Fifteen- to Seventeen-Month-Olds

Ages and Stages Photo Gallery

Most 15-month-old toddlers are off baby food and are just eating table food like the rest of the family. You can give your baby homogenized whole cow's milk, although if you are continuing to breastfeed your toddler at least 2 or 3 times a day, then he likely doesn't need cow's milk yet.

You should limit milk and dairy products to about 16 to 24 oz each day and juice to 4 to 6 oz each day and offer a variety of foods to encourage good eating habits later.

This is a good time to stop using a bottle, if you haven't already done so.

Remember that your infant's appetite may decrease and become pickier over the next few years as his growth rate slows.

What You Need To Know About Your Fifteen-Month-Old Toddler

• Feeding practices to avoid are giving large amounts of sweet deserts, soft drinks, fruit-flavored drinks, sugarcoated cereals, chips or candy, as they have little nutritional value. Also avoid giving foods that your child can choke on, such as raw carrots, peanuts, whole grapes, tough meats, popcorn, chewing gum or hard candy.
• You can expect your fifteen-month-old to combine syllables, say mama/dada, walk well alone, bang objects together, enjoy reading interactively, and point to pictures. He is also probably able to say 3 to 6 words, understand simple commands, and begin to use a spoon or fork.
• At the fifteen-month checkup, you can expect a complete physical exam, a review of feeding and sleep schedules, measurement of your child's height, weight and head circumference, and immunizations, which might include some combination of MMR, Varivax, Hib, Prevnar, Hepatitis A. Since the age range is 12 to 15 months for most of these shots, your child likely got some of them at his 12 month checkup and will get some now. The fourth DTaP and third IPV and HepB shots are also sometimes given at 15 months.

• Common Toddler Problems

  • Constipation
  • Eczema
  • Cradle Cap
  • Breath Holding Spells
  • Picky Eaters
  • Temper Tantrums
  • Croup
  • RSV
  • Roseola
  • Rotavirus

Fifteen-Month-Old Toddler Topics

• Your Fifteen-Month-Old
• Childproofing
• Breastfeed a Toddler
• Switching to Whole Milk
• Fruit Juice
• Home Safety Quiz
• What safety seat to use for a big baby or toddler?
• Baby Shoes
• Fish and Mercury
• Iron Rich Foods
• Safety
• Toddlers, Naps and Sleep
• Toddlers, Iron, and Vitamins
• When Should You Start Potty Training?
• Terrible Twos
• Window Safety and Preventing Falls
• Infant CPR and Calling 911