Category: Behavior

Important Information about your 12 Month Old

Family

Set firm, fair rules and keep them the same to teach your child respect and discipline. Timeouts in a neutral area of the house (one minute for each year of life). Also, praise them for things that they do correctly. Establish routines around the house and traditions that they can be a part of.

Development

Read books daily and use simple words to describe the pictures in them. Avoid TV, computers, and video games, and encourage physical activity. You may start to notice tantrums. Do not bribe them to stop the behavior as this will only encourage more and often longer tantrums. As long as they are in a safe environment and are not hitting or biting, allow them to “blow off steam”. Do not yell at them during this time. Allow them to self-soothe.

Health

Your child should be off of the bottle by now; especially none in the crib. Have a night-time routine, one nap per day, brush teeth twice a day with children’s fluoride toothpaste (size of a grain of rice) and a soft toothbrush. They should have a dentist by now. Encourage physical activity.

Nutrition

Transition to whole milk. Limit the amount of cow’s milk to 16-20 ounces per day as too much milk can decrease appetite and can lead to anemia. Encourage iron-rich foods like meats, chicken, beans, green and leafy vegetables, and rice cereal. It is normal for your child to have a decrease in appetite as his/her growth rate slows at this age. Do not force them to eat; let them pick and choose and self-feed. Avoid offering just what your child “likes” simply to get them to eat. It can take 15-20 times of trying new foods before they eat it. Try to sit as a family for most meals. Use the plate visual from choosemyplate.gov to promote healthy eating.

Safety

Make sure your home is childproofed! Always be close enough to touch your child around water – set your hot water heater at 120 °F or on low. In the kitchen keep children safe while cooking and hot liquids out of reach. Beware of small objects your child can put in their mouth and choke on. Keep children in a rear-facing car seat until at least age 2 or until they reach the highest weight or height limits on their car seat.

Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222

After Hours and Weekends
After 4:00 PM and before 8:00 AM
For medical advice when People’s is closed call After Hours Nurse line at 512-478-4939

Download PDF here.

How to set rules for your child

Your child can crawl, now they need rules to stay safe.

Set Rules When Your Child is 6 Months Old

  • When you can, say do instead of do not.
    • Do share the toys (instead of do not take the toys away).
    • Do be gently to other people(instead of do not hit).
    • Do hold my hand (Instead of do not run away).
  • Speak directly to your child. Talk to her at eye level.
  • Say what you want your child to do in simple clear words.
  • Say your rules firmly. You can be firm without yelling.
  • Say the rule every time you need to until your child learns it. It will take many times and some patience!

Make Sure to:

  • Inform everyone taking care of your child to use the same rules.
  • Write the rules down as it can help
  • Start with 2-3 rules to keep your child and others safe.
  • Add more rules later about not breaking things and being polite.

Parents are Teachers

Here are some things parents can do to teach their 6 month to 3 year old about safety and respect.

Baby Proof Your Home

  • Move things that can break out of reach.
  • Put things your child can play with down low.
  • Use gates and lock drawers to keep your child in a safe place.

Change the Subject

  • Use a toy, favorite food, or silly game to distract your child.

Pick your Battles

  • Be firm about safety rules.
  • Ignore thigs that are not dangerous like tantrums, whining, or interrupting.

Use the Power of "No"

  • Move close to your child.
  • Look directly into your child’s eyes.
  • Do not smile.
  • Say “no” or “stop.”

Guide Your Child

  • If your kid will not go where you tell them, pick them up or lead them by their hand.
  • Say “I am going to help you go to your room” for example.

Use a Short Time-Out

  • This can stop or change behavior.
  • Move your child to a boring place.
  • Keep it short. It should be one minute for each year of age.
  • Say “Time out is over. Come back and play.”

Tips for your 7-9 month old baby

HELP ME BE HEALTHY.

At this checkup, the doctor will:

  • Weigh and measure me.
  • Check my development.
  • Check my heart, lungs, and other body parts.
  • Give me any vaccines and blood tests I missed before.

Remember to take my health journal to the doctor visit.

