A baby turning one year old is one of the most thrilling moments for the whole family. Moms are all excited and always say the term “They grow up so fast.”
Besides having a great party for their baby, who will eat cake with their fingers and probably get it all over (which will make for an adorable picture, so their mom won’t mind at all), moms are also thinking about how their baby has changed in the past 12 months. The 12-month mark is definitely interesting. The baby isn’t quite a toddler, but they’re not exactly a newborn who sleeps and eats and has to be burped and that’s it.
There are some ways that parents can adapt to having a one-year-old in the house, and some things that they should stop doing. Everything from their baby’s gestures to emotions to how to read books should definitely be taken into account.
Parents need to stop doing these 20 things by month 12, according to doctors.
20. PARENTS SHOULD STOP PICKING BABIES UP CONSTANTLY
You want to pick your baby up 24/7 because even when you look at them just sitting there or sleeping, you can’t even believe how squishy their cheeks are and how adorable their big blue eyes are. According to What To Expect, when parents go for their “12-month well baby visit,” part of that will be looking at whether they’re crawling or walking.
The website says, “Many little ones crawl their way well into their second year (not taking those first momentous unassisted steps until 14 months or later), while some start walking solo weeks (even months) earlier.”
Parents need to stop picking their baby up constantly once they’re 12 months, and they should also make sure their babies can stand up while holding onto something.
19. PARENTS SHOULD ALSO STOP ALWAYS GIVING THE BABY FOOD (THEY CAN TRY THEMSELVES)
It’s definitely true that newborns are totally dependent upon their mother when it comes to being fed. After all, it’s necessary. There is a big difference between a newborn who is drinking their mother’s breastmilk and an older child (even a toddler) who can sit and eat an apple.
What To Expect also says that babies at 12 months should be “using fingers to feed herself.” If parents are wondering what they can do once their baby is a year old, it’s this: they should stop always giving the baby food. It’s good for babies to try doing this by themselves.
18. PARENTS SHOULD STOP USING A HIGH CRIB/THE SAME ONE THEIR LITTLE ONE HAS BEEN USING
Your baby is about to have their first birthday… but are they still sleeping in the same crib that they have been? If this is true (and if the crib is high off the ground), then this isn’t the best idea. Parents need to stop using this crib.
Fatherly explains why: “Bedding will also need to be updated. By one, the crib mattress should be as low as possible, to thwart any accidental falls or deliberate escapes. The SIDS risk is greatly reduced, but parents will want to check their child’s abilities for determining what sort of bedding to use.”
17. MOMS CAN STOP ONLY BREASTFEEDING BECAUSE BABIES, AT 1, CAN DRINK MILK, TOO
Moms can absolutely give their baby milk when they’re one year old. You might wonder if this is okay because you’re still breastfeeding. According to The Bump, “Baby’s digestive system should be ready for cow’s milk, so you’re welcome to introduce it to her slowly.” Good to know, right?
There are a lot of things to know about your one-year-old baby, and it’s good to know that parents can stop doing these 20 things once they have a 12-month-old. It might take a little bit of time to become used to having your baby drink milk instead of only breastmilk, or to have them attempt to put on their pajamas or a shirt. Your baby is getting older (yes, you’re getting teary-eyed now…) and it’s all just beginning.
16. YOU CAN’T IGNORE YOUR BABY’S GESTURES
According to What To Expect, when parents take their baby for the “well baby visit” at the doctor’s once they are one year old, doctors will mention that babies should be able to point at something or someone. This is one of the things that they will be observing.
This is important because they’re trying to communicate with you, so when a parent has a one-year-old, they definitely have to stop ignoring their baby’s gestures. Instead of thinking that your baby is so tiny that they can’t be telling you anything, you can reframe this and listen to what they’re trying to get across.
15. PARENTS NEED TO STOP HOLDING EVERYTHING FOR THEIR BABY
When the baby turns one year old, parents have to stop holding everything for them.
According to WebMD, “Your baby should be starting to use a few everyday items correctly, including a spoon, telephone, and hairbrush. Although her aim with these things might not be perfect, she certainly has the right intention.”
