Parenting Tips for Your 12 Month Old Child
By the end of the first year, your baby has developed his own personality. Your baby is a full-fledged member of your family. It’s hard to imagine what life was like without him! In the months ahead look forward to your child doing the following:
- Sleeping about 12 hours at night, and getting up early in the morning
- Needing a longer nap on some days
- Usually wanting attention when waking up
- Having a varied appetite, especially while teething; after 12 months, children grow more slowly and eat a little less
- Having a language “explosion”; a 12-month-old may speak two or three words while a 2-year-old may know 200 to 300 words
- Exploring and playing with genitals or private area; this is normal curiosity
- Starting to show independence without really knowing what he wants; you may hear no and “Me do it” a lot
- One or two words will stand for many things. “Mommy” may mean, “Where’s Mommy?” or “Mommy, play with me” or something else entirely. It’s up to you to figure out what he means, so be patient and understand this will pass as he learns how to communicate with you.
Learn more about Your 12 Month Old Child from Just In Time Parenting. You can also go to our Resource Links for additional information on child care and development.