Plan my meals

  • At 8 months, I can have meats prepared for babies. Add the baby food meats to my meals of cereal, vegetables, and fruit.
  • Don’t feed me hard foods or foods that crumble easily, like graham crackers. I could choke on them.
  • Help me start drinking from a cup. This will take time. I like the cups with a cover to keep me from spilling. If you don’t have a cover for my cup, put only a small amount in the cup when you give it to me. Don’t give me a Styrofoam cup. I like to chew on the foam. If I chew off a piece of foam, I could choke.

Shoes or no shoes.

  • I don’t really need shoes to help me learn how to walk.
  • After I do learn how to walk, shoes or sneakers will protect my feet.

KEEP ME SAFE.

Now that I can pull myself up, there are new dangers.

  • When you cook. turn pot handles to the center of the stove.
  • Don’t leave spoons or anything hanging over the edge of the stove.
  • Check knobs on the TV and stereo to make sure they can’t come off.
  • Watch out for carts, chairs, tables with wheels, floor lamps, and aquariums that could fall over. When I pull or push on these, they could fall on me.
  • Move the crib mattress to the lowest position so I can’t fall or climb out.
  • Keep things picked up so I don’t trip on anything or swallow some­thing I should not.
  • Use corner protectors on sharp edges of furniture.
  • Keep the bathroom door closed so I don’t play in the toilet bowl.

Check my toys. Make sure they are not broken and they don’t have any sharp edges or pieces that can hurt me. If I have stuffed animals and dolls with button eyes or noses, make sure they cannot come off. I could choke on them.

Put things out of reach that you don’t want me to swallow or put in my mouth. Pills, cleaners, makeup, and plants are dangerous. If you think I have swallowed something, first call the Poison Control Center toll-free at 1-800-222-1222.

Take away anything that dangles. I will pull on a table cloth or dresser scarf. Keep my crib away from curtains and venetian blind cords.

When you take me shopping, strap me into the shopping cart seat. If there isn’t a strap, make sure that I stay in the seat.

Watch me carefully when I’m around water. I like to play in water, but I can easily drown in a few inches of water in a tub, toilet bowl, bucket, or wading pool.

PLAY WITH ME, IT HELPS ME LEARN.

  • Put a small ball on my high chair tray and teach me how to make the ball move.
  • Help me learn the names of my body parts by pointing to them and naming them. I won’t be able to say them for a while.
  • Play hide and seek with me. Ask me, “Where is (name a person)?” I will try to look for them.
  • Read to me. Look at magazines and picture books with me. Point to a picture and name it. Say “See the cat,” and, “Look at the flower.” Ask me sometimes, “What is thatt’ Wait a few seconds before you tell me. Soon I will be able to give you an answer.
  • Build towers with blocks or toys.
  • Play “So Big!” Show me how to lift my arms over my head and say, “So big.”
  • Give me a chance to smell some safe things, such as food, flowers, and spices.
  • Help me learn why some things are not safe. If I go to the stove or heater, say, “hot,” and move me away. If I reach for a shoe and you know it will go in my mouth, say, “Tastes bad,” and move me away.

WATCH HOW I GROW.

Children are very different from one another.
I’m special. I learn at my own pace. Help me practice new skills when you play with me. Most babies have the following skills at the end of 9 months. If you are worried about me, talk to my doctor or nurse.To find a nearby Early Childhood Intervention program, call the OARS Help line toll-free at 1-800-628-5115.

Watch for me to:

  • Sit for a few seconds without any help.
  • Feed myself dry cereal or foods I can eat with my fingers. I’m pretty messy.
  • Say “ma,” “ga,” “da,” “di,” “ba,” and other sounds.
  • Pick up small things, like a piece of dry cereal, using my whole hand in a raking motion.
  • Listen to people talking and try to make the same sounds.
  • Hold a small block in one hand and pass it to the other hand.
  • Look for something that I have dropped.
  • Hold onto something and stand for about five seconds.

