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Congratulations! You made it through a whole year.
Both you and your baby have come a long way. You’ve helped your baby grow into someone who can sit, stand, climb, and reach for things as well as someone who can think, feel, understand you, and maybe even say a few words. Look back with pride on the past year and give yourself a well deserved pat on the back. At times it was hard, but you managed. From now on, your baby will be growing and learning at an amazing rate. You can look forward to the coming years, confident that you will help him develop into a responsible human being.
You have many memories of your baby’s first year—the times you stayed up all night, thought the crying would never stop, or saw your baby smile and laugh. Do you remember when your baby made his first sounds besides crying, held his first toy, used a spoon the first time, or took his first steps?
You could go on and on reliving the memories, some happy and some not so happy. But now you and your baby are ready to move on to the second year. The two of you have many more firsts to look forward to, including first walking steps taken alone, first words read out of a book, and the first day at school.
It often is easy to forget the things that work well in the process of raising a child. Here are a few thoughts to keep in mind:
Your role as a parent has not ended. For your baby, life has barely started. He is just beginning to learn about the world around him. There will be many new adventures to share through the years.
Give about 2 to 3 cups of milk daily with a variety of other foods from the food groups listed below.
Most health authorities recommend that a baby should be at least 1 year old before regular whole milk is given. Until your baby is a year old, breast milk or iron-fortified formula is the most appropriate milk for your baby.
The chart below gives the suggested daily intake of foods your baby should be eating at this time.
Your baby doesn’t have to eat something from every food group at every meal. He may eat well at one meal, not so well at the next, and refuse the third. One hearty meal a day plus four foods from the above food groups are about average at this age. Forcing your baby to eat can work in reverse and make him refuse any food. Or, he may continue to eat just to get your approval.
Offering food to your baby when he is upset may quiet him for a few moments, but it also teaches him to use food as a solution to problems. Find the cause of the problem and solve it without using food as the pacifier.
| Food | Suggested Daily Intake | Notes |
| Whole Milk and Milk Products | 16-24 ounces | Offer cheese, yogurt, and cottage cheese. Your baby probably will not need more now that he's eating a variety of foods. |
| Breads and Cereals | 6-12 tablespoons, 1 slice bread | Whole grains such as whole wheat toast, rice, and pasta may be offered. |
| Vegetables | 6-8 tablespoons | Serve plain cooked vegetables, mashed or finely chopped. |
| Fruits | 6-8 tablespoons | Peel and mash bananas, peaches, and pears or cook and mash apples. |
| Juice | 4-6 ounces | Use juices high in vitamin C (orange or grapefruit). Do not use fruit drinks or sweetened beverages like sodas. |
| Meats and Other Protein Foods | 2 tablespoons | Serve finely chopped meats, chicken, and fish, mashed cooked dry beans, whole egg if cooked well done. |
This game helps your baby learn to use objects as tools to get what she wants.
Toys for this age group don’t have to be expensive to provide fun and varied opportunities for learning. Unbreakable household objects often provide interesting play. Other items can be purchased for modest prices. Here are some suggestions:
Parents sometimes treat boys and girls differently and react differently toward them. They may give toy trucks to boys and dolls to girls. They may get upset if a boy picks up a doll and starts playing with it because they think a doll is a girl’s toy. The same thing may happen when a girl plays with a toy truck or car.
Although your child still is a baby, it’s not too early to consider your own attitudes about sex roles. Now is a good time to evaluate the messages you want to give about what little boys and little girls are made of.
Here are some questions to help sort out your attitudes:
Allowing children to express themselves freely regardless of their sex will help them grow into healthy, capable, and confident individuals.
Being a parent can sometimes tax your patience as well as your confidence in your ability to cope with daily problems. At times, you may feel comfortable and self-confident. At other times, you may feel uncertain and fearful about your decisions.
We all strive to feel comfortable and good about ourselves. Self-confidence is measured by the way we feel and behave. To bolster your self-confidence:
Birckmayer, Jennifer, Kathryn Mabb, Bonnie Jo Westendorf, and Jerridith Wilson (1996). Teens as parents of babies and toddlers: A resource guide for educators. Ithaca, New York: Cornell Cooperative Extension Service.
Brazelton, T. Berry, M.D. (1992). Touchpoints: Your child’s emotional and behavioral development. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley.
Gnatuk, Carole A. and Sam Quick (2000). Keys to great parenting: Teach self-control, Key No.6. Lexington, Kentucky: Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.
Greenspan, Stanley, M.D. (1999). Building healthy minds. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Perseus Books.
Herr, Judy and Terri Swim (1999). Creative resources for infants and toddlers. Albany, New York: Delmar.
Honig, Alice Sterling (1997). Behavior guidance for infants and toddlers. Little Rock, Arkansas: Southern Early Childhood Association.
Lerner, Claire and Amy Laura Dombro (2000). Learning and growing together: Understanding and supporting your child’s development. Washington, D.C.: Zero to Three. Phone: 1-800-899-4301.
Pruett, Kyle D. (2000). Fatherneed: Why father care is as essential as mother care for your child. Washington, D.C.: Zero to Three. Phone: 1-800-899-4301.
Schickedanz, Judith A. (1999). Much more than the ABC’s: The early stages of reading and writing. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Sears, William and Martha Sears (1995). The discipline book: Everything you need to know to have a better behaved child—From birth to age 10. Boston: Little, Brown, and Co.
Shelov, Steven P., M.D., M.S., F.A.A.P. (editor in chief) (1998). Your baby’s first year. New York: Bantam Books/American Academy of Pediatrics.
Shore, Rima (1997). Rethinking the brain. New York: Families and Work Institute.
Snow, Charles W. (1998). Infant development (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Carole A. Gnatuk, Ed.D., Extension Child Development Specialist
Sam Quick, Ph.D., Extension Human Development and Family Relations Specialist
Sandra Bastin, Ph.D., R.D., L.D., Extension Food and Nutrition Specialist
From a publication originally written by Dorothea Cudaback, D.S.W., and colleagues at the University of California Cooperative Extension. Professionals at the University of Kentucky who have assisted in the preparation of the Parent Express series:
Sandra Bastin, Ph.D., R.D., L.D.; Donna Clore, M.S.; Ruth Ann Crum, M.S.; Darlene Forester, Ph.D., R.D. Starr Gantz, R.D.; Carole Gnatuk, Ed.D.; Peter Hesseldenz, M.A.; Janet Kurzynske, Ph.D., R.D.; Suzanne McGough, M.S., R.D.; Larry Piercy, Ph.D.; Sam Quick, Ph.D.; Michael Rupured, M.S.; Diane Strangis, M.S.; Janet Tietyen, Ph.D., R.D., L.D.
Parent Express guides you through parenting of children through age 36 months. For other publications in the 27-part series, contact your county Cooperative Extension Service office.