No Result
View All Result
BellyBelly
  • Home
  • Getting Pregnant
  • Pregnancy
    • Pregnancy Articles
    • Pregnancy Week By Week
    • Pregnancy Symptoms
    • Pregnancy Calculator
  • Birth
  • New Mothers
  • Baby
    • Baby Articles
    • Baby Week By Week
    • Baby Sleep Articles
    • Your Baby’s Starsign
  • Breastfeeding
  • Toddler
  • Child
  • Men
  • Parenting
  • Health & Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Recipes & Cooking
    • Relationships
    • Family Travel
    • Men
  • Home
  • Getting Pregnant
  • Pregnancy
    • Pregnancy Articles
    • Pregnancy Week By Week
    • Pregnancy Symptoms
    • Pregnancy Calculator
  • Birth
  • New Mothers
  • Baby
    • Baby Articles
    • Baby Week By Week
    • Baby Sleep Articles
    • Your Baby’s Starsign
  • Breastfeeding
  • Toddler
  • Child
  • Men
  • Parenting
  • Health & Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Recipes & Cooking
    • Relationships
    • Family Travel
    • Men
No Result
View All Result
BellyBelly
No Result
View All Result
Home Baby Week By Week

49 Week Old Baby | Your Baby Week By Week

by Yvette O'Dowd
Last updated December 21, 2020
Reading Time: 6 min
49 week old baby

Your 49 Week Old Baby

You might be counting down the days until your 49 week old baby has his first birthday!

Whether your planning is styled by Pinterest, or you’re having a small celebration with close family, surviving the first year of your baby’s life is worth commemorating.

However big or small your celebration, the question many people will be asking is: “Is he walking yet?”

Whether or not a baby is walking on his first birthday is a big deal for onlookers, but the reality is this: he might be or he might not! The typical age range for independent walking is 9-18 months, so there is no need to worry if your baby isn’t stepping up to his birthday cake.

Eleven months is a time of consolidation for many babies. They are refining what they can do before moving on to their next challenge. Your 49 week old baby might be crawling more confidently, standing more securely, saying a word or two more clearly, or eating with more skill. So many things to practise!

Feeding your 49 week old baby

If your 49 week old baby is breastfed, you may have decided to continue breastfeeding beyond your baby’s first year. There are certainly health benefits beyond 12 months of age, and the World Health Organization recommends mothers and babies breastfeed up to two years of age, if they wish. You might like to read about 7 benefits of breastfeeding a toddler.

However, if your baby is bottle fed, there is no need for formula (baby or toddler formula) beyond the 12 month mark. Full fat cows milk is perfectly fine, along with normal meal times.

Find out more about toddler formula, and why an increasing number of experts aren’t recommending it.

Bottles and nap times

If your 49 week old baby is bottle fed, he is probably only having bottles around sleep times. This is usually before naps during the day, at bed-time and if he is resettling during the night. On waking and at meal times, he will have milk from a cup to replace bottles, and food has taken on a greater role than milk feeds at these times.

Reducing the connection between bottles and sleep is the hardest part of weaning. It’s easier to begin with day-time sleeps. This will set a new routine which you can then pick up at night. Weaning from using a bottle as a sleep prop is about gradually reducing the amount of milk you offer, while at the same time aiming to end the feed before you settle your baby in his cot.

You can read more tips for help in our article about how to stop your baby’s bottle before bedtime habit.

You might choose to replace the bottle with milk from a cup. Keep in mind the total serves of dairy for a 12 month old are 4-6 per day, with 125mls of milk equalling one serve. Ideally, yoghurt, cheese and other dairy foods will make up the majority of these serves, so your toddler is not filling up on milk, which can reduce his interest in meals.

Tips for transitioning from the bottle at sleep times

If your sleep time routine doesn’t already include stories, songs and snuggles, now is the time to introduce them. First, as well as the bottle, bring in new things, before gradually withdrawing the bottle from the routine.

For example, if your baby currently has a bottle while you cuddle him to sleep, begin reading a story at the same time. Then gradually reduce the volume of milk a little each day, until the story and cuddle are more of a focus than the bottle. If you are using a cup for daytime milk feeds, you might find your baby happily accepts this in place of a bottle at sleep time.