You may notice that I also:

  • Get upset if you leave me, even if it’s for a short time. I will feel better when you return.
  • Start to drink juice from a cup.
  • Know which toys are mine. I don’t like it when my toys are taken away.
  • Might be afraid of things that were okay before. I might be afraid of my bath, a babysitter, or the dark.
  • Might be stubborn sometimes. This is part of growing up.
  • Might be fearful or shy of strangers.
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The Magic of Everyday Moments (9-12 Months)

Remember, everyday moments are rich bonding and learning opportunities. Enjoy the magic of these moments with your child.

Logo for Johnson and Johnson Pediatric Institute LLC

Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute, L.L.C., is a company solely
dedicated to improving maternal and children’s healthcare through the advancement of continued learning and research in pediatrics, child development, parenting and maternity care. Through partnerships with leading healthcare professionals, developmental specialists and international organizations, Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute, L.L.C., identifies, develops and implements initiatives and programs that help shape the future of children’s health around the world.

Logo for Zero to Three organization

ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit organization of renowned pediatricians, educators, researchers, and other child development experts who specialize in the first years of life.

At 9 months, babies have their own ideas about themselves and the world. They are masters at asserting themselves in all sorts of ways, both charming (finding you in another room and pulling himself up on your leg to give you a big hug) and frustrating (throwing food he doesn’t care for off the highchair or refusing to lie down for a diaper change). You might hand him a toy only to have him fling it to the floor and scream. He doesn’t want that toy… he wants the other one! And if you can’t read his mind and give him that desired toy, he’ll just continue to complain and protest until he gets his hands on what he does want. Thankfully, at 9 months, babies are mastering the idea that things that they can’t see still exist, so he’ll soon be able to find what he’s looking for himself.

Your easygoing little guy is emerging as a very intense and powerful force. This requires a real adjustment on your part; just as your baby is developing new skills by leaps and bounds, it seems you need a whole new set of strategies to parent this very strong individual. It’s no wonder you’re still so tired, even though your baby may finally be sleeping through the night. You needn’t feel guilty that you find yourself eager to tuck him in at the end of the day so you can have some time to yourself. But when you’re at your wit’s end, remember, this self assertion—often called willfulness—is really not a bad thing! When you think about the abilities you want your child to have as he grows, knowing what he wants and going for it is key to his success.

Download The Magic of Everyday Moments™ (9-12 Months)

Important Information about your 9 month old

Family

Make sure to reserve time with your partner, friends, and yourself. If you’re going back to work or school, figure out a good childcare program (whether with a family member or daycare). Be prepared for the separation anxiety that happens when you first leave your child. Have some trial runs so that you are prepared for what this will feel like.

Development

Kids should be safely exploring their surroundings. Make sure to watch them at all times. You should be reading with your child. Engage your child with cause-and-effect games like toys with different sounds and textures, rattles, playing peek-a-boo, hiding and finding objects. TV, videos, and computers should be avoided. Be consistent and positive with routines and expectations (eg, Give a calm but firm NO if biting or putting hands in an outlet. Respond in a positive and encouraging manner when your baby is doing things you want them to do).

Health

Make sure and find a dentist. You should brush your baby’s teeth twice a day with a toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste in an amount no more than the size of a grain of rice. Your baby should be sleeping through the night. Remember that bottles and nursing at night can cause cavities. Introduce a cup to wean off of the bottle. Weaning can take many months, but gradually replace one bottle at a time with a cup. Have sleeping routines. No bottles in bed. Instead, try reading a book or playing music to get your baby to sleep. If you are breastfeeding put your baby to bed once done nursing. Do not allow your baby to fall asleep while nursing.

Nutrition

Continue with breast milk or formula with iron until 1 year old. Increase solids and table food (3 meals, 2 healthy snacks). No juice. New foods: It can take offering a new food 10-15 times before your baby will try it so do not assume they do not like it if they refuse the first time. Do not force food. Daily: Fruits (6-8 teaspoons), veggies (6-8 teaspoons), cheese and yogurt (4-6 teaspoons), small pieces of soft/pureed cooked meat, iron-fortified foods/baby cereal (6-8 teaspoons), whole grains (6-8 teaspoons).

