Did You Know at 12–18 Months I Can ...

Language Development

• Say 8 to 20 words
• Look at the person I am talking to
• Say “hi” and “bye”
• Use expressions like “uh-oh”
• Sing sounds to music and dance
• Form two-word sentences like “mama go”
• Copy lots of things that adults say and gestures they make

Engage in “back and forth” conversations with me. Provide me with enough time to respond to you. This will increase my language skills and encourage my cooperation. Read to me and label pictures in the books. Ask me open-ended questions while reading stories to me.

Cognitive Development

• Gesture and point to tell you what I want
• Point and identify objects in a book
• Find hidden objects easily
• Follow simple, one-step directions
• Play alone with my toys
• Recognize myself in the mirror or in pictures
• Imitate others
• Solve problems by trial and error
• Play peek-a-boo

Help me learn body parts by pointing to some body parts and saying them with me during bathing, diapering, and dressing. Help me learn different objects and animals through simple books. Point at and tell me what the objects and animals are. Put together a box of items that are fun to feel, poke, and squeeze, such as clean margarine tubs, socks, tissue paper or old newspaper to crumple, measuring cups of different sizes, egg cartons, paper cups, and others. Make sure these items are not sharp, dangerous, or broken and that they are not small enough that I could choke.

Physical Development

Fine Motor

• Turn pages in a book
• Hold crayons and scribble
• Take things apart
• Stack two blocks
• Poke, twist, and squeeze things
• Drink from cups and eat with utensils

To help promote fine motor development, allow me to help turn the pages when reading with me. Encourage me to drink from my cup and use a spoon, no matter the mess that I make.

Gross Motor

• Stand and sit alone
• Walk alone
• Push, pull, and dump things
• Pull toys while walking
• Roll a ball back and forth
• Hand objects to others
• Wave bye-bye and clap my hands
• Carry small objects while walking

Relax and have fun with me by dancing to music. Encourage me to bounce, sway, and wiggle with you. Get on the floor with me to roll, crawl, play peek-a-boo, and pass a ball back and forth, which will help gross and fine motor skills.

Take me outside and encourage me to walk, run, climb, and jump. To help promote fine motor development, allow me to turn the pages while reading books with me.

Social/Emotional Development

• Get upset when I’m separated from
  my parents
• Be shy or nervous around new people
• Show favoritism toward objects or people
• Begin to show fear
• Possibly have temper tantrums
• Possibly be afraid of strangers
• Pretend play simple actions, like feeding a doll

I am still learning how to play with others. Right now, I still enjoy playing with my caregivers. Model proper interaction with others, so that I learn the right way to socialize. I may play side by side with a peer, but I will not interact with him or her.

Self-Help Skill Development

• Close doors
• Use a spoon and cup (I will still be messy while eating)
• Pull off my hat, socks, and gloves

I am beginning to learn autonomy, which is necessary for me to learn how to do certain things for myself. Continue to teach and encourage me with simple self-help skills. Provide toys that encourage pretend play like dolls, telephones, play food, etc.

I am getting more mobile and curious, and I am learning about my world. Make sure everything is baby-proofed and that I can’t get to dangerous objects and liquids.

Play this “Wheels on the Bus” fingerplay with me!

The wheels on the bus go round and round,

Round and round, round and round. (roll hands around each other each time you say “round”)

The wheels on the bus go round and round all through the town.

The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish . . . (raise hands and move back and forth)

The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep . . . (pretend to press horn)

The driver on the bus says “Move on back” . . . (use thumb to indicate moving back)

The baby on the bus says “Wah, wah, wah” . . . (rub eyes with hands)

The mommy on the bus says “Shush, shush, shush” . . . (place finger to mouth and say “shhh”)

I love to sing, so teach me “Ten in the Bed.”

There were ten in the bed and the little one said,

“Roll over, roll over.”

So they all rolled over and one fell out.

There were nine in the bed and the little one said,

“Roll over, roll over.”

So they all rolled over and one fell out....

Repeat until you get to the number one.

There was one in the bed and the little one said, “Good night!”

Here are some books that I may enjoy:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton

1 2 3 Under the Sea by Marina Hogan

Lots of Feelings by Shelley Rotner

Five Little Monkeys by Eileen Christelow

There are toys you can make for me using things from around the house, like homemade blocks.

Materials

empty boxes like tissue boxes, tea boxes, cracker boxes, or diaper boxes

Instructions

1. Save the empty boxes to make a collection of blocks for me.
2. Allow me to stack the boxes. You can also give me jumbo-sized crayons so I can decorate the boxes myself to work on my fine motor skills.

Sleep helps me grow and develop. I should get 12–15 hours of sleep a day. To reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), place me on my back in an empty crib. An empty crib is important to prevent me from suffocating, so avoid having bumper pads or stuffed animals in my crib.

Safety note: Any toys or materials that can fit inside a paper towel roll can be choking hazards for infants and toddlers. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, any object handled by young children should be at least 1.25 inches in diameter and 2.25 inches long.

Remember that each child develops at his or her own rate, and this handout is meant only as a guide of what to expect of your child’s development at this age.

For more information about parenting and developmental milestones, contact your county Extension office or visit extension.msstate.edu.

References

American Academy of Pediatrics. 2010. Policy statement—prevention of choking among children.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2022. Your baby by 15 months.

National Sleep Foundation. 2020. How much sleep do you really need?

Safe to Sleep. 2018. Babies need tummy time!

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Publication 2351 (POD-08-24)

By Louise E. Davis, PhD, former Extension Professor; Elizabeth Thorne, PhD, Project Manager; and Mary Hannah Mills, MS, Project Manager, Human Sciences.