The weaning transition is gradual, to allow your baby time to adjust to these big changes. Your goal is to stop bottles altogether around 12 months, and move to full cream cow’s milk in place of formula, unless family preferences, allergies or intolerances exclude that milk.

There is no need to introduce toddler formula and many reasons not to.

Sleep and Settling

If you’re happy breastfeeding your baby to sleep, then there’s no need to do anything differently right now.

For a breastfed baby who is being weaned around 12 months, the process will be quite similar to the one used for a formula fed baby. Over the coming weeks, you will want to make the transition from breastfeeding to sleep to falling asleep with different parental support.

This often means someone other than his breastfeeding mother needs to take the primary role at bed-time, so that being close against her doesn’t trigger him to seek the breast. His other parent, a grandparent or other trusted adult can use soothing techniques like rocking, wearing, cuddling, or patting your baby to sleep.

It is hard to hear your distressed baby calling for you during this process, so a new routine of going for a walk or heading to the gym might make it easier for both of you. He might accept a drink of warm milk from a cup, but avoid introducing a bottle, as it is not ideal beyond the 12 month mark.

Include stories, songs, and snuggles as part of your baby’s new bedtime routine. As it gradually becomes familiar, your baby will adjust, and will no longer need breastfeeding to sleep.

If you find the transition is too hard for your baby right now, you might decide to delay weaning, and try again in a few weeks. Active teething, illness, or times of change in the family, like moving house, aren’t ideal for weaning. Sometimes, waiting a little longer makes the process easier for everyone.

Play and Development

Are you hearing any sounds which are suspiciously like words? There are some common sounds most babies make in the second six months. For example, mama and dada are sounds that babies around the world make, and they have developed into words for parents in many languages. Most words for ‘baby’ come from the baba sound.

You will start to hear your baby’s early language about now, and it will echo the words he hears often during his day. It’s common to hear short and sharp words like “up” and “no”, and greeting likes “hi” and “bye”, or favourite things like “ball” or “book”. Your baby might attempt any word that has some meaning for him.

You might be raising your baby to be bilingual, with each parent speaking a different language to him. If so, his first words will probably come later. A baby who has been learning sign language might sign words before speaking them. Many have the sign for “milk” working for them well before their first birthday!

Language is complex, and the evolution of sounds into words occurs over time. There is no need to correct your baby’s attempts, or to try to teach him to speak by parroting words you say. Talking to him, reading to him every day, and exposing him to opportunities to see and hear new things will help him build a rich vocabulary all by himself. Put aside the flash cards, and take him to the zoo instead!

Avoid using baby-talk. Learning to say “birdie” instead of “bird” might be cute, but it just means he will need to learn the right word later. Acknowledge his attempts positively by repeating words correctly, and he will self-correct naturally as he goes. Your baby’s known (passive) vocabulary will be greater than his spoken (active) one. A baby who can say two words at 12 months might understand as many as 25!

Read more: When Do Babies Start Talking? 9 Tips To Get Baby Talking.

…

In the stores there are many toys that claim to be educational, and designed to help your child with language and reading. But how can you work out what is beneficial and what could be harmful? Find out more: Electronic Toys Linked To Decreased Language During Play.

 

Previous Post

Are Our Kids Too Clean? 6 Facts About Kids And Dirt

Next Post

50 Week Old Baby | Your Baby Week By Week

Yvette O'Dowd

Yvette O'Dowd has been a breastfeeding counsellor and educator since 1992. She has three adult children and a two year old granddaughter - the best sort of bonus baby! Yvette runs a popular natural parenting network, is a babywearing educator, and runs antenatal breastfeeding classes for parents expecting twins and more! She is a keen photographer and scrap-booker and a keeper of a fairy garden.

Next Post
50 week old baby

50 Week Old Baby | Your Baby Week By Week

Comments 4

  1. Roman says:
    8 months ago

    I have really enjoyed this article and read further 4 supportive articles about the bilingual and multilingual part. Coming from family of French, Slovak and living in London, this is very beneficial for understanding and development of our little one.
    Thank you very much and I keep reading more into this subject as I am intrigued how we can make it better for our little one in future.

