The moment your baby arrives, he/she will take up a lot of your time and attention. Soon enough, it’ll be time to blow off the candles on your little darling’s first birthday. In this one year, your baby will learn and develop substantially. But this one-year journey also means your baby will outgrow a lot of things, setting the stage for newer challenges to be conquered. So, do these 15 things before your baby turns 1 to help them in their growth journey:
15. Stack Away Baby Toys
Those cute newborn clothes are not the only things your baby will outgrow. No, your baby doesn’t need those cradle chandeliers, play gyms, etc.. So, just pack ’em and stack ’em up.
14. Get Learning And Skill Development Toys Instead
Get toddler toys for your child. These come in attractive colors and are interactive. This kind of toys will help in providing mental stimulation for your baby and improve their motor skills.
13. Make Your Home Toddler Safe
They’ll crawl, start to walk, and topple over often soon after they turn one. So, make sure the edges around your home are taped; close all low-lying plug-points; remove overhanging wires from their reach, etc. Get expert help if necessary.
12. Make Sleeping Areas Safe
By now, your baby will grow slightly bigger for his/her cradle or crib. So, make sure you reduce the height of the crib/cradle. Place some soft pillows or carpet the area around to cushion any potential falls.
11. Communicate In Clear Words
Earlier, you’d blabber or coo to your baby. But from now on, speak in clear words. You’ll be surprised how quickly your baby will catch the ‘Ma-Ma’ and ‘Da-Da’ kind of single-syllable words.
10. Let Them Eat On Their Own
By now, your baby might learn to grasp stuff (remember your hair getting pulled?). So, make use of this skill by letting your baby eat their food themselves. They’ll definitely spill, but will soon be fine.
9. Experiment With New Foods
The milk and cereals your baby might have consumed so far would be of a particular taste. From now on, start experimenting with food by introducing more flavors and textures to your baby’s food. This will help develop their taste sensation.
8. Move Over To Sippy Cup
Your baby was probably used to breastfeeding or bottle-feeding so far. However, now’s the time to transition to a sippy cup. It’ll help your baby to start drinking more water after a meal and stay hydrated.
7. Feed Wholesome Meals
While milk and cereals will still form a major part of your baby’s diet, start feeding more wholesome foods to your baby. You can now give pureed or cooked-till-soft meat, fish, and add more greens. But do check for allergies for certain foods and nuts before adding them.
6. Read To Your Baby
Start reading to your baby from a picture book. Go for ones with bigger pictures. Of course, they’ll not understand everything. But they’ll eventually get the concept of relating words with action.
5. Wean Off Pacifier
If your baby uses a pacifier, then try and wean off before your little angel turns one. Otherwise, it might become difficult for you to do so later on.
4. Rein Them In
Your baby will probably start throwing tantrums soon after turning one. Because now is the time they’ll probably get a hang of the ‘yes-no’ concept. So, start disciplining your little one early on – not by being harsh but by gently correcting them.
3. Allow Them To Take Over
Let your child become independent. Don’t rush to pick up if they fall while trying to walk (unless it’s a bad fall). Instead, let them try to pick themselves up. Likewise, allow them to take over while drinking water, eating food, or even attempting to brush their teeth. But be alert around them.
2. Potty Train Them
Your baby would have been in diapers for a long time now. However, most babies can be potty trained once they are able to sit erect. Getting them to poop on time might not be easy, but you can help them achieve peeing on time.
1. Get A Full Night’s Sleep
Those sleepless nights should have become a thing of the past by now. Keep your baby active and engaged during the day. Avoid daytime naps or playing with your baby at night just before bedtime. All this will ensure that you and your baby will get a full night’s sleep.
We hope this little list helps you check off those must-do items before your baby turns one. If you’ve already done these, then kudos to you. Your baby is well-prepared for the year-two journey!