Today's visit was a chance to check in on your child's growth, development, and overall health. Here's some information to help you care for your child in the months ahead.

• Your child is ready for thicker textures, soft lumps, and finger foods. Encourage self-feeding and offer a variety of foods, such as:
  • Iron-rich foods: iron-fortified infant cereal; pureed, ground, or soft-cooked meats; low-mercury fish (without bones) such as salmon, canned light tuna, and cod; and shrimp, eggs, mashed beans, and lentils
  • Bite-size pieces of vegetables and fruits cooked until soft, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, apples, and pears, and bite-size pieces of soft fruits like bananas, melon, strawberries, and avocado
  • Soft bread, crackers that dissolve easily, pasta, and infant cereal
  • Whole-milk yogurt (without added sugar) and small pieces of cheese
  • Peanut butter or other nut butters thinned with water or milk spread thinly on toast or crackers
• Don't give your baby foods that can cause choking, such as hot dogs, whole grapes, raisins, nuts, popcorn, hard candy, gum, peanut or nut butter that hasn't been thinned, raw or hard fruits and vegetables, chunks of meat, or hard cheese.
• Switch your child to whole milk:
  • You can now give your child pasteurized whole cow's milk (do not give skim or low-fat milk). Most 1-year-olds need about two to three servings of dairy per day, including whole cow's milk, full-fat yogurt, and cheese. Aim for about 16 ounces (2 cups/500 ml) of milk per day, and no more than 24 ounces (3 cups/750 ml).
  • If your child can't drink cow's milk, talk to your healthcare provider about which milk substitute is right for your child.
  • Give the milk in a cup with a lid. Don't use valved, no-spill cups — they work like a bottle and don't teach how to drink from a cup. Aim to wean your child off the bottle by 12–18 months.
  • You can stop giving your child formula. You can continue breastfeeding (along with giving whole cow's milk) for as long as you and your child want to. Breast milk still provides nutrition and health benefits beyond the first year.
• Kids don't need juice. It can lead to tooth decay and weight gain. If you serve juice, give 100% fruit juce in a cup with a meal and don't give more than 4 ounces (120 ml) a day.
• Mealtime tips:
  • Eat together as a family. Toddlers learn by watching others eat and are more likely to try foods they see you eating.
  • It's normal for kids this age to eat a lot at some meals and less at others. Offer healthy food choices and let your child decide how much to eat.
  • Let your child explore their food. Touching, smelling, and playing with food helps them learn.
  • Expect messes. Self-feeding is messy, but it helps your child learn important skills.
  • Keep portions small. You can always offer more if your child is still hungry.

• Help your child get about 11–14 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period, including naps.
• Have a calm bedtime routine that includes a favorite toy, reading, and quiet singing.
• Do not let your child sleep in bed with you or anyone else.
• If your child wakes at night, wait a few minutes to give them some time to settle down. If fussiness continues, go to your child so they know you're there, but try not to pick up, play with, or feed your child. Leave the room after about a minute so your child can try to fall back to sleep on their own.

• Babies this age learn best by talking and playing with others and touching things in their world. It is best to avoid screen time, including videos, video games, TV, and phone apps. Video chatting (such as FaceTime or Zoom) is OK.
• Help your child use words to name objects, talk about pictures in books, and describe feelings.
• It's normal for kids this age to be curious and explore. When unwanted behaviors happen, help your child move on to a different activity. Never spank, hit, or shake your child.
• Join a play group or spend time with other parents and their children.

• Get all immunizations (vaccines) and tests that your child's healthcare provider recommends.
• Take care of your child's teeth and gums:
  • If recommended, give your child fluoride drops.
  • Brush your child's teeth twice a day using a soft toothbrush with a smear of fluoride toothpaste (about the size of a grain of rice).
  • If your child is thirsty between meals, offer a bottle or cup filled with water only. Do not give your child a bottle or cup in the crib.
  • Make your child's first appointment with the dentist.
  • If your child has sore gums from teething, try rubbing the gums with one of your fingers or give your child a firm rubber teething ring. Don't use frozen teethers or medicines that you rub on the gums.

• Put your child in a rear-facing car seat in the back seat. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on installing and using the car seat or go to a child safety seat check (cert.safekids.org/get-car-seat-checked).
• Make your home safe:
  • Put gates at the top and bottom of stairs.
  • Put window guards on windows above the first floor.
  • Store medicines, cleaning solutions, and poisons high out of reach in a locked cabinet. Get help online at poison.org or call 800-222-1222 if you are worried about a possible poisoning.
  • To prevent burns, set your water heater lower than 120°F (48°C) and don't drink hot liquids while holding your child.
  • Put smoke and carbon monoxide alarms near all sleeping areas and on every level of your home.
  • Don't let anyone smoke around your baby. Make your home and car smoke- and vapor-free. For help quitting, call 800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669) or visit smokefree.gov.
  • To prevent choking, keep balloons and small objects, such as coins, button batteries, and toys, away from your child. 
  • To prevent suffocation, keep plastic bags and drapery/blind cords away from your child.

• Be sure you know what to do if your child is choking. If you haven't taken an infant first aid/CPR class, sign up for an online or in-person class at redcross.org.
• Keep your child within reach if there is water nearby, including tubs, toilets, buckets, and pools. Empty the water from tubs, buckets, and child pools when you're finished using them.
• Protect your child from the sun by keeping them in the shade and dressing them in a long-sleeved shirt and long pants, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses when outside. If needed, you can use a water-resistant, mineral-based sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 30 that protects skin from both UVA and UVB rays.
• A gun in the home increases the risk of accidents and injuries. If you have a gun, keep it unloaded and locked up. Lock bullets separately from the gun.
• Only leave your child with responsible caregivers and be sure to review safety information with them.

You are struggling with food, housing, healthcare costs, or substance use. 

If you are feeling very overwhelmed, anxious, or sad, have thoughts about hurting yourself or your child, or see or hear things that aren’t there, put your child safely in a crib or bassinet and get help right away.

Where to get help:

• Call Postpartum Support International at 800-944-4773 or visit postpartum.net. You can also text HELP to 800-944-4773 (English) or 971-203-7773 (Spanish).
• Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). You can also go to the nearest emergency room.
• Text HOME to 741741 (National Crisis Text Line).