In this six months a baby visibly becomes a toddler. They walk, they point, they bring you things, they have preferences and they express them clearly. Vocabulary grows slowly and comprehension grows fast — that gap is the source of most conflict at this age.
The skills most children pick up somewhere inside this age range, grouped the way development actually happens rather than as one long checklist.
Motor
Walks independently
Takes several steps without help.
Climbs stairs with support
Goes up steps while holding on.
Carries things while walking
Walks across the room holding a toy.
Squats and stands back up
Crouches to pick something up and rises without holding on.
Fine motor
Moves objects with purpose
Stacks or moves objects intentionally.
Eats with utensils
Uses a spoon or cup while eating or drinking.
Precise finger movements
Performs fine movements, e.g. picking up small objects.
Turns book pages
Turns the pages of a board book, sometimes several at once.
Language
Uses specific words
Uses words like no or people's names.
Brings something when asked
Fetches a named object on request.
Social
Communicates with gestures
Uses gestures or words to communicate.
Joint attention
Points at objects to share attention.
Imitates actions
Copies movements or gestures of others.
Shows you things
Brings a toy over to share the discovery.
Waves goodbye
To grandma, finally.
Cognitive
Finds familiar objects in space
Locates familiar objects in a known environment, e.g. the toy box.
Self-care
Sleeps through the night
Sleeps the night without waking.
Takes off shoes and socks
Pulls off socks and shoes without help.
Firsts
First haircut
First birthday
First time in the water
Pool, sea or lake — the first proper splash.
First day at nursery
First plane ride
Every range below is a window, not a deadline. Children arrive at these in their own order, and a skill that comes late says far less than one that disappears.
Walking alone arrives for most children between twelve and fifteen months. The first weeks are wide-legged, arms up, with a lot of sitting down hard; after two or three months it starts to look like walking. Soon after, most begin carrying something while walking, which is harder than it looks because it demands balance and action at once.
A first small vocabulary builds — often five to twenty words by eighteen months. Comprehension matters far more: following a simple instruction without a gesture, pointing to body parts, picking a known object out of several. Children this age understand a multiple of what they say.
Socially, pointing out of interest begins — your child points at something not to get it but so that you see it too. That shared attention is one of the most reliable developmental markers at this age.
And the will arrives. Not tantrums in the full sense yet, but clear refusal: head shaking, turning away, going rigid. That is self-development, not a discipline problem.
Give words instead of demanding them. When your child points at the cup, the useful response is not What is that called? but Yes, your cup — it is empty. Quizzing creates pressure; naming creates vocabulary.
Let them walk it, even when it is slower. The distance from the car to the front door is a training programme for balance, stamina and agency at this age. Building in the extra minutes is cheaper than carrying.
Raise it if, by eighteen months, your child is not walking alone, uses no words at all, does not point to show you things, or does not respond to simple instructions. Losing words they previously had should always be looked at promptly.
Common and unremarkable: a child with few words who understands plenty, points plenty and communicates plenty. Late talkers with intact comprehension catch up in the overwhelming majority of cases.
This page is general information, not medical advice. Your paediatrician or health visitor knows your child; a chart never will. If something worries you, ask them — that is what the appointment is for.
How we built this
The milestone windows follow the developmental ranges used in routine child health checks, cross-checked against the WHO motor development study and the CDC's milestone guidance. They describe when most children reach a skill, not when yours has to.
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