• By 15 months, most toddlers are eating a variety of foods and are beginning to adjust to different textures.
• Give your child whole milk (not low-fat or skim milk, unless your doctor recommends it) until 2 years of age.
• Limit your child’s intake of cow’s milk to about 16–24 ounces (480–720 ml) a day.
• Serve iron-fortified cereal and iron-rich foods, including meat, poultry, well-cooked leafy greens, and beans.
• Offer your toddler 3 meals and 2-3 nutritious snacks a day.
• Growth slows down in the second year of life so don’t be surprised if your child’s appetite has decreased.
• Your child can drink from a cup and may be able to use a spoon but probably prefers to eat with his/her fingers.
• Serve juice in a cup and limit it to no more than 4 ounces (120 ml) a day. Avoid sugary drinks like soda.
• Avoid foods that are high in sugar and fat and low in nutrients.
• Avoid small, hard foods that can cause choking: nuts, popcorn, hot dogs, grapes, and raw veggies.
• As you introduce more foods and whole milk, the appearance and frequency of your child’s poopy diapers may change. Let your doctor know if your child has diarrhea, is constipated, or has poop that’s hard to pass.

• One-year-olds need about 12 to 14 hours of sleep a day, including one or two daytime naps.
• Make the hour before bedtime calm and comforting.
• Have a bedtime routine which involves reading, singing or both.
• Choose a bedtime for your child and stick to it. Earlier is better.
• Try to put your child to sleep while drowsy, but still awake.
• If your child wakes up at night, reassure, and give blanket or toy to hold. Avoid enjoyable attention.

General Care

• Keep Daily routines for baby; Continue feeding, sleeping, bathing and playing routines.
• Watch over baby as he/she explores inside and outside of the home.
• Avoid yelling or scaring baby.

Healthy Teeth

• Brush your child’s teeth twice a day with a soft toothbrush. Use a small smear of fluoride toothpaste (the size
  of a grain of rice).
• Any concerns or problems with teeth should be examined by a dentist, but regular teeth cleanings are
  typically recommended at 3 years of age.
• Have regular times for baby to eat. Do not let him/her eat all day.
• Wean from the bottle; give only water in the bottle.
• Keep up with your own dental health, and avoid sharing cups and spoons with your child.

• Toddlers learn best by interacting with you and other people.
• Show your child how to use words:
  • Use words to describe your child’s feelings.
  • Describe your child’s gestures with words.
  • Use clear, simple phrases to talk to your child.
  • When reading, use simple words to talk about pictures.
• Allow your child to choose between 2 good options. For example, he/she could choose which book to read or which fruit to have at snack time).
• Avoid watching TV during family time.
• Your child may be anxious around new people, and this is normal. Provide reassurance for your child.
• Play with and read to your child often.
• Play interactive games such as peekaboo and patty cake. Name baby’s features as you touch them (Ex. hand, nose, ears, mouth, etc).
• Keep rules for your child short and simple.
• Use short time-outs for poor behavior, and praise your child for good behavior.
• Distract your child with something he likes during bad behavior.
• Help your toddler when he/she needs it.
• Limit screen time for your toddler (TV, videos, computers, phones).

By 15 months, it’s common for many babies to:

• say three to five words.
• understand and follow simple commands
• point to one body part
• walk alone and begin to run
• climb on furniture
• make marks with a crayon
• imitate activities, such as housework

     * All babies develop at different rates, and meet developmental milestones differently.

Temper Tantrums and Discipline

• Tantrums are common at this age, and tend to be worse when children are tired or hungry.
• Use distractions to stop tantrums when you can.
• Limit the need to say, “No!” by making your home and yard safe for play.
• Praise your child for behaving well.
• Set limits and use discipline to teach and protect your child, not punish.
• Be patient with messy eating and play…your child is learning!

Car Safety

• Visit healthychildren.org for complete car seat guidelines provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
• Make sure car seat is installed correctly (the Fire Department will check car seats for correct installation)
• Make sure seat is rear-facing in the back seat, and never in the front seat with a passenger side airbag
• Never leave baby alone in the car
• Always wear a seat belt, and do not drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Always use a car safety seat properly. Place the seat rear-facing in the back seat until your child is 2 years of
  age or until he/she reaches the highest weight or height allowed by the car safety seat’s manufacturer. Never place the car safety seat in the front seat with a passenger airbag.
  (www.seatcheck.org)

Child Safety Seat Inspection:
1-866-SEATCHECK (732-2432) or www.seatcheck.org

General Safety

• Do not smoke/vape or allow others to smoke/vape around baby.
• Make sure places your child stays are safe.
• Do not leave baby unattended
  • Never leave a baby alone with siblings or pets, in the bath, on a changing table, or any other raised surface.
• Keep small objects such as balloons, bags, toys from other children away from baby.
• The kitchen is a dangerous place. Avoid letting baby crawl in kitchen by using a playpen or high chair.
• Keep up with childproofing:
  • Place gates on stairs, and close doors to rooms where your child might get hurt
  • Lock up all cleaning cleaning supplies, medicine, and poisons. Call Poison Help if your baby eats them.
  • To prevent drowning, close bathroom doors, keep toilet seats down, and always supervise around
    water (including baths). Make sure to empty tubs, sinks and pools of water immediately.
  • Don’t leave hot irons or hair care appliances plugged in.
  • Lock away knives and scissors.
  • Keep small objects such as balloons, bags, toys from other children away from your child.

• Always follow the advice of your doctor when giving any medication.
• Use our Medication Dosing Chart as a guideline for the appropriate dose of Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil/Motrin (ibuprofen) to give baby.