BABY WEEK 49
First steps
If your baby isn't walking already, she's likely to take her first step soon. (If she doesn't, don't worry. Some perfectly normal babies are 16 or 17 months old before they start walking.)
You can encourage your baby to walk by standing or kneeling in front of her and holding out your hands. Or hold both her hands and walk her toward you. If she's like most children, your baby will take those early strides with her arms out to the side (for balance) and bent at the elbows, her feet turned outward, and belly out in front while her bottom sticks out behind (for balance).
As always, make sure your baby has a soft, safe environment in which to hone her new skills. Follow standard childproofing guidelines and never leave your baby unattended. Most important, keep the camera ready!
Pass on the pacifier
You might feel like it's mean to make your baby part with something she's grown so fond of, but experts say now's a good time to start weaning her away from her pacifier.
The longer your baby uses a pacifier, the harder it can be for her to stop, but another reason to make the break now is that it's the beginning of an exciting speech development phase. Your baby may be less likely to chatter away with something in her mouth all the time.
Taking away a pacifier can be tough. Go gradually: Limit daytime use and then work your baby up to not using it
