Your baby at 12 18 months

What should my baby be learning?

Gross motor skills: Big body movements

By 15 months:

• Stand without help for 10 seconds or longer.
• Walk a short distance without help.
• Squat and stand back up without help.
• Push toys while walking.

By 18 months:

• Carry a large toy while walking.
• Walk backwards and sideways.
• Climb onto low furniture. Crawl up stairs.
• Walk on stairs with help, putting both feet on each step.

Fine motor skills: Play and self help

By 12 months:

• Put blocks into a container.
• Take rings off a ring stacker.
• Turn pages of a book.
• Scribble with a crayon.
• Stack 2 or 3 larger blocks.
• Dump contents from a container.
• Pick up small items by finger tips.
• Point to objects with index finger. 
• Pat pictures in book.
• Match 2 held objects, one in each hand.

By 18 months:

• Hold an object with 1 hand and move it around with other hand.
• Put pegs in and take them out of a peg board.
• Put a circle shape in shape sorter.

Language and social development

• Make needs and wants known by pointing and using gestures.
• Start to identify body parts.
• Play simple turn-taking games such as rolling a ball back and forth.
• Pretend play with real objects such as talking with phone.
• Imitate adults in common activities such as housework.
• Start to use and copy sounds and easy words.
• Start to identify body parts and common objects at home like cup, shoe and ball.
• Start  to look and find pictures in books. 
• Follow simple directions in home routines.

Sensory processing: Understanding sights, sounds, tastes, touch, smell and body movement

• Follow nursery rhymes with hand and body movement
• Play with textures. Include water play, sand box, dried noodles/beans, play-doh®
• Explore food with hands
• Push or pull heavy objects  
• Does not like dirty diaper 

What can I do to help my child?

Gross motor skills

• Have your child push and pull a large toy or a laundry basket full of items.
• Sit 3 feet apart and roll a ball back and forth.
• Let your child play with toys while standing at a low table.
• Play outdoors. Have your child walk, run, squat and climb. Watch closely to keep your child safe.

Fine motor skills

• Practice stacking.
• Put items in to, and take items out of a container.  
• Offer finger food in safe, bite-sized pieces.
• Play with shape sorters.
• Provide finger feeding attempts at all meals. Offer a variety of foods.
• Change over to all Sippy cup. Stop using a bottle.
• Use sticky-type foods with a spoon to help your child get the food to their mouth. 

Language and social development

• Talk to your child. 
• Name items. Explain what you are doing in simple one or two word phrases. Say thinks such as “Hat on, Throw ball, Want milk.”
• Read books to your child
• Find and point to pictures, name items in books.
• Provide chances to follow simple directions.
• Copy sounds in play.
• Encourage play at playgrounds and in sandboxes.

Sensory processing

• Have your child play with different textured toys and objects.
• Let your child explore foods. This may be messy! 
• Offer child-sized grocery carts or child-size strollers to push.
• Explore music and noise making toys.