Your 15 Month Old

Developmental Milestones*

• Three to six word vocabulary including mama and dada.
• Understands simple commands ("bring me the ball").
• Walking has improved and will begin to crawl up stairs and climb onto furniture.
• Walks fast or runs.
• Can bend over to pick up objects without falling
• Can feed himself or herself with the use of his or her fingers.
• Drinks from a cup.
• Like to look at books and turn pages.
• Can put something into a container and dump it out.  
• Indicates what they want by pulling, pointing, grunting and other methods of communicating.
• Scribbles spontaneously.
• Gives kisses.

*All babies develop differently.  If your 15-month-old hasn't yet reached these milestones, rest assured that she will soon. If you have concerns about your baby's development, please schedule an appointment.

Feeding

No more than 24 ounces of whole milk per day is necessary.  In fact, 16-18 ounces per day is preferable. 

Remember to continue waiting at least 3-4 days in between introducing new foods.  If your baby has a reaction, please call our office.

We still only recommend pear or prune juice for the treatment of constipation.  No other juices are necessary and can lead to tooth decay. 

Calcium fortified orange juice can be beneficial if your baby does not like milk.  Cheese, yogurt, and ice cream are also helpful substitutes. 

Toddlers may show a decreased appetite about now.  At this age, many would rather explore than eat.  Teething also can make your baby lose interest in food. Try to find a balance between letting her eat when she's hungry and letting her pick at her food when she's not.  Don't force food on her, but try to pay attention to what actually is eaten.  Sometimes it is more than you think and sometimes it is less.  Please inform us if you believe your child is not gaining weight or eating enough. 

Pay close attention to foods that may be choking hazards.  Pea-size pieces of food are the safest. Vegetables like carrots, celery, and green beans should be diced, or cooked and cut up. Cut fruits like grapes and cherry tomatoes into quarters before serving and shred or cut meats and cheeses into very small pieces.  Nuts, popcorn, cough drops, hard candies, and raisins are potential choking hazards and should be avoided.  Peanut butter is dry and hard to swallow.  It is safer if spread thinly on bread or crackers or combined with applesauce or jelly.   

Please continue to administer a multi-vitamin with fluoride daily. 

Sleep

Most babies require around 10-12 hours of sleep per night.  Naps are variable.

At this time, babies should be sleeping through the night.  There is no need for anything to eat or drink overnight.  

Your child may remain in his or her crib for as long as it is safe.  Once they start to climb out, they are safer in a low-lying toddler bed.  Be sure to utilize safety gates at night to prevent them from falling down stairs. 

Bowel Movements/ Urine

• Expect your child’s stools to change as they eat new foods. 
• Please inform us if the stools are watery, mucousy, hard as pebbles, red, or tarry black.
• Babies will continue to have on average 6-8 wet diapers per day.

Activity

• Most babies will do just fine at this time with just a sippy cup so now is a good time to start weaning their bottle.
• Start weaning pacifiers.
• Don’t forget to brush your baby’s teeth and/or gums. You may use a baby toothbrush, finger mitt, or even just a wet washcloth.  Still, no toothpaste.  Twice a day preferably but at least once a night before bedtime.  If you notice any stains or discolorations on your baby’s teeth, please let us know.  By now, no baby should be waking at night to feed.
• A car seat is very important, even for short trips.   Most fifteen-month-old babies are in forward facing cars seats.  Babies must be at least 20 pounds and 12 months old before they can be forward facing.  The car seat must be in the back of the car.
• Have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and an escape plan.
• Avoid sun exposure since your baby’s skin is delicate and more likely to burn. Sunscreen can safely be used.  Try to use a sunscreen made for babies and be careful around their eyes.  Take advantage of SPF clothing and wide brimmed hats.  
• Monitor your child at the pool or beach at all times.  Educate your children never to swim unsupervised.  It is never too early to start teaching them this.  Strongly consider purchasing a pool safety fence or cover for your home pool.  Lock all hot tub covers. 
• Deet-free insect repellent may be used.  To be safe, only apply insect repellents to exposed skin. Do not apply it under clothing, on a child's hands, near the mouth or eyes, or over cuts and irritated skin.  Wash off insect repellents once your child comes inside and will no longer be exposed to mosquitoes. Combination sunscreen/insect repellent products should be avoided because sunscreen needs to be reapplied every two hours, but the insect repellent should not be reapplied. 

Baby-proofing 101

Once a baby is mobile, it can seem impossible to keep him or her out of harm’s way.  Toddlers have an uncanny ability of finding danger within 20 seconds of entering a room.  Here are some pointers:

• Keep coins, small toys, nail clippers, and balloons out of reach.
• Shorten drapery and blind cords.
• Remove the plastic end caps on doorstops, or replace the stops with a one-piece design.
• Install safety hinges on trunks/ toy boxes to prevent pinched fingers.
• Lock any potentially dangerous substance in an upper-level cabinet. This includes alcoholic beverages, household cleaning formulas, laundry supplies, medications/ vitamins, paint, kerosene, gasoline, charcoal, lighter fluid, bug spray, pesticides, and fertilizers.
• Place houseplants out of children's reach; know the names of all plants in case a child eats one of them.
• Keep a bottle of Ipecac and activated charcoal in your home, but use only when instructed by a medical professional.  Place the number for Poison Control near every phone in your home (1-800-222-1222).
• Cover every electrical outlet in your home with a child-resistant outlet cover (the plastic plugs are easy to pry out).
• Place screened barriers around fireplaces, radiators, and portable space heaters.
• Install hardware-mounted safety gates at the top and bottom of stairways with two or more steps. Pressure-mounted models may not be strong enough; use only at the bottom.
• Pad the edges of coffee tables and brick or tile fireplaces.
• Remove the crib bumper pad as baby may use it as a step to climb out.
• Position audio/video equipment so children cannot pull televisions or stereos off furniture.
• Keep appliance cords wrapped short so children cannot pull coffee makers, toasters, and other appliances.
• Secure bookshelves, entertainment centers, and bureaus to walls since they can topple onto children who use furniture to pull up and stand.
• Watch with seasonal decorations as they often contain small pieces and many were bought before children were around.  Secure Christmas trees to prevent from falling.

Vaccines

Your baby will receive immunizations during his/her 15-month visit.  Please visit the vaccine section of this website for more information on specific vaccines and their administration schedule. 

Please note that we will not administer vaccines to any child whose parent or guardian is not present for the visit.  This is our office policy.  We understand that parents have busy schedules but no exceptions to this rule will be made.

Medicines