Baby's Care and Development
Your nine to twelve month old
Your baby is quite the talker at this age. She has learned
to imitate words and the actions of others. Now is a good
time to teach her the names of objects and the people in
her life.
Feeding Your Baby
Over the next few months, the amount of breast milk or
formula your baby drinks will decrease. Gradually decrease
the number of times you breastfeed or bottle feed each day.
Offer more  table
foods and less baby foods. Supervise your baby during
mealtimes to avoidchoking.
Breast-fed babies need to nurse every four or five hours.
Formula-fed babies need 32 ounces a day at nine months of
age. But they only need 24 ounces of formula a day by one
year of age.
Caring for Your Baby
Bathing
- Put a safety mat in the bottom of your tub to prevent
slips and falls
- Don't leave your baby alone in the tub or the bathroom.
The toilet, cabinets and faucets can be dangerous
Skin Care
- Sometimes new foods can cause rashes. Call your healthcare
provider with questions
- Protect your baby from the sun
- Dress your baby in loose fitting clothes
Mouth and Dental Care
- Prevent baby bottle tooth decay. If your baby must have
a bottle at night, give her only water
- Start to teach your baby to brush her teeth on her own
Sleeping
Sometimes babies this age wake up during the night. She
may:
- Be frustrated
- Be cold, hot or in the wrong position
- Want to play
- Want to know that you are close by
Check on your baby if she cries for more than a few minutes.
She may just need to know you are near.
Health Care
Your baby will visit the doctor at this age for a check-up
and shots (immunizations). Be sure to describe all
of the new things your baby is doing. Ask any questions
you may have. If your child does not have health insurance,
visit the Child Health
Insurance portion of this Web site for more information
on North Carolina's publicly-funded health insurance programs.
Your Baby's Development
There are lots of activities you can do with your baby to
help your baby grow and develop. See
How We Grow - Baby's First Year can give you specific
ways you can help your baby learn to trust, feel comfortable,
communicate and become aware of how his or her body moves.
(If the link above downloads too slowly, try the plain
text version.)
Your Baby's Safety
- Bring your baby home from the hospital in an approved car safety seat and use it on every ride. our baby should be in a rear-facing infant or convertible car safety seat for at least one year.
- He/she should continue to ride rear facing as long as possible, up to two years old or more depending on your child's size. Always check the height and weight restrictions on your seat to make sure your child is riding safely. Click here for more information.
- Check your smoke detector batteries every month
- Put all chemicals, cleaning supplies and toiletries
out of the baby's reach
- Cover all electrical outlets with safety covers if you
haven't done this already
- Use gates at the top and bottom of stairs to prevent
dangerous falls
- Keep your baby away from secondhand smoke. (For tips
on how to deal with secondhand smoke, download Oh
Baby! We want to keep you safe from secondhand smoke.
If the piece downloads too slowly, try the plain
text version)
Visit the Safety tips page
for more valuable information on keeping your baby safe.
Other Links
North Carolina Vaccines for Children Program The N.C. Division of Public Health's fact sheet explains eligibility for this program and other information pertaining to reduced costs for required vaccines for children up to 19 years of age.
WIC
Program Breastfeeding and Support WIC strives to increase the incidence
and duration of breastfeeding among women enrolled in the Program.
Carolinas
Poison Center - 1-800-222-1222
National
HEALTHYCHILDREN.ORG a new parenting Web site from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The site includes general information related to child health plus more specific guidance on parenting issues and is promoted as "the only parenting Web site backed by 60,000 pediatricians committed to the attainment of optimal physical, mental and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents and young adults."
For more health information, search MedlinePlus |
 |
Back to top
Last updated: January 2013 |
