Your 12-month-old is likely busy developing major skills such as walking and talking. Encourage those first steps by holding hands or arranging furniture so your toddler can easily “cruise” from place to place. Schedule your child’s 12-month doctor checkup and their first visit to the dentist this month. You’ll observe your toddler frequently looking to you and imitating your behavior — and separation anxiety might start to appear soon, too.
Physical Development
Walking
That major milestone is almost here, if it hasn’t happened already. Many children take their first steps between 9 and 12 months and are walking well by 14 or 15 months.
But don’t worry if your child hasn’t let go of the coffee table yet. (Learn more about when kids walk.) Like most children, your little one will probably take those early strides on tiptoe with feet turned outward. Keep the camera ready to capture the moment!
Encourage both “cruising” and walking by giving your child plenty of opportunities to move without assistance and by not picking her up too often. You can support a tentative walker by arranging furniture to provide safe and convenient places to hold on along her path. Remove any dangerous objects she might grab, such as a dangling tablecloth or an electrical cord.
If your child is trying to toddle, he might feel more secure if he can hang on to one of your fingers or if you walk behind him, holding his hands. A push toy can also help with walking practice, as long as it’s stable and has a wide, secure base.
Two walking aids you don’t need are walkers (the American Academy of Pediatrics says they’re unsafe and discourage kids from learning to walk) and shoes in the house. Bare feet, socks, or soft-bottomed “baby shoes” help a beginning walker practice balance and coordination. Reserve real shoes for protecting your toddler’s feet outdoors.
Checkup Checklist
Prepare for your child’s 12-month checkup by anticipating some of the questions the doctor is likely to ask, such as:
- Sleep: How much is your child sleeping at night and during naps?
- Eating: What kinds of solid foods is your child eating? How’s her appetite? Does she enjoy feeding herself finger foods?
- Teeth: How many teeth has your child cut?
- Developmental Skills: Is your child crawling well? Pulling herself up? Cruising or walking? Pointing? Making eye contact and responding to her name?
- Vision: Have you noticed frequent squinting or eye rubbing, or a tendency to hold toys and books close to her face? (Read about other signs of a vision problem.)
- Hearing: Does your child turn toward sounds? (Learn the signs of a hearing problem.)
- Speech: Does your child imitate sounds, babble, or say any words?
First Dental Visit
It’s time to add a new appointment to your child’s schedule: the first visit to the dentist. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Dental Association recommend establishing a “dental home” for your child around this age. They note that about 40 percent of children have tooth decay by age 5, and the rate of tooth decay in baby teeth has not declined over the past 30 years, unlike in permanent teeth.
This first visit provides a baseline look at your baby’s mouth and can reveal any issues that might have been missed by your child’s doctor. It also gives the dentist an opportunity to offer tips on caring for your toddler’s emerging teeth, preventing cavities, and ensuring he gets the right amount of fluoride. You can either stick with your own dentist or choose a pediatric dentist – a specialist with a child-friendly office skilled at keeping young children comfortable and relaxed.
At home, continue brushing your toddler’s teeth. Use a small, soft toothbrush and a thin smear of fluoride toothpaste or a dot the size of a grain of rice. To distract your child while you brush, try giving her a toothbrush to hold.
Pincer grasp
Your toddler’s pincer grasp is probably well developed by now, allowing her to pick up small objects between her thumb and forefinger with ease. She may enjoy practicing this skill on any little items she finds on the floor, which are much more noticeable to her keen eyes than to yours.
Be especially vigilant about watching for small but potentially dangerous items that can fall to the floor unnoticed by adults, such as vitamins and other pills, pieces of food (and pet food), pushpins from the bulletin board, tiny toy parts used by older siblings, and so on. These could end up in your child’s mouth.
Language and Cognitive Development
Beyond Babbling
It’s an exciting time when, after months of babbling, your child begins to form recognizable words. This process doesn’t happen overnight and varies significantly from child to child. One thing is certain, though: she understands far more than she can say. Here are some things to watch for now:
- Gestures that Speak Louder than Words: Your toddler may use few words but communicate extensively through gestures, like raised arms for “up” or a pointed finger for “What’s that?” Children who learned sign language as babies are especially “fluent.” Teaching your toddler different gestures supports language development and can reduce tantrums by easing communication frustrations. Parents sometimes worry that teaching a lot of hand signs will delay verbal speech, but the opposite is true.
- Words with Many Meanings: An early word like “joos” might mean “I’m thirsty for milk,” “No, I want water,” or “Hey! I dropped my bottle!” Listen to the inflection. She’ll use the same word in different ways and with different gestures.
- Words from Everyday Life: Your child’s first words will likely relate to people and things in his immediate environment: “Mama,” “Dada,” and other favorite people or pets, or words related to eating (“baba” for bottle), sleeping (“night-night”), possessions (“ba” for bear), or desires (“up”).
Inflections, Gestures, and Growing a Vocabulary
Although her vocabulary may only include a few words besides “Mama” and “Dada,” your 1-year-old can probably babble what sound like short sentences, complete with vocal inflections. It’s almost as if she’s speaking a foreign language.
