Developmental Milestones: 12 to 15 months

Happy Birthday to your little one! He’s no longer an infant; now he’s officially a toddler! The next two years will be filled with him reaching developmental milestones in what seems like a rapid-fire succession. During the three months after his first birthday, he’ll most likely start walking and maybe even talking a bit more! It’s definitely an exciting time!

Developmental Milestones: 12 to 15 Months

• Around 12 months, he will walk while holding onto something.
• Around 14 months, he will be able to walk without assistance.
• He can climb a small chair. Always supervise him around the stairs. You can put up baby gates to protect him.

• He is learning about shapes, putting small cubes inside big ones, balls in holes.
• He loves knocking things down.A fun way to encourage this without using expensive or heavy blocks is to give him small boxes to stack and knock down.
• He is doing better using a spoon.Of course, much of the food still may not make it to his mouth, so keep those bibs handy!

• Around 12 months, he says his first real words. Mommy or Daddy are the most common, but he may surprise you by saying the dog’s name first!
• While he may be saying a few words, he won’t be pronouncing them as well as an adult would. Don’t worry, this is completely normal.
• He repeats the sounds that he hears and continues his babbling.

• He can sort objects by shape and color.
• He imitates what the others are doing: feeding his bunny with a spoon, talking on the phone.
• He spends more time playing on his own in order to explore the consequences of some actions.

• He tries to communicate using words, expressions, hands, pointing with his fingers.
• He is sensitive to the emotions of people surrounding him. If you are crying, he may cry too. If you laugh, he may laugh.

If you think the developmental milestones from 12 to 15 months were exciting, wait until you see what’s in store for you during 18 to 24 months!