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.