Important Information about your 15 month old
Family
Set firm, fair rules and keep them the same to teach your child respect and discipline. Timeouts should happen in a neutral area of the house (one minute for each year of age). Be sure to praise them for things that they do correctly. Make time for yourself and partner, and think about joining parenting or play groups. Establish routines around the house and traditions that they can be a part of.
Development
When reading to your child, use simple words to describe pictures and use simple, clear words and phrases to promote language development. Let your child choose what to read from time to time. Make sure to describe feelings and emotions. By this age, they should know at least three words, can pull themselves up and walk by holding onto furniture. They may also have stranger anxiety and more separation anxiety when away from you. This is because they are becoming more aware and understanding more.
Health
There should be no smoking in the home of the child or in the car. Your child should have a night-time routine, including reading, singing, and brushing teeth. They should be brushing their teeth twice a day with child’s fluoride toothpaste and a soft toothbrush. Go to www.ilikemyteeth.org and www.mychildrensteeth.org – they are great sites for information on fluoride and dentists. There should be no TV at mealtime.
Eating
Your child will eat less in their second year and should only gain about 5-7 pounds total. They should have 3 meals and 2 snacks per day. Remember to fill half their plate with fruits/vegetables at each meal. A serving size is the size of your child’s fist so do not serve large portions. Encourage them to feed themselves and let them choose what they want to eat off of the plate. Do not force feed or bribe them. No junk food. Make sure to avoid small hard foods as they can cause your child to choke. Limit milk to less than 16-20 oz/day. Encourage drinking water instead of juice throughout the day.
Safety
Make sure your home is childproofed and that your child still sits in a rear-facing car seat in the back seat. Around water, you should never be more than an arm’s length away from your child. No smoking in house or car. Check your smoke detectors once a month. If your family owns any guns, make sure they are kept unloaded, and locked away separately. The hot water heater should be set to 120 °F or below. Keep hot liquids out of reach and be careful when cooking in the kitchen.
Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222
After Hours and Weekends
After 4:00 PM and before 8:00 AM
For medical advice when People’s is closed call After Hours Nurse line at 512-478-4939
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