That second sentence is really crucial: while your baby boy or girl might be so tiny that you can’t imagine that they can grab anything in their hands, they actually can. It’s great to let them and see what happens. Parents will realize that their one-year-old really can hold things.
14. YOU SHOULDN’T ASSUME YOUR BABY ISN’T EXPRESSING EMOTIONS YET
Parents know that newborns express what they want through crying. It’s pretty simple: a baby cries when they’re hungry or tired, right? Sometimes you feel so bad because you wish that your baby could tell you what’s going on with words, but you do your best to figure out what they need.
According to WebMD, when your baby is one year old, they’re going to express emotions. Parents definitely need to stop thinking that their baby isn’t doing this.
As WebMD says, “In month 12, your baby will also start testing the limits, which can include responding to your requests with a “no” or even throwing a tantrum. Be firm and let your child know that these behaviors are not acceptable. Meanwhile, reward good behaviors with praise or a treat.”
13. YOU SHOULD STOP THINKING THE BABY IS TOO YOUNG TO GET INTO TROUBLE IN THE HOUSE
As Fatherly notes, you need to babyproof your house. Parents need to stop thinking that because their kid is still a baby, they can’t possibly get into trouble in the house, and there’s no need to babyproof just yet.
It’s smart to babyproof before your baby’s first birthday, but you definitely shouldn’t put it off any longer than that. Real Simple mentions a few good ways to babyproof: safety locks in the kitchen, making sure that outlets aren’t open, and getting some doorstops. You’ll feel much better once this is all set up and then you won’t have to worry.
12. PARENTS SHOULD STOP HELPING BABIES SIT DOWN
Newborns need a lot of help being placed in their crib or in a baby bouncer, and they can’t sit on their own, either. Things change a lot once a baby is 12 months old. Parents might not actually know that babies can totally sit down at this age.
Parents also need to stop helping babies sit down when they’re one year old. As Childmind says, babies at 12 months can be in a “sitting position without assistance.” This is on the list of things that doctors are observing because they want to ensure that babies are growing up as expected.
11. PARENTS SHOULD STOP ONLY GIVING THE BABY BORING ‘BABY’ FOOD
Baby food is a lot different today than it used to be, and there are organic and great products that moms are more than happy to pick up from the grocery store. But moms shouldn’t think that a baby is going to be eating only baby food at 12 months.
Instead, parents should be giving babies at this age some other food. Healthy Children explains, “One-year-olds need foods from the same basic nutrition groups that you do. If you provide your child with selections from each of the basic food groups and let him or her experiment with a wide variety of tastes, colors, and textures, he or she should be eating a balanced [intake] with plenty of vitamins.” Moms should also give the baby some healthy lipids.
10. YOU SHOULD STOP ASSUMING BABIES CAN’T GET HURT NEAR THE STAIRS
Parents need to stop assuming that a baby couldn’t get hurt near the stairs because they are little. When you have a one-year-old, it’s an interesting age because your little one isn’t considered a toddler just yet… but they’re developing a lot and they’re not a newborn. Of course, this just means that there are more things for parents to think about.
Fatherly notes that when a 12-month-old is near the stairs, this can still be pretty dangerous. The website says, “Stairs still represent a risk – maybe a bigger one, since one-year-olds are significantly less stable as nascent walkers than cruising crawlers.”
9. PARENTS SHOULD STOP TURNING THE PAGES OF BOOKS FOR THEIR BABY
Many people love to kick back with a good book before going to sleep, and when you become a mom, you want to read to your baby. You want them to enjoy storytelling and start figuring out language and words. It’s also just a nice aspect of the evening routine.
When you have a one-year-old, you want to stop turning the pages of a book for your baby. According to Kids Health, a baby who is 12 months “will look at a book and turn the pages.” It’s cool to know that your little one wants to be so involved in this process and that they could even sit in their favorite spot in the living room and hold a book at some point very soon.
8. YOU SHOULDN’T STOP YOUR LITTLE ONE FROM EXPLORING AND MAKING NOISE
Did you ever make noise with pots and pans when you were a little kid… or does your own baby do that?
Kids Health says that by 12 months, a baby will “bangs together cubes or blocks held in both hands.”
