Advice for your Baby - 8 to 12 Months

Sleep helps your baby recharge their batteries for tomorrow’s playtime.

Mix up the menu! 

It’s easy to fall into the habit of offering your baby the same foods every day, especially if you know they’ll happily eat them. Here are some simple ideas for expanding your little one’s diet without compromising on those all-important nutrients.

It’s easy to fall into the habit of offering your baby the same foods every day, especially if you know they’ll happily eat them. Here are some simple ideas for expanding your little one’s diet without compromising on those all-important nutrients.

Perhaps one of your most important jobs as a parent is to be a good role model for your baby, particularly when it comes to healthy eating. But just how much of an impact does what you eat and drink now have on your little one’s future? 

It may seem like a whole new world now that your little one is starting to eat solid foods. While the principles of feeding you’ve been following since birth remain the same, there are some new feeding cues to learn now that you are offering your baby solid foods. Look out for signs your baby is hungry or full, and let them lead the way with how much they want to eat. 

When your baby first comes home from the hospital, you will notice your little one has irregular sleep patterns, this can be both challenging and exhausting. With little care for day or night, your new little bundle will probably wake often for feedings, nappy changes, or comfort. Be assured that this won’t last forever and by six months, 24 hours in the life of your baby will look very different.

Tummy time can start soon after you bring your baby home from the hospital. Just don’t expect too much. At first, your newborn will struggle to lift their head even a tiny bit while on their stomach. Tummy time is hard, tiring work! A few seconds at a time, several times a day, is a great start. You can gradually increase the amount of time your baby spends on their tummy as long as they are happy and comfortable – and always be there to supervise
 

Focus on your baby’s nutrition by offering smart eating choices in between mealtimes.

The food that you offer your baby, and the ways you offer it, introduces eating patterns that can continue into later life. This can affect both their nutritional intake and weight as your child grows older. For this reason, it’s important not to think of the foods you offer your baby outside of traditional mealtimes as snacks or treats, but as essential mini meals or ‘in-betweeners’. Every bite counts toward good nutrition for your baby so always try to provide nutrient-rich food and avoid high-sugar or high-salt ‘snack’ foods. 
 

Now that your 10-12-month-old is really getting the hang of feeding themself, keep offering them a wide variety of foods and textures to establish good, healthy eating habits. 

By now your little one is likely to have started to get the hang of crawling, and is probably well on their way to cruising. Cruising is their way of walking or moving sideways while holding on to furniture for support. Most babies are able to master the skill of crawling between 7-10 months of age. And while every baby is unique and develops at their own pace, many babies take their first step right around their first birthday. It’s amazing to think they have come so far so quickly and figured out how to get from the floor to standing to walking. There is so much fun for you to have as you are active together every day and your little one learns more and more about movement and balance. See how these parents might share the excitement of their baby’s milestone moments…