Safety

Avoid walkers with wheels, keep home safe for babies (window guards on 2nd floor, stairgates, chemicals, cords, etc.) and keep one hand on or within reach of your baby, especially around water or in the bathtub. No smoking in the house or in the car. Small toys, plastic bags, and balloons can easily get stuck in your baby’s airways. Still use rear facing car seat.

After Hours and Weekends
After 4:00 PM and before 8:00 AM
For medical advice when People’s is closed call After Hours Nurse line at 512-478-4939

Download PDF here.

The Magic of Everyday Moments (6-9 Months)

Remember, everyday moments are rich bonding and learning opportunities. Enjoy the magic of these moments with your child.

Logo for Johnson and Johnson Pediatric Institute LLC

Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute, L.L.C., is a company solely
dedicated to improving maternal and children’s healthcare through the advancement of continued learning and research in pediatrics, child development, parenting and maternity care. Through partnerships with leading healthcare professionals, developmental specialists and international organizations, Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute, L.L.C., identifies, develops and implements initiatives and programs that help shape the future of children’s health around the world.

Logo for Zero to Three organization

ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit organization of renowned pediatricians, educators, researchers, and other child development experts who specialize in the first years of life.

Six-month-olds are motivated, energetic, busy, opinionated and, for the most part, fabulous! They are on the verge of huge developmental strides — intellectual, emotional and physical — and they have many, many things they want to do. The challenge — for them and for you — is that they can’t yet do everything they have in mind. Their fingers aren’t working well enough for them to make objects do what they want. They don’t yet have the balance or coordination to stand up and walk, let alone crawl.

They’ve got so much to say, yet they don’t have the words. But they experience every imaginable feeling, sometimes all at once. Although there is great variation in development at this age, during the next 3 months many of the skills babies are eager to master will, in fact, kick in. Until then, they are likely to get frustrated often; and you will most likely bear the brunt of that frustration.

Somehow, you need to walk the line between doing things for your 6-month-old that she can’t do yet, and finding a way to help her do things for herself. If, for example, she wants to crawl toward a toy but finds herself moving backward instead of forward, you can sit behind her and place your palms against the soles of her feet. Then she might be able to push herself forward and get it for herself. Of course, there’s always the possibility that she’ll be mad if you do that, because what she really wants is to do it on her own. But hang in there — if you’re patient, she’ll learn patience and persistence, too.

Download The Magic of Everyday Moments™ (6-9 Months)

Tips for your 5-6 month old baby

HELP ME BE HEALTHY.

At this checkup:

  • The nurse will weigh and measure me. I will get a check-up.
  • I will get the next set of vaccines. Write down the date of these vaccines in my health journal. If I had a reaction to the vaccines before, tell the doctor.
  • I should get a flu shot in the fall.
  • The doctor might check my eyes for crossed eyes or a lazy eye.
  • I might get a blood test to see if I have enough iron in my blood.
  • Ask about my eating habits. Tell the doctor when and how much I eat.
  • If I need them, I will get hearing aids. I might get help from my nearby Early Childhood Intervention program. An audiologist will check my hearing every few months until I’m a year old, and after that, every six months.
  • Ask if I need fluoride supplements to help my teeth. Ask about my eating habits. Describe when and how much I eat.

Start feeding me vegetables and fruits.

At 6 months, I’m old enough to try vegetables and fruits. Start with veg­etables. Try an orange vegetable like squash or sweet potatoes first. Give me only one new food each week. This way, if I have an allergy, you will know what food caused the allergy.

TAKE CARE OF MY TEETH.

  • Start planning for my first dental visit for when I’m 6 months old or when my first tooth comes in.
  • Call your dentist or a dentist just for me and set up my first visit.
  • As soon as my teeth come in, gently brush my teeth with a little, soft-bristled tooth­brush and some water.
  • I should not have toothpaste now.

If you don’t have health insurance for me, call the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) toll-free at 1-877-543-7669 (1-877-KIDS-NOW) to find out about children’s health insurance.

KEEP ME SAFE.

When we ride in the car, put me in a car seat with the straps on right.

