One Year Old Checkup

(Children 12 – 15 Months)

Eating: Most children can now drink whole milk without problems. A good amount of milk would be 16-24 ozs a day. Don’t give 2% or skim milk until 2 years old. Other dairy products, leafy green vegetables, and calcium fortified orange juice are alternate dietary calcium sources for children who do not drink milk. We prefer that you offer water, instead of juice, to drink. If you do decide to give your child juice, limit it to 4 to 8 ozs a day. Offer your child a variety of foods including fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meats and starches every day. On certain days, your child may be a picky eater, but if you offer a variety of foods every day and avoid unhealthy snacks, your child should have a well balanced diet. Snacks should be healthy and should not be given close to mealtime. Your child should be using a cup well. He or she should be off the bottle or soon be off. Try not to use the bottle to put down baby at bedtime. This can lead to cavities.

Sleep: Your baby should be sleeping all night. Don’t offer food or drink at night if your child wakes up. Toddlers should not eat at night. Your child may still have 1-2 naps in the daytime. A nighttime routine including reading books makes bedtime easier for everyone.

Discipline: Even at this early age simple discipline techniques can be used to help shape your
child’s behavior. Verbal and nonverbal disapproval such as saying “no” and giving disapproving
looks is a simple and effective technique. Children can also be escorted to another situation when
they need to be distracted. Children in this age group are very curious and love to explore. At this age,
parents should assume that anything a child can get into, he will get into. Parents can avoid a lot
of conflict by simply removing things from the child’s environment that could be dangerous or cause
conflict. Finally, the more basic the parents can be with their instructions, the more likely they
will be followed and understood. Telling a child, ”don’t hit your brother” will be more effective
at this age than trying to explain that hitting hurts and that we should not do anything to others
that we don’t want done ourselves. Remember that discipline means to teach, not to punish.

Development: Below are things your baby may do at his age:

• Copy simple actions
• Cooperates with dressing
• Stand-alone well and walk
• Turn pages, a few at a time
• Say “Mama” or “Dada” for parent
• Begin to say single words and jabber
• Shake head for “NO” and wave “bye”
• Play with other children
• Use a sippy cup and attempt to use a spoon
• Hand things to you when asked
• Climb on chairs and other furniture
• Stack two blocks

Shoes: Shoes do two things. They help to keep feet warm and protect them. Children do not need extra ankle support, stiff soles, or expensive shoes. Children learn to walk best in bare feet. Young children may outgrow their shoes as often as every 6 weeks.

Illness: Always wash your hands and make sure other children do the same. Remember, fever is only a sign of illness. Many infections at this age are caused by viruses and do not need antibiotics. You can give acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil/Motrin) if the fever is high or your baby seems cranky. Cold medicines are not approved and can be dangerous for children this age. Have your child seen at the office if you are worried. Go to the ER if you think your child is too sick to wait until the next business day.

Immunizations: Your child will get his/her fourth set of vaccines today. You may give Tylenol or Ibuprofen if needed. Your child may develop a rash and/or fever one to two weeks after getting the MMR/chicken pox vaccines. This can be normal, but call the office if the rash is severe. The next shots are usually due at 15 months of age.

Safety:

• After 12 months, accidents cause more serious medical problems than infections and other diseases.
• Keep poisons and medicines away from reach. Don’t store dangerous cleaners in regular drink or juice bottles. If your baby gets into something poisonous but looks okay, call POISON CONTROL (1-800-222-1222). If your baby looks sick, call 911.
• Your child should be in a convertible car seat in the back seat and may face forward if he/she weighs more than 20lbs, however the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear facing until 2 years old.
• Make sure to read the directions on how to properly install your car seat.
• Never leave baby alone in bathtub or pool even for a second.
• Never feed your child small pieces of food that require a lot of chewing, like nuts, hot dogs, grapes, hard candies, and popcorn.
• Always use sunscreen and protective clothing and hat when outside.
• Always check hot water heater. It should be less than 120º F.
• Cook on the back burner and turn handles of pots and pans toward the back of the stove.
• Keep all irons, hot food or drinks, curling irons and other hot objects out of your child’s reach.
• Your child is becoming more mobile. Keep small objects out of reach, cover electrical outlets, get cabinet locks and baby gates, and tie up all cords.
• Make sure your smoke detector is working. Keep your baby away from cigarette smoke.
• Continue to brush your child’s teeth with a small amount of fluoridated toothpaste twice a day.

The American Academy of Pediatrics Website for general information – www.healthychildren.org

Your next appointment is at 15 months old.