Bedtime Activity: 12-18 Months

By 12 months of age, your baby should no longer need a "bedtime" feeding. If you have not done so already, make toothbrushing a part of your bedtime routine. Make up a silly song about brushing teeth (or recite one of many popular songs out there, such as Raffi's Brush Your Teeth) to help make this activity fun and relaxed. Continue to read to your child before bed. Let her help choose which book she wants to read, but try to limit her to 2-3 choices. She may get overwhelmed with having to choose from of a full bookshelf! While reading, ask her to point to various pictures in the book. You can also point to pictures yourself and ask her, "What's that?"

Possible Intervention Strategies & Supports

• If your child has a hard time turning pages, you can use books that have tabs on them. Taggies is an example of a line of books in which a lot of tabs are used (see image to the right). Don't feel as though you have to go out and buy a bunch of books though; your local library is a great resource and houses some of these types of books. You could also use masking or electrical tape to make your own tabs on books you have right at home.

• When reading, use very specific and clear directions, such as "Show me," when prompting your child to point to the various items in a book.

• Any work on standing balance will help with independence in dressing. Practice getting up and down from the floor while getting undressed or dressed can help stablize standing balance.

• This is often a tough age for families to get their children to sleep through the night, so don't hesitate to talk with your doctor or early intervention provider about sleep training techniques.

Tips

By 12 months, your baby should be using a cup (possibly sippie cup) instead of a bottle. Make sure you brush your child's teeth after she has had her last sips of milk for the night so that she doesn't go to bed with residue on them. If you have already brushed her teeth, but she really seems to need a drink before falling asleep, offer her a couple of sips of water.

Family Handout

Click here to download an editable one-page handout of this age range's bedtime activity, interventions, and tips.