12 Month Old Baby: Happy First Birthday

Your Baby at 12 Months Old

A 12 month old baby is often taking first steps or cruising, using a pincer grasp, and saying a first word or two like “mama” or “dada,” per the Canadian Paediatric Society. At the first birthday, whole cow’s milk (3.25% M.F.) can replace infant formula, limited to about 500 mL a day; some families choose a toddler formula instead, with the same daily limit. The 12-month vaccines are usually due. Toddlers need about 7 mg of iron a day and sleep around 11–14 hours.

Happy first birthday. Your 12 month old has gone from newborn to a curious, mobile, communicative little person in a single year. This month brings a cluster of changes: first steps, first words, a new round of vaccines, and a shift in how your baby eats and drinks.

This guide covers what’s normal as your baby turns one: the milestones, the move to cow’s milk or a toddler formula, the 12-month vaccines, and sleep as a new toddler.

The 12-Month Vaccines

Around the first birthday, the next round of vaccines is usually due. The Canadian Paediatric Society’s schedule includes the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella; first dose at 12 to 15 months), the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine (first dose at 12 to 15 months), and the meningococcal conjugate vaccine at 12 months; a pneumococcal booster may also be given around 12 to 15 months. A combined MMR-varicella vaccine is sometimes used. Exact products and timing vary by province and territory — the CPS notes timing may be slightly different depending on where you live.

The same comfort measures apply: use distractions and cuddles, apply a topical numbing cream about an hour before if you like, and don’t give acetaminophen or ibuprofen before the shots — only after, if side effects develop, per the Canadian Paediatric Society. The CPS also recommends a yearly flu shot for all children over 6 months. Vaccines are very safe, the CPS notes.

Your Life This Month: The First Birthday

One year in, you’ve learned an astonishing amount — and so has your baby. The first birthday is a milestone for you, too. It’s also a practical turning point: feeding shifts toward family foods and a cup, milk changes, and the days of infant formula wind down.

Expect big feelings around this age — clinginess, testing limits, the odd tantrum as your toddler’s will outpaces their words. It’s developmentally normal. Calm, consistent routines and plenty of connection help.

Look after your own wellbeing, too. If low mood or anxiety has been lingering, please tell your doctor or public health nurse — postpartum depression can develop across the first year and is treatable, the Canadian Paediatric Society notes.

Feeding Your 12 Month Old: Cow’s Milk and Family Foods

At 12 months, your toddler can join the family table more fully — eating a variety of the healthy foods you eat, in safe textures. Go easy on salt: cook with less rather than adding it at the table, and check labels on bread, cheese and prepared foods, which is where most of it comes from. Skip added sugar where you can. Honey is now safe, past the first-birthday botulism risk, but it still counts as sugar. Iron still matters: toddlers aged 1 to 3 years need about 7 mg of iron a day, per the Canadian Paediatric Society, so keep offering iron-rich foods paired with vitamin C.

Milk changes now. Whole cow’s milk (3.25% M.F.) can replace infant formula from 12 months, the Canadian Paediatric Society notes — but keep it to no more than about 500 mL a day, since too much milk fills small stomachs, crowds out food, and can lead to iron-deficiency anemia. Offer milk and water in an open cup, and aim to switch from bottle to cup between 12 and 15 months. Continue a daily 400 IU vitamin D supplement for breastfed and partly breastfed children.

If you’d rather continue a formula, a Stage 3 toddler formula is an option from 12 months alongside family foods, within the same daily limit.

A note on formula this month. From 12 months, whole cow’s milk or a toddler formula can replace infant formula. If you choose formula, MOF’s organic HiPP Dutch Stage 3 is a toddler formula designed for 12 months and up, iron-fortified to provide iron, DHA and vitamin D alongside your toddler’s meals. Whichever you choose, keep total milk to about 500 mL a day so it doesn’t crowd out iron-rich foods. Formula or cow’s milk — go with what’s right for your family.

Sleep at 12 Months: What’s Normal & How to Help

A 12 month old — now a toddler — usually sleeps around 11 to 14 hours in total over a 24-hour period, per the Canadian Paediatric Society, typically on two naps that may start merging toward one over the coming months. Night waking can still happen.

Keeping the sleep routine you built in the first year is even more important now, the CPS notes. Help your toddler wind down about half an hour before bed with stories or quiet activities, keep the room dim and cozy, and be gentle but firm if they protest. A security item like a blanket or stuffed animal is often important at this age.

Safe sleep reminder: place your child on a firm, flat sleep surface, and follow current local safe-sleep guidance for their age. Continue to keep the crib clear of soft, loose items until your provider advises otherwise.