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Every child is unique and will operate on their unique timeline. Sometimes you can gently encourage your little one along, while other things cannot be forced.
With any skill, milestone, or accomplishment give them the patience to get there on their terms. If you feel there is a serious concern or delay, seek out the assistance they may need.
Remember though do not panic. Don’t freak out about a delay in a certain area. With time most issues will even out.
I also do not want to downplay valid concerns. If you feel that your concerns are important and are to the level that they need to be addressed please pursue help.
Remember though, you are with your child every day. You will have the biggest impact on them. Before reaching out for assistance look into what you can do to help your child along. Check out my post on How to Get Your Toddler to Go from Frustrated to Babbling to Talking.
There are many milestones to be looking for at this age. Many of them are focused on language and motor skills, however, keep in mind there are many ways to see your child making progress and growth.
Language
Does your baby know any signs? At 18 months they could know anywhere from 5 signs to 50. It truly is up to you as a parent on how much you use sign language in your home.
In the way of verbal communication, how many words does your child know?
This can vary greatly based on if they are ready to talk or not. One child may refuse to use a single word, while another child may be able to say 20 words clearly. Again every baby is different.
Ideally, at 18 months your child can say about 5-10 words. These can be simple words such as mom, dad, water, milk, hi, bye, more, up, down, out, and eat.
Identification
Your baby may not be great with verbalizing words, but can they identify things?
For example, if you have a book full of pictures can they identify pictures. Can you say where is the dog and they find it? What about other things such as where is the sun or the moon?
Your child might not be ready to talk, but their ability to grow in the number of things they can point to is still a way to show growth.
Continue to point to items and identify them. You never know when that day will come when they won’t just point at the dog, but they will actually say the word.
Here is a like to a book you could find helpful. My First 1000 Words
Following Directions
Can your baby follow directions? Can you tell them to go get the ball or to take their cup to the kitchen?
This is huge! They are listening and following the directions. This is matching words to an action.
Challenge your baby! Give them simple tasks to do.
If you still have to complete the task for them narrate it as you do it. Say, “Let’s go put your socks in the hamper.”
After repeatedly doing this for days or weeks, ask them to put their socks in the hamper. See if they can do it!
Directions could also be fun things such as let’s go outside! Now see if they run to the door.
They are picking up not only on words but what those words mean.
Motor Skills
Motor skills do not have to be a small box of specific things.
Can you baby throw a ball? Can they carry two items at once?
These are common milestones, but they may not apply to your child. Think about what your child enjoys and think about if they are continuing to grow and develop in those skills.
At 18 months you should start to look for imaginative play. This could be your child leaving the room and saying bye-bye. It could be playing with a car or a baby doll and creating a simple world where things are happening.
Your child is likely starting to get a grasp on peek-a-boo. They have been seeing this since they were an infant, but by this point, they should understand how the game works.
Instead of the adult always hiding by now they have probably realized they can hide their eyes or face and play the game.
Here is an example of some things our daughter can do at 18 months old. Remember every child is different. Do not use this as a tool for negative comparison. Rather see it as inspiration for things you could be working on in your home that maybe you haven’t thought of yet.
It is easy to get into your routines or a rut of sorts. By reading about different households you can expose your child to different skills to learn.
Our daughter was with mom or grandma for the first 16 months of her life. At that point, she started daycare. She is a first and only child with a mom and dad both present in her life and home.
Not all children will come from the same environment. For this reason, is it not fair to make direct comparisons.
Our Daughter
Signs
- More
- Up
- Water
- All Done
Verbal Words
- Hi
- Bye
- Up
- Mom
- Dad
- Eye
- Cheers
- Please
- Thank You
- Water
- One More
- Bubbles
- Baby
Just to be transparent not all of these words are said clearly. A non-parent likely would not know what she is saying. She is improving on them every day though.
Directive Words/Actions
- High five
- Wave Bye
- Blow Kisses
- Knuckles
- Close door
- Turn on the light
- Turn off the light
- Throw away your diaper
- Put it in the hamper
These are phrases we can say and she can correlate the action.
Motor skills
- Throwing ball
- Holding multiple things in one hand
- Shape sorting toy
- Caring for baby doll
- Imaginative play
- Outdoor climbing
- Figuring out basic problems
Just to touch more on what I mean by figuring out basic problems. This could be the desire to carry her baby, the bottle, and push the stroller over to her special chair.
If you watch her you can see her trying to figure out how to make this work. She might tuck the baby under her arm, put the bottle in the stroller basket, and then push the stroller.
She could also take another route. She could take the baby and the bottle and walk them over to the chair and leave them there. She may then go back for a second trip to get her stroller.
Her problem solving may not be the same each time, it may not be the most efficient or the best option, but you can see her mind working to figure out how she can make it work.
It is the coolest thing to watch!!!
Conclusion
I would like to remind you I am not a medical professional. This is not a complete list of what our child can do or what a child of this age can or could be doing.
This is a snapshot of what our daughter is doing and what you can be looking for in your child.
Remember though do not feel like you must rush their development, just gently encourage it by giving them opportunity.
Give them opportunity to be in different environments to experience different things.
Give them the opportunity to learn new words by reading them numerous books.
Give them the opportunity to complete a task by taking the time to ask them to do it.
Your baby will never learn to throw away their diaper if you never give them the chance to try it.
Open up your mind to how you can help foster growth in your child’s development in your everyday life.
Enjoy watching and navigating through these milestones. They are amazing to watch!
Check Out My Articles
The Top 7 Things to Consider Before Choosing a Daycare for Your Child
Baby’s Second Christmas: How to Make It Even Better Than the First
The Surprising Things Your Two-Year-Old is Capable of Doing Independently
How to Get Your Toddler Ready to Welcome a New Baby into the Family