    Reply
  2. Rossie says:
    8 months ago

    I would recommend just using the simple sleep training as a support for weaning, no? I’ve used HWL method from parental-love.com and I loved it! It really teaches the baby to fall asleep alone, not not to cry but seriously soothe himself. And that’s a big help! Although I’ve used the method twice – with 4mo and 6mo, never later. But it’s claimed to work with every age so I’d give it a shot!

    Reply
  3. Tanya says:
    9 months ago

    I agree with the other mommas comments about the breastfeeding section. I thought I’d wean at 12 months but I don’t see that happening and that’s ok. I also don’t like to suggestions of going for a walk or gym so you don’t hear your baby crying out for you. I know people parent different but it’s also ok to not do that and to be with your child who wants you. We are their safe space and that is perfect! This time doesn’t last long so cherish the bedtime nursing and snuggles!

    Reply
    • BoyMom says:
      9 months ago

      I agree! Leaving so you don’t hear your baby cry? Not on my life. The rush to wean, the rush to sleep train, the rush to…anything, misses the whole opportunity we have to love and bond with our little humans and develop lifelong relationship patterns. I had anxiety about our son’s milestone progress until one day early in his little life I laughed at myself as I imagined him not able to rollover or sit up when he’s in junior high. After that I just learned to sit back and enjoy watching him, teaching him things and giving him the space and time to show interest. Our little 6 month old who would never rollover, started pulling up at 8 months and walks on his own a lot now at 11 months. He still doesn’t wave goodbye or hello, but yesterday he raised his hand and made the sign for milk repeatedly after no attempts prior. The point is that love, respect, admiration, quiet observation and emotional connection are far more important than weaning on a schedule. And sleep training? Ha, wear that baby out with physical play and you won’t have to train him to sleep!

      Reply

Recommended

hard spot in my abdomen

Hard Spot In My Abdomen – Is It Baby?

Last updated January 11, 2021
evening primrose oil to induce labour

Evening Primrose Oil To Induce Labour – Does It Work?

Last updated January 11, 2021
static electric shock while pregnant

Static Electric Shock While Pregnant

Last updated January 8, 2021

Trending

how to conceive a boy

How To Conceive A Boy – 6 Expert Tips to Have A Baby Boy

Last updated January 20, 2021
conceive a girl

How To Conceive A Girl – 9 Tips To Conceive A Baby Girl

Last updated January 20, 2021
cervix dilation

Cervix Dilation – 9 Signs You’re Dilating

Last updated January 20, 2021
BellyBelly

We’re passionate about women and men feeling informed, confident and prepared for pregnancy, birth and early parenting.

  • Home
  • Getting Pregnant
  • Pregnancy
    • Pregnancy Articles
    • Pregnancy Week By Week
    • Pregnancy Symptoms
    • Pregnancy Calculator
  • Birth
  • New Mothers
  • Baby
    • Baby Articles
    • Baby Week By Week
    • Baby Sleep Articles
    • Your Baby’s Starsign
  • Breastfeeding
  • Toddler
  • Child
  • Men
  • Parenting
  • Health & Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Recipes & Cooking
    • Relationships
    • Family Travel
    • Men
  • Pregnancy Symptoms
  • Pregnancy Week by Week
  • Baby Week by Week

OUR NETWORK


  • bellybelly.com.au

  • www.aroundtheworldpluskids.com.au

  • www.doula-training.com.au
  • About
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise

© Copyright 2002–2021 BellyBelly, All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Getting Pregnant
  • Pregnancy
    • Pregnancy Articles
    • Pregnancy Week By Week
    • Pregnancy Symptoms
    • Pregnancy Calculator
  • Birth
  • New Mothers
  • Baby
    • Baby Articles
    • Baby Week By Week
    • Baby Sleep Articles
    • Your Baby’s Starsign
  • Breastfeeding
  • Toddler
  • Child
  • Men
  • Parenting
  • Health & Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Recipes & Cooking
    • Relationships
    • Family Travel
    • Men

© Copyright 2002–2021 BellyBelly, All Rights Reserved.