At eighteen months most toddlers walk without holding on, climb onto the sofa, scribble, and copy you sweeping or wiping. They say three or more words and follow a simple “give it to me”. Here is what most children do by 18 months, four easy ways to play this week, and the labels worth checking on the snacks they now ask for.
What most children do by 18 months
From CDC's 2022 checklists: things at least 3 in 4 children do by this age. A guide for a chat with your pediatrician, not a test.
Moves away from you, but looks back to make sure you are close
Points to show you something interesting
Puts the hands out for you to wash them
Looks at a few pages of a book with you
Helps you dress them, pushing an arm through a sleeve or lifting a foot
Talking and listening
Tries to say three or more words besides “mama” or “dada”
Follows one-step directions without gestures, like “Give it to me”
Thinking and exploring
Copies you doing chores, like sweeping with a broom
Plays with toys in a simple way, like pushing a toy car
Moving
Walks without holding on to anyone or anything
Scribbles
Drinks from an open cup, and may spill sometimes
Feeds themselves with the fingers
Tries to use a spoon
Climbs on and off a sofa or chair without help
Every baby has their own timing
WHO followed 816 healthy babies in five countries, India among them, and timed six movement milestones. Each bar is the window in which 98 of every 100 of them got there.
Sits without support4–9 mo
Stands with help5–11 mo
Crawls on hands and knees5–14 mo
Walks with help6–14 mo
Stands alone7–17 mo
Walks alone8–18 mo
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Your baby: 18 months
By 18 months, nearly every child in WHO's study was walking alone — the last of the six windows closes at about 18 months.
Play together this week
Five or ten minutes each, with things already in your home. Do them in any language you speak at home.
1
Little jhadu helper
5–10 min · nothing to buy
You need: A small hand brush or the short end of a jhadu, and a few scraps of paper
Scatter a few paper scraps and sweep them into a pile, slowly.
Hand over the brush: “Your turn — sweep, sweep!”
Let them tip the pile into a dustpan or a steel plate.
Copies you doing chores
Follows one-step directions
2
Scribble sheet
5–10 min · nothing to buy
You need: A thick crayon or a fat chalk piece, and the back of an old calendar
Tape the calendar sheet to the floor so it won't slide.
Make a big round scribble and hand over the crayon.
Talk about what they make: “Long line! Round and round!”
Stay close. Crayons stay with the grown-up afterwards — they go in the mouth at this age.
Scribbles
3
Dress-up help
5 min, at bath or bedtime · nothing to buy
You need: Today's clothes
Hold a sleeve open and say “Arm in!” — wait for the push.
Then “Foot up!” for the pyjama leg.
Cheer each one. It is slower, and it is their job now.
Helps you dress them
Follows one-step directions
4
Book corner
5 min · nothing to buy
You need: Any picture book, or a magazine with big photos
Sit together and look at a page without reading it — just point.
“Look! A cat!” Then wait for them to point at something too.
Let them turn the pages, even if it is three at a time.
Looks at pages with you
Points to show you things
What your child eats and uses now
Toddlers ask for what they see others eat — sweets, namkeen, cold drinks, chai. On the back of the packet, check for:
Scan a label
Free. No sign-up. Pick 12–36 months on the result to check it for this age.
Water or milk in an open steel tumbler, with a few spills, is practice for one of the milestones above.
If something worries you
You know your child best. If your child is not doing some of these things yet, or has stopped doing something they used to do, tell your pediatrician — at the next visit, or sooner. CDC's advice is not to wait: acting early is what helps most.
Born early? For the first two years, pediatricians usually count from the due date — the corrected age.
In India, your pediatrician can also refer you to the District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC) at your district hospital, part of the government's Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram.
Questions CDC suggests taking to the visit:
What do you and your child enjoy doing together?
What does your child like to do?
Is there anything your child does, or does not do, that worries you?
Has your child stopped doing anything they used to do?
Was your child born early, or do they have any special health needs?
Pikabee