Week 49

Days 337 to 343 · 48 weeks 0 days to 48 weeks 6 days old · about 11 months Your baby is now, on average, about 74 cm (29 in) long and weighs about 9.1 kg (20 lb). Babies vary widely, and what matters is that your baby keeps following their own curve on the growth chart. Many babies this age are cruising, standing alone or taking first steps, and some are saying a word or two. Others are busy practising, and both are normal. For you, the first birthday is only a few weeks away, and with it come questions about drinks and food. This week looks ahead to whole cow's milk, continuing breastfeeding, moving off formula, iron in the toddler diet and what a first word really sounds like. It also sketches a simple daily rhythm of meals, snacks and drinks for the months ahead.

Day 337 · 48 weeks 0 days old

Whole cow's milk is coming soon

From about 12 months, plain whole cow's milk can become one of your baby's main drinks. Before then, it is not suitable as a main drink, because it is low in iron and can upset the balance of nutrients a young baby needs. Small amounts in cooking, yogurt and cheese have been fine for months. Choose pasteurized whole milk, sometimes sold as full-fat or homogenized milk. Young children need the fat and energy for growth, so most guidance suggests whole milk until about age 2, unless your baby's doctor advises otherwise. Skip low-fat, skim and flavoured milks for now. Raw, unpasteurized milk is never safe for children.

More is not better. About 500 mL (2 cups) a day is plenty for most toddlers, and more than about 750 mL (3 cups) can fill them up so much that they eat less of the iron-rich foods they need. Offering milk in an open cup or a cup with a straw, with meals and snacks, keeps it in its place as a drink rather than a meal.

If your baby is breastfed, cow's milk is optional. You will read about that tomorrow.

Try this: Pick a cup your baby can hold and practise with a little water at meals this week, so the cup is familiar when milk arrives.

Day 338 · 48 weeks 1 day old

You can keep breastfeeding for as long as you both want

There is nothing magic about the first birthday when it comes to breastfeeding. The World Health Organization and many health bodies encourage continuing, alongside family foods, until 2 years or beyond, for as long as it works for you and your child. Breast milk still offers nutrition, antibodies and comfort in the second year.

What it looks like will change. Many toddlers feed a few times a day, often first thing in the morning, before naps or at bedtime, and at moments when they are tired, hurt or overwhelmed. Food now does most of the work of filling them up, and breast milk fills in around it.

If you are breastfeeding several times a day, your toddler does not need cow's milk as a drink. Dairy foods such as yogurt and cheese, and milk used in cooking, are enough. Water in a cup covers thirst. Keep offering vitamin D for as long as your baby's doctor advises.

People may comment, kindly or not, on feeding "a big baby". You do not owe anyone an explanation. Equally, if you are ready to stop soon, that is a good decision too. You will find a gentle way to wean on day 355. Try this: Think about what you would like the next few months of feeding to look like, and say it out loud to your partner or a friend.

Day 339 · 48 weeks 2 days old

What a first word really sounds like

Many parents expect a first word to arrive clearly, like a line in a film. Usually it is quieter than that. A first word is any sound your baby uses again and again for the same thing. "Ba" for ball, "da" for dog or "uh-oh" when something drops all count, even if no one outside the family would recognize them.

Around the first birthday, many babies have one to three words, often "mama", "dada" or the name of a pet, sibling or favourite food. Some have none yet and some have several. Anywhere from about 10 to 15 months is a common range for the first real word, and the pace varies a great deal. Animal sounds, a consistent sign for "more" and a word said in a babbly tune all show the same skill: knowing that sounds stand for things.

Understanding comes well before speaking. Your baby may already follow "Where's your shoe?" or look at the door when you say "Daddy's home", long before saying much at all. That understanding is the foundation that words are built on.

Try this: When your baby makes a sound that seems to mean something, say the real word back warmly: "Ba? Yes, ball!"

Day 340 · 48 weeks 3 days old

Iron matters even more in the toddler years

Babies are born with a store of iron that lasts roughly six months. Since then, food has had to supply it, and that stays true into toddlerhood. Iron helps make red blood cells and supports a fast-growing brain. Low iron can leave a child tired, pale and irritable, and long-lasting iron deficiency can affect development.