  • My car seat is the safest place for me when I’m in the car.
  • Until I’m a year old and weigh 20 pounds, my car seat should be in the back seat of the car and placed so I look out the back window.
  • If you have questions about my car seat or how you put it in, call Safe Riders toll-free at 1-800-252-8255.

Put gates at the stairs so I don’t go up or down the stairs. After you make our house safe for me, teach me to be safe.

  • Tell me what you want me to do, over and over. Don’t get tired of telling me. I’m too young to remember.
  • Until I learn what to do, take me away from the place I shouldn’t be or take away the thing I shouldn’t be playing with. Get me interested in something else. Don’t slap my hands or hit me. Try not to yell at me, either.
  • Tell me, hug me, and praise me when I do what you want.

Help me use the high chair safely.

  • Put the safety belt on me when I’m in the chair.
  • Be sure the tray is locked in place. Make sure my hands are out of the way when you lock the tray in place.
  • Be sure there are no sharp edges to cut me or you
  • Don’t let me stand in the chair.
  • Don’t leave me alone in the chair.
  • Don’t leave the chair too close to a table or counter. I can push on the table and tip my chair over.

PLAY WITH ME, IT HELPS ME LEARN.

  • Talk to me in complete sentences. Tell me what you are doing. Make sounds for me to copy like “eee,” “uh-oh,” and “aaa.”
  • Tell me about a toy and show me how to use it. I will want to look at it, smell it, chew it, squeeze it, pat it, and bang it.
  • Put a favorite toy just out of my reach. Help me move to get to it.
  • Hide a toy under a cloth so I can look for it.
  • I like to use blocks that I can hold in my hands.
  • Read to me. Point to the pictures as you tell me about them.

Each child grows and changes at a different rate.
I might do some activities earlier than others. Playing with me helps me learn new things. If you are worried about what I do, talk to my doctor or nurse or call the OARS Help Line toll-free at 1-800-628-5115.

Watch for me to:

  • Pick up my head and chest when I’m on my stomach. I can hold myself up with my arms.
  • Stand up if you hold me under my arms.
  • Roll from my stomach to my back or from my back to my stomach.
  • Notice small things that are placed in front of me.
  • Reach for toys or other interesting things near me.
  • Squeal and make high pitched sounds when I’m happy.
  • Start to have my teeth come in.
  • Lie on my back and look at my hands. I can bring my hands together over my chest or at my mouth.

Tips for your 3-4 month old baby

HELP ME BE HEALTHY.

At this checkup, the doctor will:

  • Weigh and measure me.
  • Check me from head to toe to see:
    • How I move.
    • How well I hear.
    • How well I see.
  • Give me a few vaccines. Remember to write them in my health journal.

FEED ME AND TAKE CARE OF MY TEETH AND GUMS.

  • Ask the doctor or WIC nutritionist about eating cereal at 4 months. Rice cereal is the first cereal I should try. Please feed me my cereal from a spoon. Don’t put it in a bottle.
  • Hold me while I drink my bottle. It makes me feel safe and loved.
  • Don’t put me in my crib and prop the bottle up for me. I could spit up and choke.
  • Don’t put me to bed at night with a bottle. If I have a bottle in my mouth all night, the milk or juice could decay my new teeth.
  • Holding me at feeding time makes me feel secure and loved.
  • Clean my mouth with a soft, moist washcloth – even before I get my first teeth.
  • Once my teeth start coming in, use a very soft, infant-sized toothbrush to brush my teeth.

KEEP ME SAFE.

  • It’s time to make our house safe for babies. Look at it from my eye level. Crawl on your hands and knees and look around. Take away or move anything that I can reach or that could hurt me when I crawl around. Keep me away from cords of all kinds: telephone cords, drap­ery cords, and electric cords. Cover the electric outlets and put safety latches on the doors.
  • Keep me away from cigarette and cigar smoke. It makes it harder for me to breathe.
  • Make sure that the toys, pacifiers, and other things you give me are safe for me. They should not have any sharp edges or loose pieces. Toys should be big enough that I cannot fit them into my mouth.
  • Use the safety strap and keep the baby seat on the floor and away from steps or other dangers. I’m now strong enough to wiggle out of the baby seat or tip it over.
  • Never leave me alone on a bed, sofa or changing table, or in a walker or cub.
  • Keep me away from hot liquids like coffee, tea, and soup. When you’re holding me, don’t try to drink anything hot. A hot liquid could spill on me and burn me badly.
  • Keep balloons away from me. If a balloon covers my mouth, I can’t breathe.

