Nutrition
Breastfeeding or formula should be continued and your baby should be offered a variety of foods. Most children need three or four feedings a day. Provide regular meal times and offer table foods, such as potatoes, soft carrots, peas, noodles, and fruits. Avoid possible chokers=nuts, hard candy, chewing gum, hard raw fruits and vegetables. Also avoid honey, even if it is cooked. Infants can generally feed themselves and should be encouraged to drink from a cup. Our goal is to wean the infants from bottles by 12- 15 months. All exclusively breastfed infants (or infants receiving less than 32 ounces of formula each day) should have a vitamin D and iron supplement. We recommend POLYVISOL with Iron 1 ml orally each day. Pick up your child’s vitamin drops at InstyMeds right here in our office.
Elimination
Increasing diversity of foods leads to variation in stooling patterns. In many cases, constipation can be relieved by dietary changes, such as increases in fruits and vegetables, especially prunes, plums, apricots.
Safety
- Always put the baby in a car seat while driving! You may need to upgrade to a toddler car restraint if your baby weighs more than 20 lbs, however we always encourage that your child should be in a rear facing car seat until the age of 2. Additionally, the AAP recommends to keep children backwards until two years of age.
- It’s time to safety-proof your home. Use gates on the stairs and install safety devices on windows and screens. Keep heavy and hot containers out of reach. As children pull themselves up onto furniture, they may accidentally pull down tablecloths. Lock up all poisons, medicines and sharp objects. Plug up your electrical sockets and tie up the extension cords. Tie up the cords for all Venetian blinds.
- Always bathe infants in very shallow water, and never leave a child unattended near water.
- Avoid foods that the child will choke on: nuts, hot dogs, frozen peas, popcorn, raw carrots or celery.
- Call the Poison Control Center if you suspect your child ate a poison: 800-222-1222.
- All guns should be locked up with the ammunition stored in a separate location.
- Sunscreen, SPF 30 or higher, should be applied every day that you have sun exposure.
Development
You can continue to stimulate language development by “narrating your life” and imitating the baby’s sounds. Continue to read to your child daily. Many infants cry when parents leave their presence. This is normal and does not reflect that they are spoiled. Short parent-child separations typically are helpful in teaching the infants that when the parents go away they also come back. Distraction and diversion can be successful discipline measures at this age. It is easier to change the environment than the child’s behavior.
Sibling rivalry may intensify at this age when the infant begins to crawl and gain access to the toys and spaces of his or her siblings. Try and balance your older child’s need for privacy and protecting the infant from the older sibling’s anger.
(Please see the CDC website for the Vaccine Information Sheet
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/index.html?s_cid=cs_748 )
TODAY’S TESTS:
Hemoglobin – This test is a measure of anemia and is performed through a minimally invasive finger stick. Despite eating some iron-fortified foods, approximately 10% of infants become anemic and are in need of more iron.
Lead – This test conducted through a minimally invasive finger stick. It is a measure of a child’s lead exposure in pipes, soil, and other environmental exposures.
NEXT VISIT: Your baby’s next routine visit is at 12 months of age.
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