Parents shouldn’t stop their baby from exploring and making noise because this is part of how they grow up. After all, a one-year-old is unique because unlike a newborn, the only noise that they make isn’t going to be crying (or even screaming). Babies who are 12 months want to explore what occurs when they slam two blocks together or when they use a rattle (or another equally adorable toy).
7. YOU SHOULDN’T THINK YOUR BABY ISN’T ACTUALLY ATTEMPTING CONVERSATION WITH YOU
Do you think that your baby is trying to have a conversation with you? Maybe not since, after all, your little one is only 12 months at this point.
But as it turns out, they actually are. According to The Bump, “Baby is probably saying “dada,” “mama” and at least one other word. (And yes, if you understand what she means, it counts as a word!)”
Parents need to stop thinking that their 12-month-old isn’t attempting to have a conversation. They totally are, and it’s adorable. Just wait until they actually can say some words. It’s going to be amazing.
5. MOMS SHOULD STOP GIVING THE BABY TOO MANY NAPS
Even before someone becomes a parent, they know some things about babies: they get tired and hungry, they sleep a lot during the day (and sometimes not at night), and you just want to say “aw” a million times when you look at them.
Even though moms might think that their baby should still nap a lot when they’re 12 months, parents should actually stop giving their one-year-old too many naps. According to The Bump, “How much sleep should a 1-year-old get? One-year-olds still likely sleep about 13 to 14 hours per day. Roughly 10 to 11 of those hours are probably at night. A typical nap schedule for a 1-year-old baby consists of two naps that total three hours of daytime sleep.”
4. PARENTS DEFINITELY SHOULDN’T IGNORE IT IF THEIR BABY HAS TROUBLE IN THE BATHROOM
Parents often laugh that they talk a lot about things that occur in the bathroom when they have a little one. You know that boys find everything bathroom-related to be the funniest things ever, but even when you have a baby, you’re going to be talking about these subjects more often than you might expect.
That’s why, if your 12-month-0ld has some trouble in the bathroom, you have to talk to your doctor. Parents should stop ignoring this if their one-year-old is dealing with this. As Kids Health says, “As you introduce more foods and whole milk, the appearance and frequency of your child’s poopy diapers may change. Let your doctor know if your child has diarrhea, is constipated, or has poop that’s hard to pass.”
3. MOMS SHOULD STOP HAVING THEIR LITTLE ONE PLAY THE SAME GAMES OR WITH THE SAME TOYS
Parents also need to stop only having their baby play with the same toys once they’re 12 months. Baby Center says parents should have “new types of play.” The publication explains, “Your baby’s play probably will start shifting from mastering his fine motor skills – he’s got that thumb-and-forefinger grasp down pat – to exercising larger muscles. Some children this age have an attention span of two to five minutes for quiet activities, although your child’s favorite games may not be all that quiet.”
It makes sense to think that a one-year-old would play with the same toys as they were playing with just a few months ago, but they are growing up and they need a lot more.
2. YOU SHOULD STOP WAITING TO SLEEP TRAIN
Parents should stop waiting to sleep train their baby because this is definitely something that can be done at 12 months. It’s good to take control of the situation instead of hoping that it’s just a phase or that your baby will start sleeping normally soon.
According to The Bump, parents often say “My one-year-old won’t sleep through the night!” As the publication explains, “Whether your 1-year-old has sleep regression or he’s never slept the whole night through, we get your desperation. If your one-year-old is not sleeping, you might turn to sleep-training in order to teach her to sleep better.”
1. PARENTS SHOULDN’T ALWAYS PUT THEIR BABY’S CLOTHES ON (BABIES CAN ACTUALLY DO A LITTLE BIT)
It’s true that your baby isn’t old enough to put on an entire outfit. But you might notice that your baby is now 12 months old and they are actually attempting to be involved in the whole process of putting on clothing.
Very Well Family explains, “Your 1-year-old will begin to try and become independent in many ways. They may insist on trying to help dress themselves and may want to test out new physical skills.”
When you have a one-year-old, you can definitely stop putting your baby’s clothes on all the time without letting them be involved a little bit. (This will also be so cute.)