11 month old baby: great adventures await him!
The 11-month-old baby will have learned to crawl by now and will also be very fast, but if held by the hand, he will also take his first steps on his own. Some children, more precocious, stand up on their own and take a few steps before falling back to the ground. Favorite activity of this period? Playing! They will have energy to spare! Find out in the video below how to make a game for them in just 3 minutes!
Now that the baby is nearing his first birthday, there will be more and more things he will be able to do on his own. Among these, for example:
- drink from a glass by bringing it to your mouth alone
- to feed independently with the use of a spoon or a plastic fork
- choose your favorite stuffed animal from the toy basket
- wash your hands alone if encouraged
Some children at this age can even take off their socks or sweatshirt if taught.
Seeing the 11-month-old baby already so autonomous and independent might suggest that light years have passed since you first picked him up at the end of pregnancy.
In truth, your child still needs you a lot, not only in terms of being fed, dressed and washed, but above all because until he has achieved true autonomy, it will be up to the parents to guide him and direct him towards a correct lifestyle. .
Finally, at eleven months, the baby loves to laugh, imitate adults and listen to nursery rhymes, whose gestures he will be happy to reproduce.
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Newborn 11 months: the measures
At 11 months the baby weighs an average of 9 kilos, but this is only a reference because the figure varies very easily between one child and another. In fact, there are children who weigh 8 kilos and others who weigh 12.
However, the baby continues to grow slowly, with an estimated weight gain of 250 grams over the previous month.
As for the size, it measures at the waist between 68 and 78 cm. But don't worry if it will be smaller or bigger than this number, your baby is unique, and so are his measurements.
Feeding an 11 month old baby
Feeding at 11 months should be a further opportunity to promote the independence of the child and to share with the rest of the family one of the fundamental moments of the day. At eleven months, the baby's meals are well regulated: breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner.
These are all occasions to continue to diversify foods by introducing him to new tastes, without insisting if he refuses to eat something. If they really don't like food, it's best to leave it alone and try again after a few days.
Do not overdo it with proteins: the child needs 20-25 grams of meat or fish per day (4 to 5 teaspoons), no more, always accompanied by vegetables and starch-based foods. Food can be crushed or chopped into small pieces - it depends on each child's chewing skills and desires.
Do not neglect the calcium intake, which must remain consistent, and offer your child three dairy products a day: the most popular are usually milk, yogurt and cottage cheese.
Motor skills of the baby at 11 months
At 11 months, the baby likes to stand alone, this is because from the standing position he has a new point of view on things and can make great discoveries.He will also try new positions: squatting, kneeling ... and in general, nothing will stop his curiosity!
His movements will have become very fast, and he will often prefer to move on all fours, crawling or standing but leaning on furniture. At this stage it is advisable to make sure that the whole house is safe, because right now all the dangers will be within reach of the little one.
As for the motility theme, at eleven months the baby is able to drink alone and takes the food with his hands and autonomously brings it to his mouth. The child also loves to stack, embed and build - all these types of toys will be his passion!
The language of the 11-month-old baby
It is precisely at 11 months that the child begins to pronounce his first words, usually consisting of two syllables: what a thrill for parents to hear "mom" And "dad"!
It is very common to hear the child utter small lines all day long: it is his way of becoming familiar with new words and syllables, moreover he is fascinated by his voice and wants to hear it continuously.
It is true, the child cannot speak yet, but consider that his brain registers everything he hears: therefore it is important to communicate with the child, pointing to objects, underlining their names and actions so that he can, in turn, give a name to the world around him.
11 month old baby: behavior
The baby's ability to interact with others becomes more acute every day: at 11 months the baby responds to his first name and understands simple instructions, so he will be able to distinguish one thing that can be done and one that is better not done. (obviously under the instructions of the parents).
But when he doesn't want to obey, he'll let him know by crying.
It is up to you parents to set limits and prohibitions, to explain them clearly to the child and to respect them. The imposition of rules, from the simplest to the most complex, is useful for making the child understand what is lawful and what is not.
The role of parents is fundamental, and even if this may seem like an obvious phrase, we are sure it is not! The parent / child relationship is very different than in the past, we could define it more "soft", and today children are left with much more room for action than before.
