Congratulations on making it to the twelfth month of your baby’s life. Your beautiful little boy or girl is almost one year old. During the time from their birth until now, you’ve watched them achieve many feats. They’ve probably almost tripled in weight and grown in height. They’ve learned to support their own head, open their hands to grip objects, and move around on their arms and legs. Your child has also been babbling to learn how to speak, dropping objects to learn about gravity and the world around them, and he’s developed a relationship with you. These are all enormous changes, but the fun is just starting.

By month twelve, your child is probably sleeping through the night and taking two naps per day, so they still need a lot of sleep. They will be more alert when awake, though. Get ready for them to become really active. They may be walking while keeping a hand on a couch for support or while holding on to your hands, but they’ll soon be able to do it without that help. This means they’ll be able to test out their surroundings even more than before.

One of the ways your baby will test his or her surroundings is by banging objects together. He may also shove toys into jars or take them out. This can lead to messes, but he’s having fun, so you should enjoy it, too. However, make sure to secure your cabinets and doors, since he’ll want to open and close them. You don’t want Junior exploring the cabinet under the sink where all the soaps are.

Baby’s emotions are also developing. He may have a real attachment to you now and cry if you leave him with a babysitter. He may be afraid of strangers and cling to you. This is perfectly normal. Your child has to learn to develop social attachments and trust.

Speaking of attachments, your baby may start to like particular toys or objects. He may also push away things he doesn’t want. He’ll remove his socks for fun or pull off hats. Let him explore his world and test his limits. He may start to push you and really test his boundaries, too. However, remember that he’s learned the word “no” by now, so discipline him when necessary. Don’t let him behave badly. Your child can start to learn acceptable behaviors now while he’s learning about the world around him.

By: Michaela Wright

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