Baby’s First Year

2 Weeks Check-up

Baby

• Will look at your face briefly and can recognize your voice
• Will startle to loud noises
• May cry 2-4 hours a day – could be hungry, tired or bored
• May be lifting his/her head up a little

Feeding

• Your baby needs only breast milk or formula
• Most breast-fed babies want to nurse every 2-3 hours during the early weeks, many will have “cluster feedings” where they want to eat every hour
• Formula fed babies should be drinking 2-4 ounces every 2-4 hours
• Your baby should have at least 6-8 wet diapers and 4-8 dirty diapers a day

Safety

• Make sure your home has a smoke alarm and that it works
• Car seats are a MUST – baby is to ride in the backseat, facing backwards – never in the front with a passenger air bag
• Turn your hot water heater down to 120 degrees or less
• Put baby to sleep on BACK to lower your baby’s risk for SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
• Never leave your baby alone in a tub or sink of water
• Keep home and car smoke free
• Never leave your baby alone with your pets
• Never shake your baby

More

• Remember, Mom and Dad need rest too – nap when baby naps
• You can’t spoil your baby at this age – when you respond to crying, you are showing that he/she can trust you
• Most of all — ENJOY YOUR BABY!

2 Months Check-up

Baby

• Will look at your face briefly and can recognize your voice
• Will startle to loud noises
• May cry 2-4 hours a day – could be hungry, tired or bored
• May be lifting his/her head up a little

Feeding

• Your baby needs only breast milk or formula
• Most breast-fed babies want to nurse every 2-3 hours during the early weeks, many will have “cluster feedings” where they want to eat every hour
• Formula fed babies should be drinking 2-4 ounces every 2-4 hours
• Your baby should have at least 6-8 wet diapers and 4-8 dirty diapers a day

Safety

• Make sure your home has a smoke alarm and that it works
• Car seats are a MUST – baby is to ride in the backseat, facing backwards – never in the front with a passenger air bag
• Turn your hot water heater down to 120 degrees or less
• Put baby to sleep on BACK to lower your baby’s risk for SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
• Never leave your baby alone in a tub or sink of water
• Keep home and car smoke free
• Never leave your baby alone with your pets
• Never shake your baby

More

• Remember, Mom and Dad need rest too – nap when baby naps
• You can’t spoil your baby at this age – when you respond to crying, you are showing that he/she can trust you
• Most of all — ENJOY YOUR BABY!

4 Months Check-up

Playtime

• Can hold a rattle briefly
• Will begin to look at and play with his/her hands and feet (in the next month)
• Will begin to make sounds such as gurgling, cooing, babbling
• Can smile at you
• Can lift head up when laying on his/her tummy
• Enjoys when you sing and talk to him/her
• Should have one sleep time that lasts 6-7 hours
• Will stay awake for longer periods of time without fussing
• Examples of safe, age appropriate toys for ages 1-3 months: mobiles, mirrors, music boxes, stuffed animals without detachable parts, rattles

Feeding

• From 2-4 months of age, baby should be taking 5-7 ounces of formula every 3-5 hours
• Your baby need only formula or breast milk
• Some spitting up is normal – keep baby upright after feedings and burp frequently

Safety

• Never leave your baby alone
• Use a car seat each time your baby is in the car
• Baby should face backwards
• Baby should sleep on back

Immunizations

Immunizations (vaccinations / shots) are very important for your baby’s health

There may be some side effects from the shots such as a fever, crying, fussiness

Use acetaminophen (Tylenol) every 4-6 hours for the next 24 hours

More

• Your baby is getting more interested in his/her environment and in you – ENJOY!
• Playtime on the floor with “tummy-time” is important so baby can practice motor skills
• Baby can sleep through the night without a feeding
• Talk, sing, and read to your baby

6 Months Check-up

Playtime

• Can roll over easily
• Has good head control
• Can sit with support or leaning forward on hands
• Can reach, grab, and hold own bottle
• Can imitate sounds that you make
• Will explore objects with mouth
• Can sleep through the night without a feeding
• Good toys: “busy box”, soft books, rattles, small blocks baby can hold, mobiles, squeak toys, play gym
• May begin to fear strangers

Feeding

• Should be progressing with solid food – cereal, vegetables, and fruit by spoon
• Formula feedings should be about 32 ounces a day
• Breastfeeding should be about 5-6 times a day
• Formula and breastfeeding amount will begin to decrease as baby takes more food from the spoon
• Start meats about 7 months of age
• Baby should be fed 3 meals a day from the spoon

Safety

• Car seat facing backwards in the backseat
• Check all toys for small parts that can choke
• Use plastic plug covers in all electrical outlets
• Use gates at the top and bottom of stairs
• Lock up all medicine and keep purses out of reach
• Keep all cleaning products out of reach
• “Walkers” are not encouraged because they can be dangerous

