Congratulations, your little baby is 44 weeks old! Time passes quickly, doesn`t it? Now it can comprehend what is being said, it can sometimes say meaningful words, it can see everything clearly and it tries to walk. Only eight weeks left until its first birthday!

Baby Development

Your baby can now defend itself among siblings and begin to engage in parallel play – it can happily play alongside (but not together) another baby. Just remember that babies at this age are still too young to understand the concepts of making friends, sharing, lining up or collaborating.

Your baby now understands simple instructions, but may not always follow them. Babies have very little self-control or impulse control. They may begin to cognitively understand what "no" means, but may not be able to consistently control their behavior. Create areas where your baby can play safely so you don`t have to say "no" all day.

It will chatter more and often make a sound that indicates its favorite person, object or toy. Keep talking and reading with your baby. While you may feel awkward talking properly to your 44-week-old baby, trust us, its brain will be storing information! If you`re bottle-feeding your baby, it`s time to start gradually discontinuing bottle feeding. You can breastfeed it up to 24 months, but bottle feeding is only recommended for 12 months. You can serve homemade meals as 3 main meals and 2 healthy snacks.

Milestones

1. Your baby will be able to express what it wants in ways other than crying.

1. Will be able to drink from a cup alone.

1. Can roll a ball at you if you roll it towards it.

1. Will be able to choose an object between its thumb and forefinger.

1. Will be able to respond to a one-step instruction and movement. For example, `give it to me` by extending your hand.

1. Can stand on its own.

1. Can start walking.

1. Will be able to use movable furniture to help it move forward, such as a stool that can be pushed.

1. Your baby can say a word more clearly with `mom` or `dad`.

Tips to Help It Speak

1. Name everything: Name everything like bathroom, bathtub, shoes, nose, kitchen, mom, dad. You can repeat these over and over again slowly. What words does an 11-month-old baby say? There is no answer to his question, but as long as you tell it the name of everything, the list of words your baby will say will get longer.

1. Listen to it also: You`re not always going to talk. Yes, you have the priority because you are the teacher. But if you listen to it too and let it make noise, you`ll speed up its speech. You won`t be able to understand some of its words, so you can tell what it`s trying to say by pointing at it and asking targeted questions like "Do you want the ball?"

1. Teach concepts: You can patiently teach it concepts such as hot-cold, empty-full, large-small, wet-dry. For example, you can make the concept of hot and cold tactile. You gently touch its hand to a hot glass or heater and say, "Look, it`s hot!" You can teach the concept of warmth more easily with words. You can also touch the ice for cold. You have to express all concepts tactilely and visually so that it consolidates them in its mind.

1. Acknowledge you are different people: You have not been one since the baby left the womb and your umbilical cord was cut. It and you are different personalities. You have to accept this as a mother. That`s why many mothers make the mistake of "We are teething", "We have a sleep problem." You should stay away from these words. You should make sentences like “You and I will have dinner.” “Mom and baby will go to the park.”

1. Explain cause-effect relationship: You can explain to your baby that everything happens for a reason. You can give information such as “If you press the button, the light turns on!”, “If you tear off the page of the book, we will not be able to read it!”, “If you throw the food plate on the floor, the food will spill on the floor.” Thus, it tends to learn more than memorization.

1. Second language development: If you know two or three languages, you should not hesitate to speak that language with your baby. Do not worry that your baby will have a hard time learning two languages at the same time. Yes, it can confuse some words. But over time everything falls into place. Whichever of the languages it is learning is more dominant - the language most used around it - it will learn that language better.

1. Keep away from TV, tablet and phone: It is important to support the intelligence development of the 11-month-old baby so that it does not have attention deficit and learning problems in the future. For this reason, we recommend that you do not make it watch television, do not hold a tablet or phone in its hand.

Nutrition

Your baby may drink less milk from a cup compared to a bottle, but that`s okay. Your goal is to phase out formula feeding in the next two months. For this transition, you can give your baby a glass of water instead of formula at mealtimes. Weaning will be more difficult if it`s used to feeding in the middle of the night, but you can try to change its sleep routine accordingly by gradually reducing your baby`s connection between the bottle and sleep by adding an element of comfort to distraction. When your baby is 12 months old, use whole milk instead of formula. Low-fat milk (and its products) contains more sugar and should therefore be avoided.

Sleep

11-month-old baby sleeps are quite regular. It may have trouble falling asleep or falling asleep once in a while. Then the best thing you can do is give your baby a warm and relaxing bath before going to bed.

