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Parents often wonder about their child’s health, leading to the frequently asked question: “Is my baby healthy and growing normally?”

These information sheets outline normal and healthy growth and developmental milestones, and common health topics for your baby.

Due to space constraints, some messages are repeated at several ages while others appear once only. Read the complete set of sheets to obtain the entire information.

The Rourke Baby Record (RBR) is a guide that many Canadian doctors and other healthcare professionals utilize for well baby and child visits for babies and children from 1 week to 5 years of age.

photo of a baby smiling

15 Months

Feeding & Growth

  • You can continue to breastfeed your child until 2 years and beyond while continuing to give you and your child Vitamin D 400 IU per day.
  • Offer a maximum of 500-600 mLs (16-20 oz) 3.25% MF cow milk per day. More than 750mls (24 oz) per day will decrease your child’s appetite for solid foods and increase the risk for iron deficiency and anemia.
  • Avoid all sweetened fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, and soft drinks; restrict fruit juice consumption to a maximum of 1/2 cup (125 mL) per day.
  • If your child is following a vegetarian, vegan, or alternative diet, get expert advice to be sure that it is nutritionally complete.
  • Encourage independent self-feeding and sharing regular meals with others.

Other Advice

  • Read, speak, tell stories and sing to/with your child. This promotes early literacy and social skills in your child.
  • Screen time is not recommended except for video-chatting with family or friends.
  • Decrease sedentary pastimes and engage in frequent physical activity, with you as a role model, through free and unstructured outdoor active play.
  • Recommended sleep for 1–2-year-olds is 11-14 hours per day. Keep bedtime and wakening time consistent and encourage positive bedtime routines. Don’t use screens before bedtime or in the bedroom.
  • Do not use over the counter cough/cold medications.
  • Within 6 months of your child’s first tooth, or at 1 year of age, take him to his first dental appointment.
  • Second-hand smoke (from cigarettes, E-cigs, cannabis) is harmful to your child. Ask your healthcare provider for help to quit smoking.
  • Empathetic, consistent and responsive discipline techniques are associated with positive behavior outcomes. Praise good behavior.

Injury Prevention

  • Car seats: Install and follow size recommendations as per specific car seat model, and keep in each stage as long as possible, until the weight and height limit of the seat is reached: Infant/toddlers in a rear-facing car seat; Children who weigh at least 10 kg can be in a forward-facing seat with a harness.
  • Keep medicines, cannabis edibles, cleaners and other toxic substances locked up and out of children’s reach. Ensure safe storage and disposal of button batteries. Cover electrical outlets and tape down cords. Secure TVs, computers and furniture to prevent them from tipping over. Use window guards and stair gates. Be vigilant about hot liquids on countertops. Find the hazards before your baby does. Have Emergency numbers handy. 1-844-POISON-X (1-844-764-7669).

Development

  • At 15 months, your baby should:
    • Stand up alone.
    • Walk sideways holding onto furniture.
    • Crawl up a few stairs/steps.
    • Pick up small things with pads of thumb and index finger (mature pincer grasp).
    • Turn pages in a board book.
    • Say 5 or more words. Words do not have to be clear.
    • Show some fear of strange people/places.
  • Report any concerns about your child’s development, including her hearing and vision, to her physician or other healthcare professional.

Vaccinations

  • After the vaccinations, your child may have no reaction, or may be fussy or sleep more or less than usual. He may have a mild fever or a little redness or swelling where the needle was given. If needed, you can give him ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Call your doctor if his fever reaches 40o C (104o F), if he is crying/fussy for more than 24 hours, is unusually sleepy or unresponsive, or has swelling at the needle site that is worsening.
  • Your child would benefit from influenza vaccine.

Resources

For more information on your baby’s health, the top 5 websites cited by the RBR Parent Resources are:

  1. Canadian Pediatrics Society – Caring for Kids (www.caringforkids.cps.ca)
  2. Hospital for Sick Children – About Kids Health (www.aboutkidshealth.ca)
  3. Parachute - (www.parachutecanada.org)
  4. Dietitians of Canada – UnlockFood (www.unlockfood.ca/en/default.aspx)
  5. Health Canada (www.hc-sc.gc.ca)

Support and Acknowledgements

Financial support for the Rourke Baby Record has been provided by the Government of Ontario. In-kind support from the Canadian Paediatric Society, College of Family Physicians of Canada, and Dietitians of Canada. 2024 brochure revisions by Dr. Anne Rowan-Legg. As information is constantly changing, the Rourke Baby Record and these brochures should be used as a guide only.

August 2024