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Baby month 12 for dads: the first birthday checklist

By 1 year most babies pull up to stand, cruise along furniture, wave and have a special name for you. Cows' milk can become the main drink, the 1 year vaccines are due, and most first-year leave windows close at the birthday. You made it through year one.

How to read this

Month 12 means the baby is between 11 and 12 months old. Everything below is a typical range, not a test: babies get there at different times. If your baby was born early, ask your health visitor or pediatrician how to count. Anything that worries you goes to your GP, health visitor or pediatrician, or NHS 111 / 911 when it is urgent.

▸What is typical for the baby this month

Development: what is typical by 1 year

By 1 year, most babies play games like pat-a-cake, wave bye-bye, call a parent mama, dada or another special name, and understand no. [CDC]

Most also put things in a container, look for things they saw you hide, pull up to stand, walk holding on to furniture, drink from an open cup you hold, and pick things up between thumb and pointer finger. [CDC]

Not all babies crawl. If your baby shows no signs of moving by 12 months, the NHS suggests asking your health visitor. [NHS Best Start in Life]

Feeding and teeth

From 1 year, whole cows' milk can be the main drink. In the UK, all children aged 1 to 4 should have a daily vitamin A, C and D supplement. [NHS · CDC]

The first molars usually come through at around 12 months. [NHS]

Sleep

After their first birthday, babies sleep around 12 to 15 hours in total, including naps. [NHS]

▸Your jobs this month

  1. Go to the 1 year vaccines. UK: MMRV, pneumococcal and MenB. US: the 12 to 15 month visit.
  2. Check that every leave day you were entitled to has been used or consciously given up.
  3. Write down the year: the first laugh, the first food, the first word. In the UK the red book has a milestones section too.
  4. Thank her, specifically, for something she did this year that nobody saw.

▸Her recovery, your head, and the two of you

The NHS says postnatal depression symptoms can start up to a year after the birth. A birthday does not mean anyone should feel fine on cue. Keep checking in, and keep the shared jobs shared.

Postnatal depression signs the NHS lists include low mood, finding it hard to enjoy anything, feeling hopeless or unable to cope, feeling guilty or like a bad parent, constant worry, irritability, trouble sleeping even when there is a chance to rest, trouble concentrating, difficulty bonding with the baby, and thoughts of suicide or of harming herself or the baby. Symptoms can start any time up to a year after the birth. [NHS]

It is not only her. NHS Best Start in Life says up to 1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men develop a mental health problem such as depression or anxiety in pregnancy or the first year after the birth, and the NHS says fathers and partners can also get depression after a baby. [NHS Best Start in Life · NHS]

Where to get help

UK: talk to your GP, midwife or health visitor. In England, adults can also refer themselves to NHS talking therapies. PANDAS runs support groups, a text line and a callback service, and Samaritans answer on 116 123. In an emergency call 999. [NHS · PANDAS]

US: talk to her OB or your own doctor. The Postpartum Support International HelpLine is 1-800-944-4773 (call or text; it takes a message and a trained volunteer gets back to you), and PSI runs a support group for dads. For a crisis, call or text 988, any time. In an emergency call 911. [PSI · PSI · 988]

▸Money and paperwork around now

UK: Paternity Leave must end within 52 weeks of the birth, and Shared Parental Leave must be used in the first year. [GOV.UK · GOV.UK]

US: FMLA bonding leave must be used within 12 months of the birth. New Jersey, Massachusetts and Oregon also limit bonding leave to the first year. [U.S. Department of Labor · New Jersey Department of Labor · Mass.gov · Paid Leave Oregon]

Get every first-year deadline as a date → · Vaccination schedule (UK and US) →

▸Common questions

When can my baby drink cows' milk?

From 1 year as a main drink, according to the NHS, and the CDC says cows' milk is not recommended until after 12 months. Before that it can be used in cooking.

What vaccines are due at 12 months?

UK: MMRV, the second pneumococcal dose and the third MenB dose at 1 year. US: the CDC parent schedule lists MMR, chickenpox, Hib and pneumococcal doses at 12 to 15 months. Follow your GP or pediatrician.

How much should a 1 year old sleep?

The NHS says around 12 to 15 hours in total after the first birthday, including naps. Every child varies.

▸The whole first year

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Not medical advice

This is general information for expectant fathers, not clinical guidance. Anything about symptoms, pain, or bleeding goes to your midwife, doctor, or emergency service, not to an app.

← Month 11 The first year →

Your first year, dated from the birthday.

In the DAD-OS app, enter the birth date once and get this month's guide, the vaccine visits and every paperwork deadline as real dates, with a calendar export.

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▸Sources

Checked against these pages. Where guidance differs by country, follow your own GP, health visitor or pediatrician.