18 Month Development & Milestones For Your Toddler

I seem to have blinked and somehow, I have an 18 month old. Parenting Jack has been the biggest privilege of my life. He recently hit the 18 month milestone and toddler life. Jack has the biggest personality and we think that he is thriving.

As a parenting blogger, I wanted to share the information that I found lacking as a first time Mum. My Google searches are constantly looking for how I can help him grow and develop and so I wanted to create a post to help other Mamas like me.

Please remember that all babies grow and develop at their own rate – please do not worry if your little one doesn’t fit this very broad blog post.

Movement

By now, your 18 month old toddler should be steady on their feet and walking with growing confidence. Even if your little one was a little reluctant to get on their feet, they’ll be making good progress everyday. With each step will come more confidence, and speed!

Your toddler may be trying to run with some success. This is because they are far more aware of their surroundings and have better balance than just a few weeks ago.

However, if you had a bottom-shuffler on your hands, they may be less likely to take first steps. Studies show that bum-shufflers can see the world from a higher viewpoint than crawlers. Therefore, they don’t feel the need to jump up and take steps. They can see plenty from their up right position!

Jack & Walking

Jack has been walking for a few months now. For him, I think his confidence was a big factor. He started out quite cautiously and didn’t want to get too many bumps. But once he had his confidence, there was *literally* no stopping him.

At 18 months, Jack is trying to run everywhere. He still enjoys being in the pushchair but only for limited time. You’ll find him at his happiest running around in a wide open space with a football.

Language & Communication

By now, your toddler should be saying a few words and plenty of gibberish. They may speak in a language only you as parents understand but that’s a good sign. Communication is starting to happen.

Even quieter children will have been working on their vocabulary and will start to chat away.

Incredibly, your 18 month old could have a vocabulary that includes up to 20 words including names like “Mama” and “Dada”.

At this point, they may even begin to use more than one word together by saying things like “bye bye” and “all gone”.

Amazingly, your child can understand more words than they can say. They should be able to follow simple instructions such as “wave goodbye” and “give me a kiss”. Whether they respond is another thing. Toddlers are known for having their own way of doing things!

Your 18 month old may seem impulsive – but reast assured, the first signs of methodical and logical thinking are starting to show in their brains by now. Toddlers are known for keeping you on your toes. But they are growing the ability to become more reasonable everyday.

Jack & Communication

We’re big talkers in our house. There’s never a quiet moment. Jack has picked up on this and we think he’s quite adept at communicating his needs.

He says plenty of words and can name family members when he sees them.

Right now, he’s fascinated by cars, colours and buses. When he sees a specific colour, he’ll shout it out. More often than not, he’s spot on!

Jack has such an eagerness to be involved and learn so he’s already a chatty little dude.

Food

Your 18 month old should be happily eating three meals a day, including around 400ml of milk, two healthy snacks and 500ml of water.

There may be reasons for days with less appetite like teething.

It’s important to keep your toddler’s diet healthy and varied – even though they’ll just want to eat beige food or only bananas!

Food & Jack

It’s well documented that Jack has always had a healthy appetite. We weaned him a little early because he was constantly trying to steal food off of my plate.

We’ve always eaten our meals together and he’s always eaten smaller versions of our dinner.

In the summer, I introduced an extra bottle of milk following his breakfast. Some days he eats like a horce and other days he picks and is too worried about playing.

In recent weeks, I’ve curbed how much he snacks. He’s a very active boy and burns lots of energy so I was worried he was hungry. However, since stopping the snacks after his afternoon nap, he seems to be eating more dinner every night.

We still have a bottle of milk before bedtime – my last chance for cuddles before bed. My favourite time of day!

Ways To Engage Your 18 Month Old

As you know, I am no expert, I’m just a first time Mum winging it. But the best thing I’ve learnt in the eighteen months of being a parent is everything is fun when it’s learnt through play. Whether it’s silly voices to learn new words, smashing down towers to help motor skills or singing endless songs to help vocabulary – you can’t go wrong!

Toddlers love nursery rhymes, repetition and singing so whack on Miss Rachel and get your best singing voice ready.

Get them outside. Autumn is fast approaching so invest in some good shoes and raincoats and let them explore and practice walking.

LoveRosiee
xxx

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People Also Ask…

What should 18 month olds be able to do?

• Walks without holding on to anyone or anything.
• Walks without holding on to anyone or anything. …
• Scribbles.
• Drinks from a cup without a lid and may spill sometimes.
• Feeds himself with his fingers.
• Tries to use a spoon.
• Climbs on and off a couch or chair without help.

What words should a 18 month old be saying?

18 month olds should use least 20 words, including different types of words, such as nouns (“baby”, “cookie”), verbs (“eat”, “go”), prepositions (“up”, “down”), adjectives (“hot”, “sleepy”), and social words (“hi”, “bye”).

What is a speech milestone for a 18 month old?

By the end of 18 months, your child might: Know names of people, objects and body parts. Follow simple commands that are given with gestures. Say as many as 10 words.

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