Newborn Care - the first year
In the first year, babies learn to focus their vision, reach out, explore, and learn about the things that are around them. Cognitive development means the learning process of memory, language, thinking and reasoning.
Babies sleep 11 to 17 hours a day in their first year. There’s lots of variation among babies, so it’s best to talk to your provider about what’s normal for your infant. Most babies start sleeping through the night by 6 months of age.
Making appropriate food choices for your baby during the first year of life is very important. More growth occurs during the first year, more than any other time! It's important to feed your baby a variety of healthy foods at the proper time. Starting good eating habits at this early stage helps establish good eating habits throughout life.
After Hour Care. Mercy Community Healthcare’s providers are dedicated to serving our patients 24 hours a day. If you are unsure whether an illness or injury that you or your child sustained requires emergent attention, please call our office at 615.790.0567. During office hours, you will be referred to a triage nurse. After hours, you will be referred to our answering services, where an on-call nurse and/or provider will speak with you.
0-3 Months
This age is all about eating, sleeping and crying
• Development: smiles, raises head and
watches objects move
• Communication: different cries are used
to express different needs and emotions
• Sleep: 14-17 hours in 24 hour period
• Eats: breastmilk or formula - what’s best
for you and your baby
4-6 Months
Personality is beginning to show!
• Development: reaches & grabs things, sits
up with support and responds to own name
• Communication: babbling begins;
combination of constonans and vowels
• Sleep: 12-16 hours in 24 hour period
• Eats: soft fruits and veggies at 6 months
7-9 Months
On the move and trying new foods!
• Development: crawls, puts things in
mouth and plays peekaboo
• Communication: understands the word
no and uses fingers to point
• Sleep: 12-16 hours in 24 hour period
• Eats: small bites of meat & other protein
10-12 Months
On the way to being a toddler!
• Development: feeds themselves, stands
alone and follows simple directions
• Communication: learning first words
and claps & waves
• Sleep: 12-16 hours in 24 hour period
• Eats: grains and dairy
Our Pediatric healthcare team is here to help you!