’s independence and mobility surge forward and his understanding of the world increases. We can see Jamie changing on an almost daily basis. He is like a sponge and you can see him soaking it all up.

Language and Understanding: His babbling probably sounds more like adult conversation, and he will surprise you one day by being able to follow a simple command like ‘go and get your yellow ball’. He understands ‘No’ but still thinks its funny! Try not to shout at your toddler if he does something wrong or knocks something over; his world is an exciting place to explore and he is testing his boundaries all the time. Instead, explain to him calmly what he did wrong and how he should be a little more careful next time. We do try and tell him off but most of the time he smiles and laughs and our hearts melt….

From now on he starts to grasp the meaning of words more frequently so try not to swear in front of him and use please and thank-you. Twelve month olds recognise roughly around 20-50 words, but comprehension comes before speech so it will be a while before he utters them. He may be able to say simple words like ‘milk’ or ‘mummy’ and ‘daddy’, and will enjoy the sound his voice makes, often repeating the same sounds over and over again. Jamie seems to understand a lot of words; ‘milk’ ‘teddy’ ‘IgglePiggle’…

Mobility: Your toddler is probably busy toddling around by now and will be on the cusp of walking. As the months go on he’ll start to lose his ‘baby’ looks and begin to resemble a toddler. It is an exciting time as his independence and mobility surge forward and his understanding of the world increases. He’ll still enjoy a cuddle from time to time, but don’t take it too personally when he wants to explore the house rather than nuzzle into your shoulder. Still (thankfully) very snugly and cuddly.

Where before he’d loose his footing, take a tumble and cry, by twelve months you may notice him roll out of a fall like a stunt-man! This does not mean you can take your eyes off him when he is exploring the living room, he will still find ways to squeeze through gaps or reach the items you have put out of his reach. Its still madness whenever he is ‘on his feet’ cruising around but I do feel I don’t have to watch him like a hawk all the time. However, why is it that everything that is not a toy is so much more interesting than all those lovely toys he has in his room?

He is probably an expert cruiser by now, which means he can move from sofa to sofa, make his way along walls and bend down, crouch and twist with relative ease. Walking is probably just around the corner so make sure he has lots of open space which is carpeted, grass or covered with cushions so that when he gets adventurous and takes a few steps he will have a soft landing. Definitely! He has started crawling slightly different in the last few days – as if about to stand up. We caught him standing on his own for about 30 seconds yesterday. His balance is getting better by the day!

As well as using those legs, you may notice your baby reacting to music. All babies love music from an early age (in fact babies in the womb show signs of reacting to music they enjoy) but by twelve months (or earlier) your baby may start bopping along and wiggling around when he hears his favourite tunes. Jamie loves a good dance – to anything and everything! Will he be a musician like his Daddy?

Food and feeding: By now he can eat most of the foods you eat as long as they are cut up for him and have no added salt or sugar. As he experiments more with fingerfoods be prepared for messy mealtimes and put a sheet of newspaper below his highchair to catch any food strays. At twelve months your baby can switch from formula to cow’s milk. Cow’s milk does not contain sufficient levels of iron that formula or breastmilk do, so it is advised to wait until your child reaches his first birthday before introducing it. Make sure it is fresh and full fat, not semi skimmed as your baby needs the extra fat to help his brain and nervous system develop properly. He needs to have a minimum of two thirds of a pint of milk a day, so this roughly equates to two beakers or cups of milk. If he drinks too much milk he will store the fat in his body, so if he is thirsty offer water or watered down fruit juice. If he only takes a little bit, make sure he is getting other calcium-rich food as part of his diet. Try mashed sardines, cheese and natural yoghurt. We have started him on full fat milk again (slightly warmed) but are still giving him formulae as well.

If your baby is used to a bottle it might be a good idea to introduce a beaker with a lid or a slanted open top cup like a Doidy cup. This is so your baby stops being so dependant on getting milk from a teat. We have a number of beakers for him but am afraid keep going back to the original one as its less messy. I promise to try harder this week!

Sleepy time: With his eagerness to be upright, comes his unwillingness to be flat on his back, which can make nappy changes a battleground with you virtually pinning him down to keep him still. Definitely – Nappy changing is often a 2 man job!! Putting him to bed has the same reaction, and your toddler may be standing in his cot five minutes after you put him down! Patience is the best way to deal with this. Give him something to play with while you change his nappy so he becomes preoccupied. At night, it is probably best to go back into his room and lay him down, stroke his face and tell him it is time for sleeping now. Put some lullabies on in his room to help him feel sleepy and try not to let his daytime nap go past about 4.30pm. All baby’s and toddlers need ‘quiet time’ just before they sleep to help their minds relax from their busy days (just like adults). Massaging your toddler before bed or reading a story can help them unwind and signify that bedtime is close. We are still being naughty as mostly he falls asleep on us rather than in his cot. Again, must try harder!

Twelve-month old babies need roughly 13.5 hours sleep, which roughly equates to two and a half hours in the day and eleven hours at night. Your baby may have either two naps (morning and afternoon) or one big nap at lunchtime. Hopefully by twelve months your baby should manage to sleep for a decent stretch of time at night. No baby, toddler, child, teenager or adult is the same when it comes to sleep so resist the urge to compare your baby’s sleep patterns with anyone else’s. Currently sleeping from about 7pm to 7am depending on Daddy’s shift as Jamie will wake up earlier if he thinks we are awake. In the day he often has a morning nap but often misses that if there is something he would rather be doing. Does have an afternoon nap most days but we need to start making sure he is awake before 4.30pm as when he isn’t he won’t go to bed!