Toddlers are at risk for a simple reason: milk. Cow's milk contains very little iron, and a toddler who drinks a lot of it may have little room for anything else. Too much milk can also make it harder to absorb iron. That is why the limit of about 500 to 750 mL (2 to 3 cups) a day matters.

Aim for an iron-rich food at most meals. Good sources include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, lentils, tofu and iron-fortified cereals. Iron from plants is absorbed better with a food rich in vitamin C, such as tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, berries or oranges. Families who eat little or no meat can meet iron needs too, with a bit of planning, and a dietitian can help.

Some places check iron levels with a simple blood test around 12 months. Call your baby's doctor if your baby seems unusually pale, tired or uninterested in food, or drinks far more milk than they eat.

Try this: Look at tomorrow's meals and add one iron-rich food to each, such as lentils in pasta sauce or egg on toast.

Day 341 · 48 weeks 4 days old

Moving off formula around the first birthday

If your baby has been formula fed, the first birthday is also when most can stop. From about 12 months, whole cow's milk and family foods can provide what formula did, and baby formula is no longer needed.

You do not need toddler formula, growing-up milk or follow-on formula either. These products are marketed widely, but most toddlers eating a varied diet do not need them, and they tend to cost more and can contain added sugars. If your baby uses a special formula for allergy, reflux or a medical reason, ask your baby's doctor what to switch to and when.

There is no single right way to make the change. Some families swap straight from formula to milk. Others mix the two in increasing amounts of milk over a week or so, which can help a baby who notices the difference in taste. Serving it cold or slightly warmed is up to your baby.

This is also a good time to move from bottles to a cup, as you read in week

• 44. A bottle of milk at bedtime is often the last to go. If you keep one for now, offer it before brushing teeth, not in the crib.

Try this: Count how much formula your baby drinks in a day, so you can plan to bring the total milk down to about 2 to 3 cups.

Day 342 · 48 weeks 5 days old

When cow's milk is not an option

Some families cannot or prefer not to use cow's milk. Your baby may have a cow's milk allergy, you may follow a vegan diet, or your family may simply not drink milk. Toddlers can thrive without it, but it is worth planning, because milk is an easy source of protein, fat, calcium and vitamin D. Most plant drinks are not good substitutes on their own. Almond, oat, coconut and rice drinks are usually low in protein and energy, and rice drinks can contain traces of arsenic, so they are not recommended as a main drink for young children. If you want a plant-based drink, an unsweetened soy drink fortified with calcium and vitamin D is the closest match, from about 12 months. Check the label for "fortified" and "unsweetened".

If you are still breastfeeding often, you may not need a substitute at all. Formula-fed babies with allergies may need a special formula for longer, so follow the plan from your baby's doctor.

Whatever you choose, a dietitian can check that your toddler gets enough calcium, iron, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and healthy fats. This matters especially on a fully plant-based diet.

For your partner: Take on the label reading this week. Compare two or three fortified drinks at the shop and share what you find.

Day 343 · 48 weeks 6 days old

A simple rhythm of meals, snacks and drinks

Small stomachs and busy days mean toddlers do best with food at regular times. A common pattern is three meals and two or three snacks, spaced about two to three hours apart. Grazing all day can blunt their appetite at meals.

Think of snacks as small meals rather than treats: fruit, vegetables, cheese, yogurt, toast, crackers or leftovers. Offer a couple of foods your baby already likes alongside something newer. You decide what is offered and when. Your baby decides whether to eat and how much, and that balance is one of the most reliable ways to raise a relaxed eater.

Drinks are simple from 12 months. Milk goes with meals or snacks, in a cup. Water is the drink for thirst in between. Juice is not needed, even 100 % fruit juice, and whole fruit is better. If you do offer juice, keep it small, diluted and with a meal. Sweet drinks, soda, tea, coffee and energy drinks have no place in a toddler's day.

Appetite will swing from day to day, sometimes wildly. Looking at what your baby eats across a week gives a truer picture than any single meal. Try this: Sketch tomorrow's day on paper with rough times for meals, snacks and naps, and see whether the gaps feel about right.