Immunizations

• Immunizations (vaccinations / shots) are very important for your baby’s health
• There may be some side effects from the shots such as a fever, crying, fussiness
• Use acetaminophen (Tylenol) every 4-6 hours for the next 24 hours

More

• In the next few months, baby will start to scoot, crawl and even pull up on furniture to stand. This means baby can pull things over on him/herself – so watch out!
• The more active baby becomes, the more danger there is for baby – stay one step ahead!
• Keep talking to your baby and answer when baby tries to talk
• Let baby stretch out on a blanket on the floor and practice motor skills
• By 6 months of age, baby should have doubled his/her birth weight
• Baby may cut first tooth at 6 months of age or later

9 Months Check-up

Playtime

• Sits by self, may be crawling, and soon will be standing and cruising around furniture
• Can pinch and poke with thumb and forefinger
• Has many sounds and will talk “baby talk”
• Give baby plenty of floor time to practice motor skills
• Good toys: blocks, soft toys, “chubby” books, activity crib toys, dolls, soft trucks and cars, pop-ups, squeeze toys, pictures of real people, soft keys
• Give baby a special cabinet or drawer in the kitchen that he/she can empty and fill back up. (Use his/her toys or plastic bowls, wooden spoons, etc.)

Feeding

• Baby should be eating 3 meals with 2 snack times a day
• Snacks should be healthy – fruit or toast make good choices
• Breastfeeding only 3-4 times a day now
• If bottle-feeding, baby needs only 16-24 ounces of formula per day
• Offer a cup (goal is to get baby off bottle by one year of age)
• Seat baby in a highchair to be with the rest of the family
• Offer safe finger foods – small soft pieces
• No hard candy or peanuts or anything else that can choke baby
• Over the next 2-3 months, baby will graduate to table food

Safety

• Remember electric plug covers, gates for stairs, and cabinet locks
  Put baby’s “special” play cabinet away from the cooking area – Baby can be burned by spilled grease or hot water
• Lock up all poisons, medicines, alcohol, and cleaning supplies
• Keep the Poison Control number by all your phones —
  POISON CONTROL CENTER 1-800-222-1222
• Empty wash buckets and keep the bathroom door shut. (Baby can drown in only 2 inches of water.)
• Use a car seat and face it backwards in the car

Testing

• A hemoglobin and lead test may be done today – these tests are for anemia and lead poisoning

More

• Read, talk, and sing to your baby – this helps your baby learn
• Television and movies should never take the place of human interaction
• This is a good time to use the word “NO”. Be loving but firm, if you are consistent, baby will learn better.
• Baby may become afraid of strangers – this is normal. Help your baby become comfortable around new people by holding and reassuring him/her.
• Time to begin to wean baby off pacifier

12 Months Check-up

Playtime

• Baby is pulling up on furniture, cruising, crawling, and may be walking
• Baby has a good “pinch” now with finger and thumb and can pick up small things
• “Peek-a-boo” and “patty-cake” are fun games, so are stacking blocks and putting them in bowls or boxes
• Your baby should be making “ma-ma” or “da-da” sounds, and may be saying 1-3 words
• Keep talking and naming objects. This helps your baby develop his/her language
• Good toys: push and pull toys, toy lawn mowers, telephones, blocks, toys that can be taken apart, pounding toys, wooden puzzles, plastic bowls and wooden spoons.

Discipline

• A firm “no” is good. Children at this age do not understand a spanking
• If baby continues the behavior after being told “no”, move baby to another room, take away the toy, etc.
• Limit the number of rules
• Be consistent. Don’t let baby do something one day, then punish him/her the next.
• Turn your hot water heater down to 120 degrees or less
• Put baby to sleep on BACK to lower your baby’s risk for SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
• Never leave your baby alone in a tub or sink of water
• Keep home and car smoke free
• Never leave your baby alone with your pets
• Never shake your baby

Feeding

• Baby should be drinking whole milk now, 16-24 ounces a day
• Cups, not bottles
• Give baby table food and let baby learn to feed him/herself. Keep teaching the spoon, but let baby use fingers.
• Baby’s appetite may drop off now, as he/she is not growing as quickly
• Insist baby sit for all meals with the family

Testing

• Your baby is changing quickly. Baby has probably tripled his/her birth weight and may have 6-8 teeth.

