What to expect when your baby turns one
At 12 months old, your baby is officially a toddler, and should be attempting to pull themselves up and shuffling while holding onto a couch or table. Many parents are very worried if their child doesn’t immediately start walking at the age of 12 months, but walking isn’t regarded as a key milestone at this stage.
Unicef suggests placing your toddler on flat surfaces with enough space to develop gross motor skills like crawling and moving their arms and legs. They will be open to trying a variety of food, so be sure to serve them a wide selection of soft, cooked vegetables and soft fruit.
Unicef further states that at this age your baby:
- Copies movements and gestures
- Bangs objects together
- Drinks from a cup and uses other objects correctly
- Finds things that are hidden
- Can follow simple directions and lets go of objects without help
- Puts objects in containers and can take them out
At 18 months, your toddler can eat most of the same foods as the family and hold their own cup. Their speech is developing and they can say a few words. Soon they will learn to put words together to form a short sentence. Unicef recommends that you speak to your paediatrician if your child does not walk, point, try to copy others or if they lose skills they once had at this age.
According to the National Department of health, your 18-month-old will also be able to follow simple instructions, look at small objects and pictures, and use their fingers to feed themself.
IMAGE CREDIT: Shutterstock
