The First 18 Months

 

April 20, 2018 · Todays Family ·

The First 18 Months

Being a baby is awfully exciting. It’s exciting for you, as a parent, too! You get to watch as your child sees new things for the very first time, and gets to know their world. Here are some of the things your child will discover in their first 18 months of life, and how you can help these discoveries happen!

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How to identify pictures in a book.

By the time your child is 18 months old, they’ll be able to identify illustrations in their favourite story books. Try asking your child, “Where is the bear? Where is the mouse hiding?”

How to use a variety of familiar gestures.

Your baby will be able to show you a variety of familiar gestures, like waving or reaching up to indicate that they’d like to be picked up for a snuggle. Try it out! Wave to your child and see if they wave back at you.

How to say twenty or more words.

Just like your child is growing before your eyes, so is their vocabulary! Your 18-month-old will have a vocabulary of 20 or more words that will become clearer with practise. These words might include, “Mom”, “Dad”, “bottle” and “hungry”!

Finger food.

By the time your baby has reached 18 months of age, they will have discovered the joys of finger food. Their motor skills will have developed enough for them to pick up something like a sliced grape, or a piece of pasta and deliver it to their mouths without dropping it! You may find that from this point forward, meal times are a little easier. (However, we can’t make any promises about the clean up!)

How to walk up a few stairs or steps holding your hand.

Your child’s motor skills at 18 months old will have progressed enough that they can not only feed themselves, but they can walk up a few stairs with a little help too!

How to show affection towards people, pets or toys.

This milestone is likely the sweetest one. By 18 months old, your child will know how to show the people, pets and toys in their lives just how much they love them. You can expect lots of kisses and hugs at this stage. Babies have so much love to give!

 

Did you know that there is a whole list of milestones just like these ones? If you go to the Government of Ontario website, you can learn all about the 18 Month Well Baby Visit that you will have with your family’s heath care professional. Alongside the checklist is information on typical child development, as well as activities to enhance development. Check out the 18 Month Well Baby Visit Checklist here.

We know that babies are discovering things all the time! What discoveries has your baby made lately? We’d love it if you shared it with us on Facebook or Twitter.

Until next time,

-Today’s Family

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