By now, your toddler may also respond to simple questions and commands, especially if you provide some clues with hand gestures. For example, ask, “Where’s your mouth?” and point to it. Or try, “Hand me the cup” and gesture toward the object. Your toddler may respond in his own way, shaking his head for “no” or using his own gestures.
As she’s beginning to understand the meaning of words, it’s a good time to start teaching your toddler the basics of good manners. Teach her “please” and “thank you,” and model their use frequently. Though she might not fully grasp the concept for a while, she might surprise you with a well-placed “please” when you least expect it.
It’s up to you to help your toddler make connections between objects and their names – the more often you do, the faster his vocabulary will grow.
Keep talking to your toddler and labeling things every day. Count stair steps as you climb them, and point out the names and colors of fruits and vegetables at the grocery store. Read your toddler a picture book and ask her to point to or name familiar objects.
Ask for his opinion occasionally: inquire if he’d like to wear the red or blue socks, or if he’d like to play with his blocks or stacking rings. Even if he doesn’t answer, he’s learning not just words but also the rhythms of social interaction. Giving your toddler a choice helps him feel empowered and in control, which builds his self-esteem and reduces tantrums.
Behavioral Health and Development
Separation Anxiety
Your toddler has likely been dealing with bouts of separation anxiety over the past several months. This is natural: he loves and depends on you, so he’s distressed when you leave.
To ease departures, give your toddler time to adjust. Be matter-of-fact when you leave, and don’t prolong the goodbye. Keep it quick with just one kiss. Your toddler’s tears will subside soon after you’re out of sight. Establishing a goodbye routine can also reduce anxiety and make separations smoother. When children know what to expect, it helps them feel safe.
You can help your child feel more independent by not hovering all the time. Of course, she still needs to know you’re around and dependable. If she toddles to another room, wait a couple of minutes before following.
Copycat Behavior
Your child is watching – everything you do. Toddlers love to copy the behavior of people around them, especially their parents. It’s how they learn basic behaviors.
You might see your child trying to brush her hair, wiping a counter with her bib, poking at your smartphone, or trying on your sunglasses. Eventually, she’ll mimic your words and speech patterns, too.
Imitation has a downside. Your child may watch you take vitamins or pills and later, when you’re not looking, try to do the same. Be vigilant about safety. Use child-resistant caps on medicines and vitamins, and store them out of reach. Don’t let him see how you open child-safety latches – he’ll be eager to use them just like you do.
Feeding and Nutrition
Milk on the Menu
Now that your child has passed the 12-month mark, cow’s milk is likely becoming a significant part of his diet.
Whole milk is typically recommended at this age because toddlers need fat to support their growth and high energy needs. However, if you are overweight or obese, or have a family history of obesity, high cholesterol, or cardiovascular disease, your child’s doctor may suggest starting with reduced-fat milk.
By 24 months, your child can safely switch to low-fat or even nonfat milk.
In moderate amounts, cow’s milk provides many nutrients essential for a growing toddler. Nutritionists recommend that 1-year-olds drink at least 16 ounces of milk a day but not more than 24 ounces.
Some kids love milk, and the challenge for parents is to prevent them from drinking too much. A child who consumes more than 24 ounces might fill up on milk and miss out on other important foods for a balanced diet.
On the other hand, some toddlers initially refuse cow’s milk due to its different texture, taste, and temperature compared to breast milk or formula. Parents of reluctant milk drinkers can try mixing whole milk with some breast milk or formula at first (e.g., one part whole milk to three parts of his usual drink) and gradually increase the amount of milk to 100 percent.
Learn more about introducing cow’s milk, alternatives for children who can’t or won’t drink milk, and other calcium-rich beverages like fortified soy milk.
Using a Spoon
Your toddler may start trying to feed herself with a spoon this month, though her aim might not be perfect. Expect a bit more mess than usual and let her practice. Using a spoon helps improve her hand-eye coordination, fosters independence, and makes mealtime more enjoyable. By 18 months, she may have mastered it.
New Foods
Now that he’s 1, there are a few new foods you can consider introducing, as his immune and digestive systems have become stronger. Cow’s milk and honey are now safe. However, continue to avoid foods that pose a choking hazard.
If you haven’t already, consult your child’s doctor to determine the best strategy for introducing top allergenic foods, which include eggs, milk, peanuts, wheat, soy, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish. Read more about food allergies in kids and see our age-by-age guide to feeding your toddler.
Sleep
Bedtime Routines
Napping is a precious respite for parents when caring for a baby, offering a chance to rest and recharge. However, as your child approaches her first year, she may resist napping. Additionally, her burgeoning independence might lead to bedtime struggles.
Establishing a consistent bedtime routine, which could involve a bath or a bedtime story, provides comfort by setting expectations and helps her settle down for sleep.
Ensure you and your toddler have ample time to unwind and connect at the end of the day. You might alternate activities with your partner – one does the bath, the other reads the story, and so forth – on different nights. Alternatively, to give each of you a break, try taking turns putting your toddler to bed several times a week.
Another strategy for smoother bedtime routines is having a babysitter or relative occasionally put your toddler to bed, following the established routine. This helps your toddler associate bedtime with the routine itself rather than solely relying on your presence to fall asleep.
