Significant milestones for your one-year-old
Look at me, mom – I’m one! We take a look at some of the milestones you can expect your child to reach at 12 months.
Movement milestones
Many parents are very worried if their child doesn’t immediately start walking at the age of 12 months, but walking really isn’t regarded as a key milestone at this stage.
“What a child should be able to do is pull themselves up against furniture and then move along holding on to the furniture, an action known as ‘cruising’,” says Clicks Clinic Sister Tanya de Beer.
“Whenever possible, allow your child to move around barefoot. It encourages good walking skills and also exposes them to new textures, such as grass or sand on the soles of their feet.”
Another important skill at this stage is the ability to get up into a sitting position without any help.
Fine motor skills
Your child’s use of their hands and fingers should be more sophisticated by now. This means that they should be able to pick up smaller objects between their thumb and forefinger (known as the “pincer grip”) and also voluntarily let go of objects.
“At this stage I usually expect children to be able to throw and roll a ball and scribble with a crayon,” says Sr De Beer.
She also advises allowing children to feed themselves finger foods at this stage. “Picking up finger foods and also exploring the textures of coarser foods is important for a one-year-old. They shouldn’t only be eating puréed food at this stage,” she says.
Social skills
“It’s perfectly normal for children to be still shy at age one and very attached to their primary caregiver,” says Sr De Beer. However, they should be able to interact with others by making good eye contact and they should recognise people that they know. “Children of this age should also participate eagerly in games like “peek-a-boo” or clapping games,” she adds.
At 12 months most children will happily play on their own, while seated next to other children, a phenomenon known as “parallel play”.
Language milestones at 12 months
At the age of 12 months, your child should be able to say a few simple words, such as “mama” and “dada” or “no”. Although they may not be using many words of their own, they should understand what is said to them.
For example, they should respond to instructions like “come here” and “bath time”.
“Most children will also use gestures to communicate by this stage, for example waving goodbye, shaking their head for ‘no’ or blowing kisses,” adds Sr De Beer.
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