Tips for your 13-15 Month old baby

HELP ME BE HEALTHY.

At this checkup, my doctor will:

• Weigh and measure me.
• Give me a few vaccines at IS months. If I missed some vaccines before, I will get more. These vaccines help me grow up healthy. If I had any reactions to the vaccines before, remind the doctor or nurse what happened.
• Ask the doctor or WIC nutritionist about my eating habits. I’m eating lots of different foods. Don’t worry if my appetite changes from meal to meal.

Take my health journal whenever we go to the clinic or doctor. Write the date I get any vaccines and the reason I see the doctor. For example, write if I’m sick or hurt. If you don’t have health insurance for me, call the Children’s Health Insurance Program at 1-877-543-7669 (1-877-KIDS-NOW) to find out about children’s health insurance.

TAKE CARE OF MY TEETH.

Take me for a dental visit. The dentist will count my teeth, look for cavities, and talk to you about how to take care of my teeth. The den­tist might also paint some fluoride on my teeth to make them stronger. If we start tak­ing care of my teeth when they first come in, I can grow up without cavities.

Remember:

• Brush my teeth every day.
• Don’t share my spoon when you feed me.
• Don’t put my pacifier in your mouth.

KEEP ME SAFE.

• Help me learn what is all right to do. Show me and tell me what you want me to do. If I don’t do it, show me or tell me again. Praise me when I do it right. Do not yell at me or hit me. I learn more quickly and easily if you teach or show me than if you punish me.
• Teach me not to play around stairs and windows. Accidents can happen. Check the screens on the windows. Make sure the screens are not broken or torn. The screens should be attached securely so I can’t open them.
• Help me get ready to go to sleep. Bedtimes can be a problem when I’m overly tired. I really enjoy a story or other quiet activity before I go to sleep. This bedtime routine helps me settle down.
• Be calm when I have a temper tantrum. It’s okay for me to cry and scream when I’m angry. This is one way I say “I’m angry.” I don’t have enough words yet to explain my anger. You can say, “I know you feel really angry when that happens!” As I grow older, I can learn other ways to deal with my anger. But don’t give in to me just because I’m screaming. Let me calm down and then help me change my atten­tion to something I can do. Here are some ways you can help me stop the tantrum:
  • Keep calm.
  • Put me in a safe place to keep me from hurting myself.
  • Hug me and comfort me when I have calmed down. Spanking and yelling at me don’t help. They only make me angrier. I will calm down on my own. When I’m quiet, help me do an activity I enjoy.

PLAY WITH ME, IT HELPS ME LEARN.

• Read me stories. This helps me learn new sounds and words.
• Play hide-and-seek games.
• Pretend with me. Let’s make believe we are cooking, eating, washing, cleaning, drinking, or going on a hike. I like to copy what you do. Some of the time it will be fun for you to copy what I do.
• Build a tower with blocks.
• Reward me when I do a good thing. Think about rewarding me with activities that I like to do, like reading a favorite story or spending time with a favorite person. Using food as a reward can lead to prob­lems later.

WATCH HOW I GROW.

I learn at my own pace.
If you have questions because you think it’s taking me a long time to learn to do some things in this list, please call my doctor or nurse. To find a nearby Early Childhood Intervention program, call the DARS Help Line toll-free at 1-800-628-5115.

Watch for me to:

• Let you know what I want without crying. I might point, reach, make a sound, put up my arms, pull on you, or even say a word.
• Stand by myself or walk.
• Wave bye-bye when someone is leaving and says “bye-bye” to me.
• Call you “Mama” and “Dada.” You are so happy to hear me say those words when I see you.
• Talk all the time. Most of the time it sounds like jabbering. I’m the only one who knows what it means.
• Know the meaning of some words like “juice,” “Cup,” “on,” and “out.”
• Stoop to pick something up and stand up again without holding on to anything.
• Drop small things like a block into a container. When I do this, I open my hand to drop the block.
• Turn and look when you call me.

You might notice that I also:

• Have a change in appetite. I may not eat as much as I used to because I’m not growing as fast.
• Put all my energy into learning to walk. Because I’m learning to walk, I might be slow to learn some other things.