15 Months Check-up

Playtime

• Can roll over easily
• Has good head control
• Can sit with support or leaning forward on hands
• Can reach, grab, and hold own bottle
• Can imitate sounds that you make
• Will explore objects with mouth
• Can sleep through the night without a feeding
• Good toys: “busy box”, soft books, rattles, small blocks baby can hold, mobiles, squeak toys, play gym
• May begin to fear strangers

Feeding

• Should be progressing with solid food – cereal, vegetables, and fruit by spoon
• Formula feedings should be about 32 ounces a day
• Breastfeeding should be about 5-6 times a day
• Formula and breastfeeding amount will begin to decrease as baby takes more food from the spoon
• Start meats about 7 months of age
• Baby should be fed 3 meals a day from the spoon

Safety

• Car seat facing backwards in the backseat
• Check all toys for small parts that can choke
• Use plastic plug covers in all electrical outlets
• Use gates at the top and bottom of stairs
• Lock up all medicine and keep purses out of reach
• Keep all cleaning products out of reach
• “Walkers” are not encouraged because they can be dangerous

Immunizations

• Immunizations (vaccinations / shots) are very important for your baby’s health
• There may be some side effects from the shots such as a fever, crying, fussiness
• Use acetaminophen (Tylenol) every 4-6 hours for the next 24 hours

More

• In the next few months, baby will start to scoot, crawl and even pull up on furniture to stand. This means baby can pull things over on him/herself – so watch out!
• The more active baby becomes, the more danger there is for baby – stay one step ahead!
• Keep talking to your baby and answer when baby tries to talk
• Let baby stretch out on a blanket on the floor and practice motor skills
• By 6 months of age, baby should have doubled his/her birth weight
• Baby may cut first tooth at 6 months of age or later

18 Months Check-up

Playtime

• Can roll over easily
• Has good head control
• Can sit with support or leaning forward on hands
• Can reach, grab, and hold own bottle
• Can imitate sounds that you make
• Will explore objects with mouth
• Can sleep through the night without a feeding
• Good toys: “busy box”, soft books, rattles, small blocks baby can hold, mobiles, squeak toys, play gym
• May begin to fear strangers

Feeding

• Should be progressing with solid food – cereal, vegetables, and fruit by spoon
• Formula feedings should be about 32 ounces a day
• Breastfeeding should be about 5-6 times a day
• Formula and breastfeeding amount will begin to decrease as baby takes more food from the spoon
• Start meats about 7 months of age
• Baby should be fed 3 meals a day from the spoon

Safety

• Car seat facing backwards in the backseat
• Check all toys for small parts that can choke
• Use plastic plug covers in all electrical outlets
• Use gates at the top and bottom of stairs
• Lock up all medicine and keep purses out of reach
• Keep all cleaning products out of reach
• “Walkers” are not encouraged because they can be dangerous

Immunizations

• Immunizations (vaccinations / shots) are very important for your baby’s health
• There may be some side effects from the shots such as a fever, crying, fussiness
• Use acetaminophen (Tylenol) every 4-6 hours for the next 24 hours

More

• In the next few months, baby will start to scoot, crawl and even pull up on furniture to stand. This means baby can pull things over on him/herself – so watch out!
• The more active baby becomes, the more danger there is for baby – stay one step ahead!
• Keep talking to your baby and answer when baby tries to talk
• Let baby stretch out on a blanket on the floor and practice motor skills
• By 6 months of age, baby should have doubled his/her birth weight
• Baby may cut first tooth at 6 months of age or later

2 Years Check-up

Playtime

• Can roll over easily
• Has good head control
• Can sit with support or leaning forward on hands
• Can reach, grab, and hold own bottle
• Can imitate sounds that you make
• Will explore objects with mouth
• Can sleep through the night without a feeding
• Good toys: “busy box”, soft books, rattles, small blocks baby can hold, mobiles, squeak toys, play gym
• May begin to fear strangers

Feeding

• Should be progressing with solid food – cereal, vegetables, and fruit by spoon
• Formula feedings should be about 32 ounces a day
• Breastfeeding should be about 5-6 times a day
• Formula and breastfeeding amount will begin to decrease as baby takes more food from the spoon
• Start meats about 7 months of age
• Baby should be fed 3 meals a day from the spoon

Safety

• Car seat facing backwards in the backseat
• Check all toys for small parts that can choke
• Use plastic plug covers in all electrical outlets
• Use gates at the top and bottom of stairs
• Lock up all medicine and keep purses out of reach
• Keep all cleaning products out of reach
• “Walkers” are not encouraged because they can be dangerous

Immunizations

• Immunizations (vaccinations / shots) are very important for your baby’s health
• There may be some side effects from the shots such as a fever, crying, fussiness
• Use acetaminophen (Tylenol) every 4-6 hours for the next 24 hours

More

• In the next few months, baby will start to scoot, crawl and even pull up on furniture to stand. This means baby can pull things over on him/herself – so watch out!
• The more active baby becomes, the more danger there is for baby – stay one step ahead!
• Keep talking to your baby and answer when baby tries to talk
• Let baby stretch out on a blanket on the floor and practice motor skills
• By 6 months of age, baby should have doubled his/her birth weight
• Baby may cut first tooth at 6 months of age or later