This year will be majorly exciting, as you watch Baby take his first steps, and hear him speak those first words – if he hasn’t started trying already! Here are some of the biggest changes to expect over the next year, and what they mean for your family in the future.
- Walking: While those first steps will be a bit wobbly, by the end of the year, you can expect Baby to become a confident walker. Most babies start walking somewhere between 12 and 17 months, so if you haven’t already done so, now is a good time to start childproofing your home for a walking toddler. Remember to use baby gates near any stairways, to plug outlets, and to keep any dangerous items out of reach. Walking will start out slowly enough at first, but by the end of the year, you’ll be chasing Baby from room to room faster than you could imagine.
- Talking: At this point, babies aren’t doing much talking, but are babbling more and more. By the end of the next year, though, Baby will have learned words for a few common ideas and objects in his life. He will also begin communicating in other ways, like pointing to objects of interest. You can encourage this language development by doing plenty of reading with Baby, and ask him to point out familiar objects on the page. Picture books are a great way to begin developing his vocabulary by identifying items for him, as he will learn most of his early language from you.
- Sleeping: The amount of sleep Baby needs won’t change much this year, but the way he reaches this goal probably will. Most babies make the shift from two naps down to just one a day some time between 15 and 18 months, and will usually gradually phase out their morning nap in favor of a longer afternoon snooze. This may mean adjusting your schedule slightly, but also opens up a larger window of opportunity in the early part of the day to get more done, like running errands or spending some extra time at the park.
- Eating: As Baby perfects his pincer grasp, he will be able to effectively pick up smaller pieces of food off his tray or plate. He will also become better at using utensils, which means he’ll be able to do more self-feeding this year. Another change you may notice at the dinner table is his desire to pick up food, then drop it on the floor. Though this can be frustrating, it comes down to the fact that Baby is very curious at this age, and he is more interested in the cause and effect of dropping things and watching them fall than he is in making you upset. You’ll spend less time feeding Baby this year, but much more time sweeping around his highchair. It’s a tradeoff!
Baby’s had a big year, but the next one is going to be even bigger!
Sources
- “Developmental Milestones: 12 Months.” HealthyChildren. American Academy of Pediatrics, June 1 2009. Retrieved November 8 2017. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/Pages/Developmental-Milestones-12-Months.aspx.
- “Developmental Milestones: 2 Year Olds.” HealthyChildren. American Academy of Pediatrics, June 1 2009. Retrieved November 8 2017. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/Pages/Developmental-Milestones-2-Year-Olds.aspx.
- “Important Milestones: Your Child By Two Years.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, October 3 2017. Retrieved November 8 2017. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-2yr.html.
