Baby Development Milestones -

15 Month Old to 18 Month Old

Baby development milestones are often divided into specific domains, such as gross and fine motor movements, hand-eye coordination, language, cognition, social and emotional growth.

These designations are useful, but substantial overlap exists.

Studies have established average ages at which specific milestones are reached, as well as ranges of normality.

Here you will find detail of what to expect from your baby during the 15 month old development to 18 month old development phase.

 

Fundamental Movement Skills

• Walks unsteadily with support up and down stairs. Some toddlers may use different strategies such as baby crawling or going down on their bottom.
• Walks confidently about the home and outside.
• Picks up toys or other objects from the floor without toppling over.
• Trots towards you across the room, but may become unsteady if she starts to run.
• Starts to climb on outdoor play sets, but will need constant supervision.
• May enjoy splashing and kicking in the swimming pool.

 

Hand Eye Coordination

• Sees a connection between her hand movements and the effect this causes, for example, she pulls a string to make the attached toy, move towards her.
• Enjoys making random marks on paper using crayons or paints.
• Starts to feed herself with her hands and a spoon.
• Holds two small items in each hand at the same time.
• May want to help dress herself.
• Hand preference may become apparent.
• Claps her hands together.
• Successfully completes simple wooden board games.

 

Language

• Is able to follow and act on simple instructions.
• Consistently uses approximately six or seven words, but her understanding extends to many more words.
• Combines language and gestures to express her needs.
• Starts to learn the names of different parts of the body.
• Enjoys rhythmic movement like songs and nursery rhymes, and will perhaps join in with some sound and actions.

 

Learning

• Combines the use of different skills and capacities, such as concentration, long term memory, hand eye coordination and understanding, to complete a complex task such as a simple inset board.
• Solves simple problems like removing the lid from a box to see inside.
• Learns the basic concepts of quantities and volume through water play.
• Improved attention span enables her to concentrate on and complete more demanding activities.
• Understands and follows stories that are read to her and responds to familiar characters.
• Remembers where she put an item that interests her, such as a favourite toy.

 

Social and Emotional

• May have toddler temper tantrums when she doesn’t get her own way as she begins to assert her sense of independence.
• Wants to do more for herself, especially with feeding and dressing.
• Learns good eating habits by sharing mealtimes.
• Begins to learn basic social skills like passing a toy to another child.
• Plays alongside other children, watching them closely, and learns by taking in how they interact and play with toys.
• Expresses preferences for particular foods or for certain toys that she wants to play with.
• May become jealous when you pay attention to others.

 

Expert Advice

This information is presented to help parents understand what to expect from their child at a certain age.

Any questions you may have about your baby development milestones should be shared with your family doctor.

Be sure to visit all the baby development milestones pages for different ages.

 

 

 

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