What to Expect in Baby's First Year with Sharon Mazel

Q & A with Parenting Expert Sharon Mazel

So much change takes identify in baby's first twelvemonth of life! Not only will babies probable triple their birth weight past about 12 months of age, they will learn to crawl, eat solid food, stand upwards, and for many, take their first steps. Which is a lot to learn! To dig into this a bit we chatted with Sharon Mazel, parenting proficient.

What'south your opinion on feeding a baby rice cereal?

Rice cereal used to exist the recommended first food for a baby starting solids. In fact, all 4 of my children ate rice cereal when they first started solids! Only that was then and this is at present… and these days, virtually pediatricians and pediatric nutritionists recommend shying away from rice cereal, certainly every bit a kickoff food, and even as a nutrient consumed often. That'south because rice contains elevated levels of arsenic, and it's never a expert idea to feed a young developing infant large amounts of food that contains traces of heavy metals. If that's not reason enough to reach for a different first food for your petty ane, consider that rice cereal is pretty bland and information technology's always better to introduce your baby to a diet with varied tastes and textures. That said, some doctors however recommend rice cereal for babies since it's a good source of fe (assuming, of course, that it'due south atomic number 26-enriched). And while it'southward fine to plough to rice cereal occasionally, I would suggest reaching instead for other fortified babe cereals fabricated from oats, wheat, quinoa, or other healthy grains when you're looking for a cereal. Or amend yet, look for other sources of iron for your baby: lentils, beans, beef, tofu, egg yolks – all foods that y'all can kickoff serving up right from the start.

What are the key developmental milestones for the start year?

Information technology'due south actually astonishing what happens in infant'due south offset year when information technology comes to evolution – especially considering where your baby starts to where they end upward by the first birthday. There are many developmental milestones to wait forward to, and all can be considered central. Less essential is when they happen (every baby is dissimilar!)… every bit long equally most of them are reached eventually. And while these heady developmental milestones won't happen at the same age for every baby, they volition, at to the lowest degree most of the time, happen during the very wide range of what would be considered normal.

Milestones tin be broken into various categories: Big motor skills (with skills like gaining caput control, learning how to lift the chest while on the tummy, rolling over, sitting, crawling, pulling to stand, cruising, continuing solitary, and then walking); small motor skills (reaching for toys, picking upward objects starting time with the whole hand and subsequently with the thumb and alphabetize finger, exploring objects in baby's mouth, squeezing objects, clapping easily, waving, and even stacking toys); language skills (cooing, babbling, understanding words, recognizing words for common objects, saying words, following directions); and social-emotional skills (that adorable grinning, making heart contact, copying facial expressions, playing games similar peek-a-boo, engaging with toys and people, trying to get attention, and somewhen playing independently for shorts bursts). Nurture your little one's evolution past giving your infant enough of time on the floor to exercise those large motor skills, providing plenty of easily-on feel with toys and finger games to practice those pocket-size motor skills, talking and interacting with your baby to promote those communication skills, and loving your baby to facilitate a sense of condolement, conviction, and encouragement to help build those social-emotional skills.

When should we exist worried if a baby isn't crawling or pulling to stand?

Parents are always wondering (and worrying) nigh those developmental milestones! It's probably the most frequent question I get asked on Instagram (bated from those questions about feeding… and sleeping… and playing… and communicating…). The commencement matter I always remind parents is that every baby is different and every baby is on his or her own developmental timeline. And that ways that i baby might exist reaching the big motor skills weeks (or months) earlier than his peer… simply that peer may be leaps and bounds ahead on social-emotional milestones. The good news is that the range of normal for a baby'due south historic period is very (very) broad, and then at that place's usually nothing to worry most, even if your babe seems to exist on the slower side when it comes to reaching a particular milestone.
Virtually babies will acquire to crawl somewhere between half-dozen to 10 months. Crawling is considered by some experts (especially occupational therapists) to be a developmental must-do, while others (including many pediatricians) feel it's non as crucial in the developmental spectrum of milestones. These experts are less concerned about a baby who isn't crawling in the traditional way — as long as that infant has reached other motor milestones, is learning to coordinate each side of his or her torso, is using each arm and leg every bit, and is using some sort of locomotion to go around. If your baby isn't able to move around past either crawling, scooting, or rolling by 12 months, information technology'south time to call the pediatrician.

Babies will pull to stand, on average, around 9 to 12 month. If by 12 months your baby isn't able to support his body weight, information technology could hateful he has low muscle tone, so be certain to speak to the doctor about it.

What are your favorite play activities for 6 -12 months?

Babies in the second one-half of the first twelvemonth are so much fun… peculiarly when they play. By this age many babies are sitting well on their ain, enabling them to play with a whole new perspective. And and so, when they pull up and start cruising, the globe opens up even more! To aid them fine melody their fine motor skills, I honey giving babies stacking and sorting toys, education them how to whorl a ball back and along, giving them musical toys to play with,  introducing historic period-appropriate puzzles, and even blowing bubbles for them. Playing interactive human being games are perfect for this age, as well, and really helps in the social-emotional department. Peek-a-Boo, Itsy-Bitsy Spider, and This Fiddling Piggy are loads of fun for your fiddling 1. To help nurture those large motor skills, the all-time activities are the ones that lets your little explorer explore… so don't keep your baby cooped up in seats, strollers, stationary activity centers, and other confining locations. And finally, chatting with and reading to your baby are crucial to aid bring out the communicator in your little cutie.

What are your go-to teething relief recommendations?

Teething pain is no fun for your cutie, but there are some ways to ease the ouch when your infant is teething. Giving your baby something to chew on – your finger, a teething toy, a cool washcloth (soaked in chamomile for extra relief!) — are all great ways to ease the pain and gives baby the chance to utilise his or her own counterpressure to those aching gums. You can also rub or massage those gums with your finger to provide some teething hurting aid. Some parents dear to offer baby a feeder handbag with frozen formula/breastmilk or fruit in it for infant to gum. If your baby is in a lot of pain, ask the physician if you should offer baby acetaminophen. Don't utilise numbing gels that contain benzocaine (it's not safe for baby) and most experts recommend against using homeopathic remedies and numbing products since they can either exist dangerous or ineffective. And steer articulate of teething necklaces or bracelets fabricated of bister since they are choking and strangulation hazards. What's more, there's no scientific data to show that wearing bister dewdrop necklaces provides any kind of pain relief – and experts say it'south actually impossible to piece of work as purported since the succinic acid in the beads tin can't really be absorbed into the peel from a necklace (or bracelet) as claimed.

What are some of the myths about infant'south get-go year?

In that location are lots of myths that are stubbornly passed from generation to generation and social media mom to mom, but that have either been debunked or that never were true in the showtime place. Myths like baby needs a bath every day (in that location's nothing incorrect with a daily bath, only baby doesn't demand it), that belongings a baby will spoil him (loving your infant and being responsive to a immature babe is always recommended), that adding cereal to a baby'southward canteen with help her sleep longer (information technology won't, plus it could be risky), that "educational" toys volition make a infant smarter (they won't so don't bother spending money on toys that claim they will), that teething causes fever (a high fever is rarely teething related), that all babies go nipple defoliation (they don't), that the house has to exist placidity when infant is sleeping (it doesn't), that vaccines crusade autism (they absolutely don't), that pacifiers are bad for baby (they aren't bad in the beginning year and are actually helpful during sleep since they reduce the risk of SIDS), that babies need to poop every twenty-four hours (they don't after the first month or so), that you have to wait to feed certain foods because of allergies (not true, and in fact it's all-time to innovate allergenic foods early), that babies should beverage juice (non at all!), and so many more than!

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