Imitation is the best form of flattery at this age! One of the key ways your toddler
learns now is by copying you. Household objects and everyday routines fascinate
him. He likes to imitate simple activities, such as feeding his teddy, sweeping
the floor, wiping down the table. This is the very beginning of role play.
Walk on by
Your baby has become a toddler! Here are some of the amazing things he can do by
18 months:
- Walk well with feet only slightly apart, start and stop safely. He no longer needs
to hold out his arms to balance
- Run carefully – although he finds it hard to negotiate obstacles so watch him
carefully
- Walk upstairs with your helping hand, and sometimes downstairs. He may prefer
to creep backwards or bottom shuffle when he's coming down
- Carry a large teddy bear when he's walking
- Climb into an adult's chair then turn round and sit.
Play with a purpose
His new skills come in handy for play. He can build towers of two or three cubes
if you help him and show him how. He likes simple picture books and may point to
familiar objects he sees and turn the pages, several at a time. He may even make
his first attempts at drawing. He holds a pencil in his whole hand, both hands,
or very clumsily between his thumb and finger and produces to and fro scribbles
and dots.
Questions and Answers
Q: My little boy is absolutely obsessed by an old blanket he had when he was about
nine months old. He insists on taking it everywhere and it's getting very threadbare!
Should I worry about this?
A: Many toddlers find the world a rather scary challenge and develop fads as a way
of creating something that never changes and a place where nothing unexpected ever
happens to them. There's no need to worry about these obsessions. Making a big fuss
probably makes the situation worse and in most cases the child simply grows out
of needing them.
Q: My son seems to understand a surprising amount of what I say to him, but he doesn't
say many words himself. What should I expect at this stage?
A: At 18 months, you can expect your child to be saying between six and 20 recognisable
words, but he understands many more. Talk to him on a one-to-one basis and you'll
find he listens and responds. He'll hand you a toy if you ask him to, and can obey
simple instructions such as 'get your shoes'.
Did you know?
For every word your toddler uses, he understands five more? Children always understand
more words than they use right up until they are adults.
