Your 12-Month-Old: Milestones & Development

Vera Malushi, PT, DPT, lends us her expertise as a pediatric physical therapist to recommend developmentally-appropriate ways to play with your 12-month-old. She is the founder of Milestones Pediatric Physical Therapy and shares a wealth of knowledge and tips on her Instagram page @milestones_pediatric_pt.

You did it! Your child’s first birthday is finally here, which means you’ve survived a whole year of sleepless nights, emotional highs and lows, tears from both you and your baby, and more love and happiness than you could have ever dreamed of. The tiny baby you brought home from the hospital is gone, replaced by a mobile, babbling toddler whose toothy grin makes your heart feel full enough to burst. 

Physical development & movement

Your toddler is done a lot of growing over this past year, and they may have even tripled their birth weight. Although there’s a wide range of what’s considered “normal” in terms of height and weight at this age, your little one should be following a growth curve and progressing as expected. If your little one’s growth seems to have slowed down considerably, that’s because toddler growth is much slower than infant growth. Finally, you can get some more wear out of their clothing before they outgrow it!

By now, your little one probably has 2 to 4 teeth—although it’s still normal at this age to have none at all! If their first teeth have sprouted by now, you want to make sure to gently brush them twice a day. As young as your toddler is, dental hygiene is important, and you also want to make their first dental appointment sometime soon.

Your toddler’s balance is rapidly improving, and if you haven’t seen some wobbly first steps yet, they aren’t far away. Children usually start walking around their first birthday, so make sure to help them practice weight shifting and standing as much as you can. They’re probably already cruising along the furniture and pulling themselves to standing on their own, but may need a little help and motivation to get those feet moving while they aren’t holding onto anything.

Emotional development

Your toddler has formed strong bonds and emotional attachments to familiar caregivers (especially you!) and shows affection. They may cry when you put them down and walk away, or reach out to you if you hand them off to another person. If you’ve noticed that your toddler cries or looks upset when you do, that’s because they’re influenced by your emotional reactions! They can tell when you’re happy, angry, or sad through your expressions and tone.

Language

Your little one is probably saying a few words now, and they can understand even more than they’re able to verbalize. Pointing is very popular with your 12-month-old because it’s the fastest way for them to communicate to you what they want. Their speech is improving, but keep things moving along by affirming what they’re pointing to by saying the actual word. Keep talking and reading to them as much as possible, and you’ll soon see your efforts rewarded! 

Feeding

Your baby’s first birthday is exciting for many reasons, but one big change that comes with this milestone is that they’re allowed to eat honey! Before 12 months of age, honey is a big no-no because of the infant botulism risk it can pose. Although you should still limit honey because of its sugar content, you can rest a little easier the next time you accidentally buy Honey Nut Cheerios instead of the regular kind.

Now that your little one is 12 months old, it’s okay to wean them off of formula (breastmilk is still recommended by the AAP until 2 years of age!) and switch to whole milk. They should be getting the majority of their nutrition from food and eating nutritionally balanced meals. Continuing to use formula can reduce your toddler’s appetite for food, but if they don’t like milk, they can get the calcium and protein they need from other sources!

How to play with your 12-month-old

“In month 12, you may have an independent walker! If you do not, do not worry. All babies are unique in their abilities and may just need a little more practice. If they are walking, let’s create some obstacle courses in your living room by scattering some small toys on the floor—which may just be your living room’s natural state! Encourage baby to step over small toys, step up onto books of about 1 inch thickness or less, and pick up some toys from the floor without plopping into sitting. We want to see the ability to maintain standing balance when moving over little obstacles, squatting, and reaching.”

Dr. Vera Malushi, PT, DPT