Physical Development

Many pediatricians recommend that babies cut back to one bottle a day, or even discontinue bottles altogether, by 1 year of age. Although it may take your child a little longer, you can start the process now by teaching her to use a cup. Purchase a trainer cup with two handles and a snap-on lid with a spout, and fill it halfway with diluted juice or formula. Show her how to maneuver it to her mouth and tip it to drink. She'll play (and spill most of it) at first, but eventually she'll get the idea. Once she's drinking comfortably and getting enough liquid from the cup, switch to water in her bottle to make it a less attractive option. This may take a month or so, but don't rush it. Taking bottles away too soon can deprive her of the nutrition she needs.

Social Development

Is your baby moody? Children at this age start to show many types of emotions, ranging from fear and sadness to untrammeled glee. In addition to crying, she can look sheepish when caught doing something after you've told her "no"; expectant when you put her in her high chair; and excited at the sight of someone she loves. Some babies smack their lips and say "yum!" when they eat something delicious, or stamp their feet in time to music; others daydream, staring off into space as though they've got a lot on their minds. Encourage these communications, and help your child express them. You can also provide words to describe her feelings: "Are you sad?" "Isn't that tasty?" In time, she will learn to express her emotions verbally.

Intellectual Development

The more your baby's intellect develops, the more exciting the world becomes. She's now starting to grasp concepts like time, distance, depth, and cause and effect, and incorporate them into her play. She'll stack colored rings on a plastic cone, then knock them down and stack them another way to see the difference. She'll roll a ball to you in expectation of having it rolled back, or separate the Cheerios from the diced peaches on her dinner plate. She also continues to learn about the properties of objects by crumpling, ripping, tasting, and throwing anything she can get her increasingly dexterous hands on.

Note: The information above offers general guidelines, but all babies develop differently, and few hit their milestones precisely when the conventional wisdom says they should. If your child was born prematurely, you may want to use your due date as a baseline for following baby's development.