Month 11 With Your Baby!
Your little one is all ready to start walking now and she may even be taking her first few steps on her own. Get ready to have your work cut out for you when she gets going. Life is about to get a whole lot busier, but also a whole lot more fun!
Month 11 Of What To Expect From Your Baby
Your mobile mover will likely be spending much of her time now cruising around holding onto furniture and pulling herself up by holding on furniture or objects.
If baby can stand, she can also now sit down on her own. She may be taking her first steps now, but if not, don’t worry because some babies don’t walk independently until they are a year and a head old. Try to resist the urge to buy a walker – while giving something for baby to lean on and scoot around on, they don’t actually teach baby how to walk and are not necessary in her walking development.
Baby is also asserting her views much more now, unfortunately in almost everything that needs to be done during the day! Starting from the toys she wants to whether or not she wants to wear socks to where she wants to be, she has clear opinions and she wants to be heard. The great news is that baby is also easily distracted at this age so if something is off limits or upsetting her, you can divert her attention quickly with a new toy or a story or some play acting.
Your baby should be formulating words now though they may not sound quite right yet. She will have her own special language for now until she can learn to pronounce properly. Usually, babies start out with the word ‘Dada’ because the ‘D’ sound comes easier to them. You still have to wait a bit for her to call you ‘Mama’.
Babies love using their fingers to make a mess at this stage. She may even be keen to get her fingers in her food and create art with it!
Try this: It may not sound very appealing to you but it is important to encourage motor skills and curiosity by giving them non- toxic paint or sand or finger food to play with.
Month 11 Of What To Expect From Yourself
It doesn’t hurt to encourage your baby to start walking by holding her hands while she takes a few steps and clapping and cheering when she walks without help. She may be trying her luck at climbing too so watch out for attempts at scaling the cot!
Avoid putting chairs near windows or table tops where your baby can climb up them and get into trouble. She may be learning how to open cupboards and drawers and she may slam them shut on her fingers. Keep the cupboard doors and drawers locked or fastened with your baby proof locks, especially if they have things that can be dangerous for her.
Feeding Your 11 Month Old
As baby gets older so too does the range of food she is exposed to. At this stage it is really important to expose her tastes to a wide variety of fresh foods and not processed foods or foods with added sugar. Your youngster will probably still be keen to try anything you offer her, but fussiness is inevitable as she tries new things and explores her independence. Meal times should never be forced or become stressful. Treat them as a learning experience and don’t force or become angry at baby if she doesn’t want to eat. It’s easier said then done after she turns her nose up at your home cooked casserole, but just remember babies all have off days and they are constantly learning and testing, so just save it for another day and try again.
Here’s some healthy snack ideas for your youngster:
- Hard boiled eggs
- Fingers of wholemeal/wholegrain bread or toast with yeast spreads or nut butters (only give nut butters if you have already confirmed your child does not have a nut allergy)
- Rice cakes with smashed avocado
- Cheese sticks or grated cheese
- Plain pasta spirals
- Vegetable sticks
- Slices or cubes of fruit
- Sugar free cereal
- Plain yoghurt Mini
- Homemade fruit muffins made with wholemeal flour and no added sugar
- Savoury mini frittatas such as cheese and spinach
- Pitta Bread strips with humous and grated vegetables like carrot or zucchin
- Homemade custard made with banana or dates for sweetness and no added sugar
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