Week-by-week library · 18 months old
Month 18
Quick answer
What is my baby up to at 18 months old?
This month, a lot of toddlers hit a vocabulary growth spurt that can feel like a switch flipped.
What's developing
Communication
Many toddlers experience a noticeable acceleration in vocabulary growth around this window, sometimes called a word spurt, though the exact timing varies a lot between children.
Motor
Climbing stairs with a held hand or rail, and using a spoon with growing (if messy) success, are common around now.
Social
Combining gestures with words, pointing and saying a word together, is a common way toddlers this age communicate.
Try this together this week
- Keep naming everything in sight; a vocabulary growth spurt thrives on new input.
- Offer a spoon at mealtimes for self-feeding practice, mess included.
- Practice stairs holding a rail or your hand for safe climbing repetition.
- Simple choice questions ("apple or banana?") to encourage word use over pointing alone.
What parents often notice
If the vocabulary spurt has not shown up yet at exactly eighteen months, that is common too; the timing of this particular jump varies widely between toddlers.
Sourced to
- Zero to Three, Early Development guides
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org
Last reviewed by the This Week Baby editorial team.