Is she crawling yet? Friends and family tend to ask this question anxiously, as though failure to crawl is a sign of developmental delay. Actually, crawling is so unpredictable that most child development books don’t even consider it a milestone.
Many parents are distressed to notice that their 1-year-olds seem to be losing weight. There’s a good reason for this: Baby is so busy exploring that she hardly has time to eat! She’s also more interested in feeding herself, a less efficient process than being spoon-fed. And she’s developed definite preferences, sometimes refusing all foods [...]
It’s been a busy year for your little one–he’s grown approximately 50 percent taller and tripled his weight. The average height for a 12-month-old is 28 to 32 inches, and his weight may range from 18 to 24 pounds. (If he kept growing at this rate, he’d weigh almost a ton by the time he [...]
What a difference a year makes! The helpless bundle you brought home from the hospital is a personality in her own right. She’s mobile, either crawling, cruising, or walking; happy one moment, sad or introspective the next; she understands much of what you say, and she’s probably even speaking a word or two. Most exciting [...]
Not all babies are physically precocious. Your 11-month-old may be perfectly happy sitting or crawling, and not yet interested in pulling herself up. Chances are, she’s just proceeding at her own measured pace. Babies who acquire motor skills more slowly are generally sure of their movements and less likely to hurt themselves by, say, falling [...]
As your little one learns to use his hands more effectively, he may become increasingly interested in the process of dressing and undressing. Depending on his personality, this can make the experience harder or easier for you. Cooperative babies will extend their arms into their shirts, stick their feet into shoes, and try to help [...]
It’s a bird, it’s a plane… it’s Babyman! When your child takes his first steps, he’ll hold out his arms like a little airplane to keep his balance. As he grows more confident, he’ll lower his arms to his sides and let the muscles in his trunk do the balancing work. Push toys, such as [...]
The first time your baby pulls himself to standing, you may not know whether to laugh or applaud (do both!)–with his belly sticking out in one direction and his rear protruding in the other, he’ll look like a delighted penguin. Once he’s feeling more confident, he may start to cruise, walking along the edge of [...]
To climb, or not to climb? That, for many babies, is the question. It’s not clear what makes some little ones climbers, while others prefer firm ground. But one thing is certain: When you come into the dining room and find your 9-month-old hanging from the back of a ladder-back chair, it’s time to reassess [...]
The nine-month checkup is likely to be a bit more traumatic than previous visits, due to your baby’s increased sensitivity to strangers. In addition to a physical examination and any vaccines that haven’t been done before (probably hepatitis B and a skin test for tuberculosis), the pediatrician will assess your little one’s development and ask [...]