Internalization of a series of rules and values will be fundamental for his future growth and for the adult who will be tomorrow.
If, on the one hand, it is therefore the task of mum and dad to encourage her autonomy, on the other hand it is also necessary to set stakes and guidelines that are fixed points in her present and future life.
11 month old baby: teething
Premolars may appear in babies around 11 months of age: larger than other milk teeth, their growth is often painful for the baby who can then become irritable.
But once the tooth has punctured the gums, the discomfort should subside. It is important to take care of your baby's baby teeth as soon as they appear, avoiding sugary drinks, but also bottles at night and pacifiers during naps.
Prolonged sucking for long periods of time favors the proliferation of bacteria and therefore the development of very early and very deep caries.
Common diseases for an 11-month-old baby
Around 11 months of age, some children get very contagious infectious diseases, especially if they go to kindergarten or otherwise have the opportunity to be in direct contact with many other children of their own age.
Among the most widespread infectious diseases we must remember the sixth disease, as well as the hand-foot-mouth syndrome. Let's see what they consist of.
- Sixth disease
It is an infectious disease and as such it makes the child nervous, with a sense of general malaise, with little appetite, but it resolves within a few days without serious consequences and without the need to take special medicines, if not paracetamol in the first few. three days to bring down the fever.
What does the sixth disease consist of? It occurs with a very high fever that persists for about three days. When the fever disappears, red spots appear on the back, but in reality at this moment the child can be considered already cured and no longer infected if he were to come into contact with other children.
- Hand-foot-mouth syndrome
It manifests itself with low fever, lack of appetite, feeling unwell and in some cases even stomach ache. Red spots appear on the hands, feet and mouth of the child that turn into real ulcers, usually not painful, but certainly annoying. Within 48 hours, ulcers can spread to the rest of the body as well. Also in this case there are no special treatments, if not paracetamol to curb the fever. Within about a week, the disorder resolves spontaneously.
Frequently asked questions about 11 month old babies
1. How to behave when the child is having a tantrum?
Even the most patient of parents may find it difficult to cope with their child's particularly intense whims.
The thing that will occur most frequently, once the first year of life is reached, will be the repeated use of the word "no" in order to affirm his personality over that of adults.
The whim could also be the way to express discomfort, so it is very important to remain calm and patient even in the face of the most exhausting reactions of anger and tears from your child.
However, this does not mean supporting him, especially when it comes to reactions to the rules imposed to protect his health and safety.
If you tell him not to eat too many cookies, but he struggles to have some more, the reaction of mom and dad must be absolutely firm. If your child refuses to sit in the car seat, never forget that their safety comes first, so your decision will be firm.
In these moments of crisis, you can try to distract him by singing a song, or by telling him his favorite story. Remember: the more noticeable your firm and unshakable attitude will be, the more the baby will be
he will learn to respect the rules that have been given to him.
2. How to entertain and stimulate the 11 month old baby during the day?
Often at 11 months the baby will tend to sleep at night and no longer need a nap during the day. This means that in the hours in which he will be awake and full of energy, he will be entertained with games of all kinds, also to stimulate words and language. In fact, a baby at eleven months will have learned the meaning of a fair number of commonly used words and may even be able to repeat them.
An idea could be to show him a toy and then place it somewhere in the house, asking the child to fetch it. Or, you could show him pictures in a book and invite him to recognize the characters and objects portrayed by saying the name out loud.
3. Is milk still needed at 11 months?
The feeding of an 11-month-old baby will be based mainly on a series of meals based on solid foods: be sure to include:
- 3/4 portions of fruit and vegetables
- 3 servings of cereals (pasta, bread, rice)
- 2 portions based on protein foods (white and red meat, fish, eggs, fresh cheeses)
As for milk at 11 months, a newborn can safely receive only one 300 ml bottle in the morning, preferably without the addition of sugars or biscuits.
If the baby is still taking breast milk (a choice made by some parents), it is likely that, by 11 months, the request for breast milk does not correspond to hunger but rather to an unconscious need to be pampered and reassured by the mother.
