Baby’s 18th Month – A Guide To Development And Milestones
Your baby is developing at a different speed at this age. He has his own likes and dislikes and shows a personality of his own. He is mastering new skills every day and adapting to his changing environment. It is high time you childproof your home.
You need to make sure he is on his development-track and keeps focusing on things that keep him engaged.
18 Month Old Baby Developmental Milestones:
Following are the expected milestones to be achieved by an 18th month old baby.
- Your baby is now independent and can run, walk and move around independently.
- He has developed strong coordination by which he can construct a tower with two or more blocks.
- He is also capable of holding utensils on his own.
- He will try to dress and undress himself.
- He can now pull a toy from behind him.
[ Read : Language Development In Toddler ]
18 Month Old Baby Development:
Apart from the milestones, your 18 months baby development changes are mentioned below:
1. Communication Abilities:
While he might still be babbling, you may also detect some real words that may appear gibberish.
- By this time he shall be able to follow your commands like “stop”, “come here”, “sit” and “no”.
- He may now run towards the cabinet to find his favorite snack.
- He will now point at the body part where he has sustained injuries.
[ Read : How To Teach Toddlers To Write ]
2. Social Developments:
By this time your baby can accomplish a lot.
- You will find him more attached to you than before.
- Your baby is likely to get depressed when separated from you or his caregiver.
- You will find him a lot more affectionate towards others.
- He will look shy or nervous when faced with strangers.
- He will try to imitate children and siblings near and will appear more protective about his toys.
- Rather than engaging in play with another child, he may prefer playing on his own.
- You can help your baby better understand his feelings by naming them.
- If your baby is upset after breaking a toy, explain that he is sad about his broken toy. Naming and explaining his feelings shall help him understand himself better.
[ Read : How To Teach Toddler To Read ]
3. Behavioral Developments:
Be prepared as your baby development at 18 months will test your patience frequently. Here is what you can expect:
- Your baby at this stage has a strong will and you need to be prepared for his tantrums. He now knows how to get attention from you or from his dad.
- While he may still be in his diapers he may show interests in developing toilet habits. At this age you may find his diapers drier than before. This is the time when he will copy his other siblings sitting on the potty.
- His sleep time has reduced to a considerable extent and he would be sleeping for a maximum of 14 hours.
- You may find him giving up his morning or evening nap altogether.
[ Read : Emotional Development In Early Childhood ]
This is the time when your baby is just developing his emotions and feelings. He is not yet capable of appreciating the wants and feelings of others. You should be patient while explaining him about what others may feel. You need to have patience, time and plenty of guidance on your part.
Young children at this age are more independent and curious and love to explore the world around them. However, you need to be around all the time as even at this stage he is not aware of the possible dangers around him. Childproof your home in the best possible way you can. You must always keep in mind the safety of your baby.
Irrespective of the pace your baby is developing at, you must shower plenty of attention and love to him. You must offer gentle guidance and assistance to help him with his new learning and discoveries.
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