Toddler Milestones

Imagine That!

Milestones of the Mind
What’s Happening
Your 1-year-old is beginning to develop a basic understanding of numbers, which includes ordering, categorizing, and counting, Powers says. He may also become more aware of shapes and colors and be able to name a few.

How To Help
Teach numbers, colors, or shapes in your daily routine. Count steps as yourtoddler climbs stairs, for instance. Or talk about his red shirt and yellow socks as you dress him. Point out the round peas and square crackers at dinner.

When To Worry
These concepts still take a while to master. Most children can name a color or count one object by age 2 1/2.

People Skills
What’s Happening
“At this age, toddlers begin to take pleasure in the company of their peers,” Powers says. Though 1-year-olds are still too young to play games together, they will look at one another, smile, and even gesture. Your child will also start to follow another person’s gaze, which unlocks a whole world of language and emotions, Dr. Meltzoff says. He looks where you look and hears the labels you use. And he’ll turn to you for cues on how to react to things. Your toddler also begins to take the perspective of other people, which leads to empathy. By age 2, he may comfort a crying child with a kiss.

How To Help
Be gentle, patient, kind, and sharing yourself. “Your toddler learns compassion and empathy from you, through your deeds as much as your words,” Dr. Meltzoff says.

When To Worry
Your 1-year-old doesn’t make eye contact or is unresponsive to stimulation from people.

Imagine That
What’s Happening
Halfway through the year, you may see a dramatic boost in pretend play. “Toddlers can now use objects in a completely fanciful and creative way,” Dr. Meltzoff says. “They can pretend a spoon is a banana or a telephone.” At 18 months, when Cobi spotted a picture of cookies in a book, he’d pinch at them and then raise the tasty morsels to his mouth. Simple as it may seem, pretend play is a sophisticated mental feat: It shows that your child can use symbols and understand that one thing (a drawing of a cookie) can stand for another (a real cookie).

How To Help
Give your toddler a few props -- a toy telephone, plastic bowls, dolls, or dress-up clothes, for instance -- and play along in her fantasy world. Follow her lead as you talk with her about what she’s doing and what she wants you to do.

When To Worry
Your child doesn’t imitate simple chores, like wiping a table, by 18 months, or doesn’t pretend to feed a doll by 24 months.