Sing songs to your little one to teach different concepts such as colors, counting and the alphabet. Although he may not be able to repeat the words to you yet, he is learning important language skills.

Teach songs to your toddler to expand his vocabulary and enhance his listening and concentration skills.
Play music from a wide variety of styles and cultures. The more kinds of music your child listens to, the more diverse musical tastes and appreciation he will develop.

One year olds enjoy songs that involve physical activity. "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" is a good example of an activity song to sing with your child. Point to the body parts as you sing and speed up until you can't go any faster!

Listen to "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and find more great songs here

Brain Science for Your Baby

Listening to music is important and can teach a child a lot! But include some singing, dancing, and maybe even some drumming! A recent study (Dunbar, 2012) found that active performance of music caused endorphin release, where just listing to music didn't. Endorphins are "feel good" brain chemicals which will lift both your mood - and your baby's!

A Baby Buffer Prescription for Your Baby

Put music on in the background while your child eats, plays, crawls and even when he wakes up or gets ready for bed. He will naturally incorporate the music into whatever she is doing by dancing, humming along or simply enjoying the tunes. Keep the volume medium to low to avoid any hearing damage.

Many simple musical instruments for little ones can be made from everyday objects. Make a shaker/noisemaker from a clean, used plastic soda bottle containing dried peas with a lid held in place firmly with glue, for example.

A baby Buffer Prescription for You

Your little one loves to hear you sing and is your biggest fan! Come up with songs about everyday things you are doing-diapering, feeding, hugging, kissing-soothes your baby, and makes him less fussy, particularly while doing tasks that he particularly dislikes, such as getting dressed.

Share your favorite music with your baby! Have a dance party to the music that you enjoy. You will get some exercise and have a great time with your baby too.

What Your Baby Can Do - Developmental Milestones

Emotionally, one-year-olds are just learning to recognize and manage their feelings. They experience a wide range of emotions and have tantrums when they are tired or frustrated. They may also respond to conflict by hitting, biting, screaming, or crying. One-year-olds want their independence, and may say, "No!" to adult suggestions or insist that they, "Do it!" Then, moments later, they might cling to an adult's leg or ask for help.

What your baby should be doing at 12 months

What your baby should be doing at 18 months

Baby Buffer Blog

Written by Greta McFarland, MD, FAAP, aka "Gene"

Selfishness: is your child ever self-absorbed? Well, we hope so, since that is in the "kid job-description" for the first 20 years. But learning to go from selfishness to selflessness doesn't just happen; it is an on-going, many-times-a day activity, where everyone has to give and take. So keep that selfish thought in mind while we explore two articles on habits and how they help families teach kids to go from being selfish to becoming selfless.

The first article was in the Journal of School Health where about 1000 5th-6th grade students' standardized test scores and family habits were analyzed. The kids with the best test scores had the following habits: no bedroom TV, healthy weight, being physically fit, eating healthy foods with rare fast foods or sugar drinks, and getting over 8 hours of sleep.

The second article in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that kids aged 10 to 14 who lived in homes with parents who had consistent rules for safety and had consequences and rewards for behaviors, were less likely to have sex at early ages, and they did better in school.

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