Baby's 15-month checkup

Your child is already in toddler age and you are in for a ride! Now they are walking, throwing, exploring and expressing feelings, including anger. Ugh! This is a good time to talk to your pediatrician about safety, behavior, and discipline.

You can expect your pediatrician to:

Weigh and measure the child
Perform a physical examination of your child
Give your child another dose of the diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis vaccine, Hib vaccine, or pneumococcal vaccine, and in the fall or winter, a flu shot
Depending on the schedule, measles and varicella vaccines may also be given at this time.
Catch up with any other vaccines that have been missed

When your child starts to go outside or go to kindergarten, he will be susceptible to many diseases. Protect your child by getting recommended vaccines.

Questions your pediatrician may ask

How is your child's appetite?
Do they eat a variety of foods?
Do they eat with their fingers?
Do they use a bottle?
How many hours does your child sleep, including naps?

Diet questions you may have

How can I encourage my child to try different foods?
What foods are most nutritious for my child?

Feeding tips

Keep offering new products. If your child doesn't like food one week, he may like it next week. It takes a long time for a child to love certain foods, so don't give up! This is your window of opportunity to expand their taste.
Little children love to imitate their parents. If your child sees you eating different foods, he may do the same.
Stick to mostly unprocessed foods like fruits and vegetables. They provide excellent nutrition for your child's growing brain and body.
Whole grains are also a good source of nutrition.
Continue to cut your child's food into small pieces, mindful of the potential choking hazard.

Safety questions you may have

How can I keep my child safe when he is moving at full speed?
Is it too early to start using sunscreen?
Should they sit in a rear or forward facing car seat?

Safety tips

Improve your home security with these measures:

Make sure cords, strangling objects, and hard, sharp or breakable objects are out of reach.
Make sure all household cleaners and detergents are upstairs or in locked cabinets.
Make sure all electrical outlets are covered.
Keep the bathroom door closed and the toilet seat down.
Make sure the crib mattress is on the lowest level.

To protect your child from too bright sun:

Try to stay out of the sun between 10:00 and 14:00.
Cover them up with a wide-brimmed hat, long sleeves and trousers.
Use a children's sunscreen with a sun protection factor of 30 or higher that says "broad spectrum" on the label. Remember to reapply it often.

Questions about behavior you may have

What happened to my adorable baby? Now they beat me and think it's funny!
What is the best way to deal with tantrums?

Behavior tips

Start setting some simple rules and stick to them.
Boundaries and structure make children feel safe.
Give your child a choice when you can. And try to tell them about plans and deadlines. Do not forget that they understand much more than they express.
Tantrums tend to happen more often when babies are hungry, tired, or facing deviations from their usual schedule.
Distracting or removing your child from the situation can help avoid tantrums.
As soon as the tantrum starts, make sure your child is in a safe place.
Then ignore the tantrum or quietly hold the baby in your arms.
Try to remember that temper tantrums are part of normal development.

Just a few months ago, your child was a baby. Now they are making their first attempts at independence, and everything is going well. Your pediatrician can help you find the right balance between encouraging this independence and keeping them safe. And don't forget to constantly offer them new foods, especially fruits and vegetables, so they can eat healthy.