Your baby is almost a year old! It`s like all it`s doing now is crawling, walking around, or taking its steps without hesitation. Therefore, your baby is tired and sleeps better at night. This is a good thing because sleeping better greatly helps your baby`s physical coordination. It might be a good idea to organize your own schedule to fit it routine if you don`t want it to miss its sleep.

Baby Development

Around your 49-week-old baby`s first birthday, a frequently asked question will be - isn`t it walking yet? Your baby may or may not be walking at this stage. Babies start to walk between 9-18 months, so it doesn`t matter if it hasn’t walked yet. You can motivate it with push toys such as baby shopping carts or strollers.

Milestones

1. It will be able to babble fluently, with all the intonations of a speech, even if what it is saying is meaningless.

1. Bend over and pick things up without losing balance.

1. Understand “yes” and “no” and answer both if you ask it something.

1. Move faster while crawling or walking.

1. Be aware of the emotions on your face.

Nutrition

The hardest part of weaning your bottle-fed baby is reducing the link between bottle-fed and sleep. Start with daytime feedings to make your job easier. Gradually reduce the amount of milk you give before putting your baby to bed. If you`re giving milk from a glass, remember that a baby needs 4-6 servings of milk a day so you can replace formula with other dairy products. In addition to reducing the amount of milk, offer activities that will make your baby happy, such as songs and hugs at bedtime. Weaning is gradual, so you need to give your baby time to get used to these new changes.

Sleep

It is recommended that you breastfeed your baby until the age of 2. However, some mothers prefer to wean at the age of 1. The weaning process is the same for breastfed and formula fed babies. The goal is always to go to sleep independent of feeding, suckling. This will be easier if an adult other than the mother, preferably the father, takes over the role of putting the baby to sleep. This is because the baby will instinctively seek the mother`s breast. If it is another adult, such as a father or a trusted grandparent, they may use techniques such as hugging, rocking, caressing, and singing lullabies. If it`s difficult for you as a mother to hear your baby call, you can gradually spread it out over a longer period of time to complete the weaning process. It is definitely not the right method for your baby to cut it off by disgusting with something that it connects with like rubbing sauce at the very time. In addition to causing it to fall into an emotional void, it can damage the secure bond you are trying to establish. Avoid giving bottles after 12 months. Your baby will enjoy the new bedtime cuddling, singing, etc. As it gets used to its routine, it will gradually accept these changes and will no longer need a bottle or suck to sleep. If the transition is difficult for your baby due to illness or teething, wait a few weeks and try again.

Care Tips

1. Interact with your baby as much as possible, talk to it constantly, show it something, look into its eyes, share your experiences-memories-feelings-ideas and read books.

1. Avoid using baby talk. Make sure you always use the right words when talking to your baby so it can learn correctly also.

1. Include more protein in the nutritional diet, such as meat, eggs, beans and peas. These are healthy proteins as they are also low in fat and cholesterol.

Tests and Vaccines

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

Plays and Activities

1. Encourage it to walk by gently holding its hands and pulling them into a standing position. This is an activity that will make it comfortable standing.

1. Play with different toys, such as colored rings moving along a tube or a picture book with buttons that make sounds. These are all to help your baby learn words, sounds and dexterity.

1. Show activities that you know your baby will imitate, such as talking on the phone or taking toys and putting them back in the box.

1. Join a playgroup and introduce your baby to other babies at its age.

When to Apply to The Doctor?

Ask your doctor about your 49-week baby development when you see the following:

1. If your baby does not respond to its name by 12 months, take it to the doctor for a hearing evaluation.

1. If your baby is itchy or uncomfortable with a skin rash, consult your doctor as they may be allergic symptoms.

1. If your baby squints, tilts its head to see better, rubs its eyes frequently, and has trouble in seeing things, consult a doctor to examine it for vision problems. Redness, pain, excessive tears and crusting in its eyes can also mean pink eye.