Your baby at 18 months: Important milestones

Your baby is now 18 months old. How time passes! What steps should they have taken at that age?

Motor skills (general motor skills)

Your child should be able to:

Walk by themselves
Climb stairs or run
Crouch to pick up a toy
Pull toys while they walk

Your baby may try to get out of his crib at this age. If so, hang a bell on the crib so you know when he does, and make sure his bedroom area is safe and free of objects he could fall or trip over. Leaving the crib can be a sign that it's time for bed.

Development of hands and fingers

Your child should be able to:

Drink from a cup
Eat with a spoon
Stack two objects or blocks
Help undress
Hold a crayon and scribble a line

At about 18 months, they will be able to easily manipulate an object between their thumb and forefinger. You can develop these skills by playing games such as inserting large square pegs into identical holes, stacking five or six blocks, or taking toys apart and assembling them. You can also let them eat from time to time, even if it's messy.

Language skills

Your child should be able to:

Use 10-25 words
Say the word "no" and shake their head.
Answer the questions
Make speech-like sounds, perhaps sing a song to the melody, if not the words
Know the concepts of "in" and "on".
Repeat a few words heard in a conversation
Point out people when they are called and identify objects in the book

Keep talking and reading to your child to develop his verbal skills. Often they can say a few words that no one but their parents can understand. They may also use a word instead of a whole sentence, such as "up" to mean "Pick me up!" The ability to speak takes time, so don't be discouraged if they seem to take more time than other people's children. You may find that one day they finally "understand" and move from sparse speech to full speech.

Social/emotional skills

Your child may:

Love giving items to others to play with
Have temper tantrums
Be fearful around strangers
Cling to parents or caregivers in new situations
Show affection to people they know well
Explore alone, with a parent nearby

This is the age when children begin to experience limits. Your child may say no to any new situation or start throwing a temper tantrum to go his own way. What happened to your adorable little girl who did everything you asked for? They are still there, but learning to be independent.

They also begin to understand what sharing is, although they may decide to resume it immediately. You, as a parent, must show them that tantrums are not good and punish them for inappropriate behavior. Most importantly, be patient with them while they figure things out.

Learning, thinking development

Your child should be able to:

Know the use of common things: brush, spoon or chair
Point to a part of the body
Draw alone
Perform one step verbal command without any gestures
Play pretend, such as feeding a doll
Point to show others something interesting

At this stage, children love games with "payback". They'll also enjoy playing with the bubbles you made for them or repeating action nursery rhymes.

Developmental delays

Tell your doctor if your child is unable to do any of the following by age 18 months:

Point to show things to others
Walk
Imitate others
Know the use of common things such as a brush or comb
Earn new words or say at least six words
Pay attention or pay attention when you or another caregiver leaves or returns
Remember the skills they had before

At 18 months, your child should also be tested for autism as well as general development. This would be especially important if they show signs of developmental delay.

Screen time

Children under 18 months of age do not understand that the characters on the screen are equivalent objects in the real world, experts advise children under this age not to look at the screens either on TV or on a tablet.

Children over 18 months of age can enjoy quality educational programs, but their parents should watch with them and select lessons. Don't let your child look at the screen alone.