Discover key developmental milestones for 18-month-old children, including physical, cognitive, and social growth, along with tips to support their learning and well-being.
Motor Development
By 18 months:
- Walks on their own
- Climbs onto and off furniture without help
- Feeds themselves using their fingers
- Tries using a spoon
- Drinks from a cup without a lid (but spills sometimes!)
- Scribbles
By 24 months:
- Kicks a ball
- Starts to run
- Can walk up a few stairs with or without your help
- Eats with a spoon
- Pulls toys behind them while walking
- Your baby cannot walk
- Your baby doesn’t walk with a heel-toe walking pattern after they have been
- walking for several months (for example, walks only on their tiptoes)
What to try
- Help them build their body awareness by talking about sensations like hunger, fullness, or what it feels like when they have to pee! This awareness will help them when they start toilet learning.
- As always, be mindful of safety! Motor development is exciting, but also means that your toddler can suddenly access new potential hazards.
- Encourage your child to draw squiggles. This not only supports fine motor skills, but also fosters early literacy development.
- Model new skills for your toddler. Make a small tower of blocks. Show them how the puzzle piece fits, or the container top opens. Once they have watched you, undo it so they can try on their own.
Social & Communication Development
By 18 months:
- Explores, but looks back to check that you are close
- Points to show you things
- Puts their hands out for you to wash them
- Helps you get them dressed (pushes their arm through a sleeve)
By 24 months:
- Looks at you to check how you are reacting to a situation
- Notices when people are upset by pausing what they’re doing or looking sad
- Can point to two or more body parts
- Points to things in a book when you ask them (“Where is the dog?”)
- Combines two or more words (“More water”)
- Uses gestures like nodding, blowing a kiss, in addition to waving and pointing
- Awareness of themselves as separate from others
- Begins to show challenging behaviors
Talk to your child’s healthcare provider if:
- By 18 months, your child doesn’t say at least 15 words.
- By age 2, your child doesn’t use two-word sentences.
- Your child does not imitate actions, gestures, or words.
What to try
- Introduce boundaries around touch. This includes who and what is an OK touch, how others may feel about touching (like being forced to give a hug), and how to begin to understand issues around consent.
- Play games that are made for turns. This includes everything from bowling to board games! Explicitly state whose turn it is and what you do while you’re waiting. For example, “It’s daddy’s turn to knock the pinsdown. Let’s watch him and cheer while he goes. Then it will be your turn to try.”
- Stay close by for playdates. Keeping an eye on squabbles will allow you to respond before things get out of hand. If you do notice issues or concerns, it may be a sign that your child needs more practice, and more supervision and guidance in social settings.
- Connect with your child around what interests them, and label what they see. For example, if your child is pointing at the squirrel behind you when you are pushing them on the swing, label the squirrel and talk about what he is doing.
Cognitive Development
By 18 months:
- Follows simple directions (“Give it to me”)
- Easily finds objects
- Starts to engage in pretend play (pretending to talk on the phone)
- Knows the use of everyday objects (brush, phone, fork)
By 24 months:
- Holds something in one hand and uses the other hand at the same time
- Explores switches, knobs, and buttons
- Plays with two or more toys at the same time (feeds toy food to a stuffed animal)
Talk to your child’s healthcare provider if:
By age 2, they don’t seem to understand and follow simple instructions.
What to try
- When you read together, have your child “read” the book. Having your child hold the book, turn the pages, or even track words, helps them learn the structure of books.
- Make connections between pictures in books and “real” life. For example, if there is a picture of a dog in a book and you just saw a dog earlier on your walk, point out that connection.
- Narrate what you are doing when you solve everyday problems, and give verbal encouragement. This can be in the form of instructions like, “I wonder if you want to try the red one first?” or, “You are almost there. Try again and see if you can close it. You’re working so hard!”
- Encourage your toddler to experiment to link cause and effect. “What happens when we dip the sponge in water? And if we squeeze it?”