If you haven`t gotten used to taking a bath before bed every night, now is the time. The baby will get tired from walking around and doing things on its own all day and will sleep better with a warm bath.

If you are giving your baby a pacifier to help it sleep, it is better not to put it back in its mouth when the pacifier falls off. It is recommended to use it only when going to sleep. Make sure you only use the pacifier for nap times as your baby will talk and make noises more often at this age, while using it at other times will prevent it from trying new vocabulary. It is also recommended that you gradually stop using a pacifier until the age of 2, when the sucking reflex is completely gone.

Care Tips

1. If your baby has passed the walking stage, you should not rush to buy shoes. If the season is suitable, walking barefoot is very beneficial for the development of foot muscles. If the season is not suitable, it can walk with socks at home. You don`t need to buy shoes until your baby starts to walk very well. The baby shoes that you will buy in the future should not be hard and thick-soled. Because such shoes can cause sprains of the feet and deterioration of the bone structure. Leather, elastic and soft shoes are more suitable for toddlers.

1. Use your dominance as a guide. For example, you wouldn`t be doing it a disservice if you didn`t let it eat a second cake - you`re setting a healthy limit. If it pulls on the cat`s tail, move its hand, look into its eyes, and say, "No, that hurts the cat." Then guide your baby`s hand to gently pet the cat.

1. Your baby`s desire to explore is stronger than its desire to listen to your warnings, so it`s up to you to protect and teach it. What seems like a challenge is just a natural curiosity to see how the world works?

1. Make it a routine to brush your baby`s teeth before going to bed.

1. You may be using `walking` toys to help your baby walk, but don`t make these toys a necessity for your baby. Let it walk independently on the ground to strengthen its mobility and muscles.

1. Never leave your baby alone in water, even in shallow water.

1. Always keep the toilet seats closed.

1. Place non-slip mats around your bathroom to prevent your baby from slipping.

1. Use the word `no` sharply when your baby is in a dangerous situation. This will help your baby understand the weight and meaning of the word.

1. Always fasten your baby when sitting in a stroller, car seat or highchair.

1. All babies are unique and develop at their own pace. For this reason, accept the temperament differences of your baby in all areas such as sleep, eating, reaching milestones, behavior, etc.

Tips for Your Baby’s Temperament

Temperament is how your baby thinks and reacts to its environment. This includes sleeping and eating habits, sociability, how it responds to sedatives, and other factors. Some babies are compliant and soft. Others are sensitive and have trouble warming up to new situations. Some also have robust, high-energy temperaments. Experts now think that temperament is largely innate rather than a product of external factors and influences.

Can I predict my baby`s personality by observing its temperament?: Yes, to some extent. At 3 or 4 months of age, you begin to form a picture of your baby`s temperament. At 11 months, your baby`s personality is becoming more pronounced - by observing its actions and disposition in different situations, you can begin to more accurately imagine what it will be like as it grows up. Look for general patterns, not specific behavior.

Is there anything I can do about my baby`s temperament?: If there is something about your baby`s temperament that worries you or you hope to help it (such as shy behavior), it`s important to be understanding, not judgmental. Don`t label your baby, criticize it, or make it think it`s flawed or "bad" in private or in front of others. Instead, empathize and acknowledge your baby`s feelings. Encourage your baby`s strengths and offer loving support to help it manage tougher times. Help your baby develop confidence in who it is, not who you want it to be.

Tests and Vaccines

If you have had previous vaccinations and controls, there is no special routine for this week.

Plays and Activities

1. Run after your baby, try to catch it or have it catch you. This will develop its motor skills. But don`t run too fast!

1. Build a tower of block toys with your baby and have it knock it down. This will help your baby both energize and have fun.

1. Create a space for it to explore. Place objects that will interest it on a coffee table or blanket. Have your baby reach these objects by crawling or holding on and walking.

1. Play the basket fill game. Scatter a basket of toys together. Then collect them one by one and fill them back into the basket.

When to Apply to The Doctor?

You should consult a doctor in the following situations:

1. Sometimes your baby may hold its breath while throwing a tantrum to get what it wants. But don`t give in just because it can get into this bad habit (if it is really something that should not be done, do this, on the other hand, let it explore everything that does not pose a risk to your baby). However, sometimes giving iron supplements can reduce such tantrums, so you can consult your doctor about this.

1. If your baby falls while trying to walk and there is a swelling, cut or bruise on its head, a warped front tooth, etc., you should consult a doctor and a dentist, respectively. Babies` heads are much thicker than adults, so if your 44-week-old baby has a fall and has non-serious swelling, it`s not something a hug or breastfeeding can`t fix!