I love being able to help other parents with the concerns that arise during the different stages of children from month to month. So I want to talk a little about the characteristics of a 13-month-old baby, its changes and important aspects that must be taken into account.
Motor Development: The 13-month-old baby is becoming more independent, the less they are in their parents’ arms, the better. At this age he already starts taking his first steps. Although some children are already walking alone, others are learning so far. This does not stop him from moving and he likes moving everywhere. He wants to catch everything, observes and looks. His curiosity increases.
Movements are not stable yet, but he performs them with more control. He is in the process of strengthening his muscles which makes him able to stand much longer. He holds onto walls or furniture to be able to walk, in the same way he likes be holding hands with his caregivers to take him exploring around the house or wherever he is. It is normal that when he gets tired of standing, he looks for crawling and then to try to stand up again, in turn he will want to climb anywhere, he will hide under tables, furniture or the bed.
Feeding: This is a stage where he will want to eat alone, even if he does not use the spoon yet, his best tool to eat will be his hands, feeling the textures of the food will stimulate his senses making him enjoy his food much more. In the same way, it is also important to teach him to hold the spoon as this is also part of his motor development. His feeding will change and his appetite will be reduced. He acquires the ability to choose what he wants to eat or not, some days he will eat more and some others he will not want to eat so much.
What he likes to do the most: He loves to push the chairs, to have them as support to be able to walk while dragging them. This exercise is excellent for muscles strengthening. It will help him to walk better and to improve his march. You can also buy him toys with his same size to drag them. They will be good items for him to play.
He likes to pick up toys, put them in the box and take them out. Toys with colored geometric figures attract his attention, where he can put them in holes and take them out again, as well as being an excellent game for manual and visual coordination, stimulates his intelligence and concentration. He hits objects one on the other, he will love to stack and make towers with wooden blocks, even if these towers are not very high, he will like to knock them down and throw them. It is an excellent stage of exploration in every sense where he can take advantage of it to learn and develop skills.
Growth: At this age, growth is much slower, its height can be approximately 80cms. Baby´s weight will be about 10kg. Although at this age, he will lose a little weight due to his constant movements.
Language: The 13-month-old baby already pronounces some words, like mom and dad. Although his vocabulary is not very wide, he will make an effort to say some simple words, like “water”, as he explores, he will get to know and learn new words.
Recommendations: Caution should be taken while watching the child. It is important to avoid having sharp edges objects in their path, not leaving anything short sharp at hand, having security on the stairs with a door installed on the way up and down the stairs so that only an adult can open it and thus avoid accidents.
