10–12 months

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Once a placid cherub, your little devil now gets his kicks from whacking the dog and yanking your hair and earrings. Cheer up: Compassionate listeners can be found all over the city. Baby Bites, a Manhattan organization that sponsors social events for new moms, launched Baby Bites Brooklyn last fall (917-596-2902, babybitesbrooklyn.com); sign up for luncheons at restaurants in Park Slope and Cobble Hill ($35 in advance, $40 at the door), where parents chat and eat, then listen to a speaker talk about developmental milestones. Big City Moms (917-488-8542, bigcitymoms.com) sponsors similar meetings (free to $60); groups of 20 to 60 moms gather at venues like Dylan’s Candy Bar and Kidville to hear presentations on sleep, safety and toys. And child psychiatrist Sarah Klagsburn leads a six-week discussion series called Uptown Mommies (200 E 94th St; 212-996-4300; $360) that covers topics such as co-sleeping and pacifier use.

Walk the walk

Take your gal for a toddle in a cozy indoor play area. At Congregation Mount Sinai’s play space (250 Cadman Plaza West, Brooklyn Heights; 718-875-9124; $10 per family), tykes can get their hands on tons of toys and partake of free snacks and drinks. Baby Moves (139 Perry St; 212-255-1685; $20 per child) features a grand playroom filled with crawl tunnels and soft mats. In-the-know uptown parents spend their winters in the padded gym in the basement of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (1047 Amsterdam Ave; 212-316-7530; $6 per child).

Stay classy

By this age, your babe can genuinely benefit from a little education. Infants splash around at popular swim lessons organized by Take Me to the Water (888-794-6692; ten locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens; $35 per class). Preverbal babies learn to express themselves through the Baby Fingers sign language and music class (Kidville Baby Fingers; 212-874-5978, mybabyfingers.com; $20–$35 per class for four to 12 weeks); it really works! At Apple Seeds (10 W 25th St; 212-792-7590; $500–$600, depending on membership level, for 16 weeks), “Developmental Movement” combines dance, rhythm and rhymes.

One: A singular sensation

Il Laboratorio del Gelato's sorbet cake

Truth be told, the first birthday party is more about entertaining other parents than kids. Skip the typical child-friendly spots—there will be plenty of time later on for soirees at Two Boots and Magnolia Bakery—and book a private room at your family’s favorite restaurant. If you butter up the owners, they might even let you plug in your iPod and blast Gustafer tunes. Or ask pals who reside in an amenity-laden apartment complex if you can rent out their building’s private party space. Many come equipped with a kitchen, ample seating and loads of space for babies to crawl around. Order a platter of brioche tea sandwiches from Party Box (212-935-4100; a ten-inch round loaf yields 112 tea sandwiches; $115). Then add wine, sippy cups and a perfect confection. Billy’s Bakery (184 Ninth Ave; 212-647-9956) carries a blue-and-green-striped cake, or a pink version with dots that suits princesses (a ten-inch, two-layer striped cake serves 16–20, $68; three-layer dot cake serves 20–30, $80). For a small gathering, dig into a sorbet cake ($39, serves 6–10) from Il Laboratorio del Gelato (95 Orchard St; 212-343 9922). It contains layers of raspberry, orange and grape sorbet sandwiched between vanilla gelato and topped with chocolate lettering.

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