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Baby and toddler

Sleep, feeding and safety words for the first years, checked against pediatric guidance.

0 to 9

18-month sleep regressionParents' name for a stretch of worse sleep around 18 months, when separation anxiety peaks and many toddlers settle into one nap.
4-month sleep regressionParents' name for a stretch of worse sleep around 4 months, when a baby's sleep cycles and body clock are maturing.
8-month sleep regressionParents' name for a stretch of worse sleep around 8 to 10 months, when separation anxiety, new motor skills and nap changes often arrive.

A

Allergen introductionGiving a baby common allergy-causing foods, such as peanut and egg, early in the first year to lower the chance of a food allergy.

B

Baby-led weaningA way to start solids where a baby feeds themselves soft pieces of food from about 6 months instead of being spoon-fed purees.
BassinetA small bed made for a young baby, often kept beside the parents' bed. CPSC says it's for babies up to about 5 months or until they can push up on hands and knees.
BreastfeedingFeeding a baby milk directly from the breast. The AAP recommends breast milk alone for about the first 6 months, then alongside solid foods.

C

Chair methodA gradual sleep training method where a parent sits in a chair by the crib until the baby falls asleep, moving it farther away every few nights.
Choking vs gaggingGagging is a noisy, normal reflex that keeps food out of a baby's airway; choking is a blocked airway, often silent, that needs 911 and first aid.
Cluster feedingWhen a baby wants several feeds close together over a few hours, often in the evening, instead of feeding at spaced-out times.
Co-sleepingA parent and baby sleeping close together. Bed-sharing on the same surface is the form the AAP can't recommend; room-sharing on separate surfaces is the one it advises.
Combination feedingFeeding a baby both breast milk and infant formula, in whatever mix suits the family, also called combo feeding or supplementing.
Crib napA daytime nap a baby or toddler takes in their own crib, instead of in arms, a car seat or a stroller.
Crib transitionMoving a child from a crib to a toddler bed or regular bed, which the AAP ties to height or to the crib rail getting too low for them.
Cry it outA sleep training method, also called extinction, where a baby is put to bed awake and not comforted again until morning.

D

Diaper rashRed, irritated skin in the area a diaper covers, usually from wetness, rubbing or sensitive skin, and sometimes from a yeast or bacterial infection.
Drowsy but awakeLaying a baby down in the crib when they're sleepy but still awake, so they practice falling asleep on their own.

E

EngorgementBreasts that become overfull, swollen, firm and sore because milk and fluid build up faster than they're removed, as when feeds are missed.

F

Ferber methodA sleep training method, also called graduated extinction, where parents check on a crying baby at timed intervals that lengthen over time.
Finger foodsSmall, soft pieces of food a baby picks up and feeds to themselves, usually begun once they sit up and can bring food to their mouth.
First wordsThe first real words a baby says on purpose; CDC's checklists expect most children to try one or two words besides mama or dada by 15 months.
Formula feedingFeeding a baby commercial infant formula, made exactly as its label says, instead of or alongside breast milk.
Freezer stashA supply of expressed breast milk frozen ahead of time, often built before a parent goes back to work or has to be away from the baby.

G

Gentle sleep trainingEveryday name for sleep training methods that keep a parent close or step back slowly, such as the chair method or pick up, put down.

H

High chairA tall, freestanding seat with a tray for feeding a baby or toddler. CPSC's federal standard requires a three-point restraint and a passive crotch restraint.

L

Let-downThe milk ejection reflex: when a baby nurses, the hormone oxytocin makes the breast squeeze milk out through the ducts so the baby can drink it.

M

Milk supplyHow much breast milk a parent's body makes. It's driven by supply and demand: the more often milk is removed, the more the body makes.

N

Nap scheduleThe usual pattern of a baby's or toddler's daytime naps: how many, roughly when and for how long, which shifts as the child grows.
Nap transitionThe stretch when a child drops a daytime nap, such as going from three naps to two, from two to one, or from one to none.
NewbornA baby in the first 28 days of life, the stage doctors also call the neonatal period.

P

Paced bottle feedingA way of giving a bottle that lets a baby drink slowly, take breaks and stop when full, closer to the pace of breastfeeding.
Pick up put downA sleep training method where you lift a crying baby to calm them, then lay them back in the crib before they fall asleep, repeating as needed.
Power pumpingA pumping pattern of short sessions with rests inside one hour, such as pump 10 minutes, rest 10, three times, used to help raise a low milk supply.
PreschoolerA child from 3 to 5 years old, the age band the CDC uses for its preschool parenting guidance.
Pulling to standWhen a baby grips something steady, like furniture or your hands, and pulls themselves up from sitting or kneeling to standing.
Pumping scheduleA plan for when and how often to express breast milk with a pump, usually matched to how often the baby would otherwise feed.
PureesSmooth, blended foods that many babies eat when they start solids at about 6 months, before moving on to lumpier and chopped textures.

R

Room sharingHaving a baby sleep in the parents' room in their own crib, bassinet or play yard. The AAP advises it for at least the first 6 months, without bed-sharing.

S

Safe sleepThe AAP's rules for lowering the risk of SIDS and suffocation: baby on the back, alone, on a firm flat surface in their own sleep space, every sleep.
Sleep regressionA stretch when a baby or toddler who was sleeping fairly well starts waking more at night or fighting sleep, usually for a week or two.
Sleep sackA wearable blanket a baby sleeps in, zipped over their clothes, that keeps them warm without a loose blanket in the crib.
Sleep trainingTeaching a baby to fall asleep on their own, both at bedtime and after waking in the night, using a planned, consistent method.

T

TeethingWhen a baby's first teeth push through the gums, usually starting around 6 months, often with drooling, chewing and sore gums.
ToddlerA child from 1 to 3 years old, the stage CDC's parenting guidance places between infancy and the preschool years.
Tummy timeTime a baby spends awake on their stomach while an adult watches, which builds the neck, shoulder and arm strength for rolling, sitting and crawling.

W

Wake windowThe stretch of time a baby stays awake between one sleep and the next, often used as a rough guide to when the next nap is due.
WeaningGradually moving a baby or toddler from breastfeeding to other foods, drinks and kinds of comfort, until nursing stops.
White noise machineA device that plays a steady sound to mask other noises while a baby sleeps; the AAP advises placing it far away, keeping it low and limiting run time.