Your baby's one-year checkup is a significant milestone.
A baby's first birthday is a big milestone. During the first year of life, a baby experiences many developmental changes -- physically, emotionally and socially. Your pediatrician is available to ensure that your baby is hitting all of those milestones at the appropriate times. When you see the doctor for your baby's one-year checkup, you can find out which milestones your child is hitting, and whether there are any concerns you need to address.
Physical Guidelines
Doctors use height, weight and head circumference to determine whether young children are on track for physical development. Doctors measure head size to chart brain development. By their first birthday, girls typically weigh between 18 to 25 pounds, are 27 to 31 inches tall and have a head circumference of 17 to 18.5 inches. Average measurements for boys range from 19 to 27 pounds and 28 to 31 inches in height, with head circumference of 17 to 19 inches.
Motor Skills
Doctors would like to see that children have mastered certain skills by their first birthday. One example is bearing weight on their own legs; some children have even taken their first steps by their first birthday. If your baby hasn't, don't worry. This particular milestone can vary for different children. As far as fine motor skills go, one-year-olds should be able to point at things and use both hands equally, according to Baby Center.
Social Development
Your baby should look at your when you're speaking and should engage in smiling, laughing and cooing. One-year-olds should also enjoy playing games such as peek-a-boo and patty-cake. Children this age probably experience separation anxiety when you leave the room. If your baby doesn't express himself socially in at least several of these ways, you might want to ask your doctor whether you should be concerned.
Sleep
If your baby is still getting up several times overnight, ask your pediatrician whether you need to implement more rigorous sleep training. Similarly, if your baby isn't napping well during the day, she can become irritable and not sleep well at night. Insufficient sleep can snowball for children, so it's beneficial to check on this vital issue.
Tags: your baby, first birthday, their first, head circumference, their first birthday
