Appointments and Activities – What's happening in the 13th month?
Vaccination: Between the 11th and 14th month the first vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella can be given. Vaccinations against chickenpox and meningococcal disease are also possible now. In addition, if necessary, the primary immunization against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis and other diseases can now be completed.
Trips to the playground: Regular visits to the playground have many advantages: you get fresh air, your baby has contact with other children and can learn a lot from them. And swinging and sliding is fun for the parents too!
Important developmental milestones in the 13th month
From baby to toddler: With the start of the 2nd year of life your infant is officially no longer a baby, but a toddler. In the first year the child has already learned a lot – and there is still much to explore now. Physical development now progresses a bit more slowly.
Language and comprehension: Your child steadily expands its vocabulary and keeps learning new words that it understands. It may already try to produce its first one-word sentences. Often it uses the same word for different things that have similar properties. For example, a stone is often also recognized as a "ball" because both are round.
Perception: The baby develops a sense of spatial relationships and understands that smaller objects can be placed into larger containers. It has a lot of fun putting items into and taking them out of boxes, drawers, containers and more, thereby training its spatial understanding.
Independence: Toddlers become increasingly curious about how everyday things work – and want to try many things independently and become more independent. You can promote this by, for example, showing them how to comb their own hair or how to dress and undress themselves.
Social interaction: Contact with other babies is extremely important for your child – most little ones are also very fascinated by other boys and girls. Playing together and contact with peers help them learn more about social interaction. However, it will still take a while before your child really plays actively with others, since babies in the 13th month mostly still play more by themselves.
