51 Week Old Baby Milestones 👶
Around this time, you may notice that those babbles and coos are turning into your baby’s first words! As your little one approaches her first birthday, her speech and language skills are growing stronger every day. Did you know that between 12 and 15 months, babies acquire about one new word every day?Amazing! Here are some ways you can continue to support her speech and language development:
- Repeat words to her: As she begins to speak her first words, repetition is so important for her to know and understand correct pronunciation.
- Point to objects and name them: You may notice her struggling to pronounce some words as she first tries to speak. It’s helpful to point to an object she may be looking at and name it for her. For example: “This is a red car. It’s a big red car! You’re looking at a big red car!”
- Continue to read, read, read: As she is learning words at a rapid pace now, it’s important to expose her to as many words as possible. Reading is such a great way to spend some quality time together and expose her to plenty of new words every day. Check out these great books for babies.
She is right on the cusp of being able to communicate using her words. It’s such an exciting time! But it can also be accompanied by some frustrations, as she may struggle to say exactly what’s on her mind. Stay patient, and give her time to get those words out! Check out this article to learn more about baby’s first words.
51 week old baby Mama Natural Baby Tracker
You at 51 Weeks Postpartum 👩
You’re getting closer to that one year mark, and at this point, some mamas find that their breastfeeding journey is coming to an end. I encourage you to stick it out if you can—there are so many benefits to extended breastfeeding—but know that some mamas choose to wean because they're thinking about conceiving again or their supply is dropping too much.
But how do you even begin to start weaning your little one? It’s not exactly a cold turkey kind of situation—ideally, you’ll want to wean baby as gently and naturally as possible. Don’t worry, mama. We’re here to help guide you:
- Cut back: Try to lower the amount of breastfeeding sessions throughout the day, but stick to a daily routine as much as possible. For example, try one nursing session before bedtime and one right as they wake up. Over time, you can drop one session, eventually dropping them all.
- Keep nursing sessions short: You can do this by talking to them and letting them know when it’s time to be “all done.” Let them know that you are still available to cuddle them and read with them, if they still need some bonding time with you.
- Pump for shorter amounts of time: For those mamas who are working and weaning, keep those pumping sessions short. Try cutting the time in half and working your way down. This way, you will gradually stop producing milk over time.
There are many ways to effectively wean your baby in a gentle, natural way. It shouldn’t be a cold, hard cut off from nursing. While it may take more time and effort for you to wean in a gentle way, it will all be worth it in the end. In the meantime, enjoy those last few sweet moments with your little one!