Parenting Club

9 - 18 Months: What to
expect

As your baby approaches toddlerhood, here’s what to look forward to

Moving
Talking
Thinking
Behaving

Moving

What your baby will do: He’ll be itching to be off! Between 9 and 18 months, your baby will learn to crawl, pull up to standing and then (cue parental applause!) walk. He’ll also gain much better control of his hands, enabling him to turn pages of a book and empty all your cupboards.

What you can do: Cheer him every wobbly step of the way – and resist the urge to compare his progress to that of others his age: he’ll find his feet when he’s ready.

Talking

What your baby will do: At 9 months, she’ll understand a great deal of what you say and will probably be nodding her head for ‘yes’ and shaking it for ‘no’. By 18 months, she’ll be saying at least one or two words and possibly be combining words together into little phrases, such as ‘me nana!’

What you can do: Encourage her attempts to talk by repeating back to her what you think she’s trying to say: ‘You want the bricks? The book? Oh, the ball!’

Thinking

What your baby will do: He’ll be working out cause-and-effect: putting out his arms to go into his coat sleeve and pulling your clothes to get your attention. By 15 months, he’ll understand an abstract idea, such as, ‘No, there’s no more pudding!’ By 18 months, he’ll be able to follow a simple command (‘tidy up your toys’), although he may well choose not to!

What you can do: Keep reading him books. Let him play with water and sand, so he can have fun discovering how to float, sink, pour and dig.

Behaving

What your baby will do: She’ll probably go through a clingy patch, and cry when you leave her. She’ll start to want to feed herself and she’ll love copying you as you potter round the house. By 18 months, she’ll be desperate to do things for herself - and may get very frustrated if she can’t.

What you can do: Let her help you with chores like loading the washing machine and sweeping the floor (closely supervised!). Try not to take over too much when she can’t manage things - show her gently what she needs to do next.

Please remember

Babies grow and develop at different rates. Don't place too much importance on when your child reaches certain milestones or whether he reaches them before or after other children his age. How he develops has more to do with his genes than his intelligence. If your baby does seem to be lagging very significantly behind his peers, however, do seek advice your GP or health visitor.