PLAY WITH ME, IT HELPS ME LEARN.

Baby on blanket with mobile

 

  • Play “Talking back and forth.” First, I make a noise and you listen. Then, you make the same noise and I listen. We can do this many times.
  • Put me on my back and let me reach for toys hanging from the sides of my crib or playpen. Make sure these are tied tight so they won’t hurt me.
  • Read to me. I like rhyming words and stories that are short.
  • Play Peek-a-boo with your hands or a blanket.
  • Hold a rattle or toy in front of me. Move it to get my attention. Then let me try to keep my eyes on it while you move it from one side to the other, up and down, and in circles. This helps me use both eyes.
  • Let me babble to you.

WATCH HOW I GROW.

New things are happening to me.

When something new happens to me, I might fuss. Change is hard for me. You could get confused and angry with me. What I really need is for you:

  • To be patient.
  • To show me new things, new people, and new situations very slowly.
  • To let me try three or four times to get used to something new. I might like it better the second or third time I try it.

Each child grows and changes at a different rate.

Help me learn new skills by playing with me. Most babies have the following skills at the end of 4 months. If you are worried, talk to my doctor or nurse. To find a nearby Early Childhood Intervention program, call the DARS Help Line toll-free at 1-800-628-5115.

Watch for me to:

  • Smile at you.
  • Hold up my head without bobbing it around when I sit in your lap.
  • Hold a small toy, like a rattle, for a few seconds in my hand if you place it in my hand.
  • Laugh out loud.
  • Say “oo,” “aah,” and other vowel sounds. Sometimes I say these sounds fast.
  • Sometimes I say them slow and kind of sing them.
  • Hold my head all the way up and rest on my arms when I’m on my stomach.
  • Recognize sounds I hear a lot, like your voice, the sound of a favorite toy, or running water.
  • Let you know I recognize you as a special person. I get excited when I see people I know or my bottle.
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The Magic of Everyday Moments (4-6 Months)

Remember, everyday moments are rich bonding and learning opportunities. Enjoy the magic of these moments with your child.

These booklets brought to you by:

Logo for Johnson and Johnson Pediatric Institute LLC

Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute, L.L.C., is a company solely
dedicated to improving maternal and children’s healthcare through the advancement of continued learning and research in pediatrics, child development, parenting and maternity care. Through partnerships with leading healthcare professionals, developmental specialists and international organizations, Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute, L.L.C., identifies, develops and implements initiatives and programs that help shape the future of children’s health around the world.

Logo for Zero to Three organization

ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit organization of renowned pediatricians, educators, researchers, and other child development experts who specialize in the first years of life.

You’ve survived those first 3 months, giving everything you’ve got to help your baby adjust to his new world—no small feat. And your hard work has paid off. Now you know his signals. You know the special voice that he finds comforting, how to rub his back when he needs to burp, and how to make him laugh. He’s awake much more during the day, and he’s more eager than ever to be engaged with you.

For many of you, it is at this time that your parental leave comes to an end and you must return to your paid job—just when the fun is starting. This transition can be very distressing to moms and dads: “Can I find someone who will take care of my baby as well as I do; who’ll keep him safe and help him grow? Will I still be the most special person to him?”

Rest assured, your baby will always know you’re his mom and dad and you will always be the most special people to him. If you’re working, you don’t have to quit your job to nurture your child’s healthy development. As you read about how feeding and playing with your baby are wonderful opportunities to bond with and teach your baby so many important things, think of all the other moments you share each day that enrich your child’s life.

Download The Magic of Everyday Moments™ (4-6 Months)