Toddlers & Milestones 18-24 Months!

When it comes to babies and toddlers, milestones are one of the most important things you must keep track of; between the ages of 18 and 24 months, your child will experience many changes. Keep track of the milestones mentioned below to ensure that your child is on track, always remember that every child grows and develops at a different pace, however, extreme delays in meeting these milestones may be a sign of developmental issues, which you should talk to your doctor about.

1. Self Feeding

When your child reaches the milestone of self-feeding, it is a very big step. This is when they can identify food and can fees themselves the types of food they like. This usually happens after your child reaches the milestone where they stop putting things in their mouths that are not food; at this point, a toddler will learn to differentiate between toys, objects, ect.. and food.

2. Dancing to Music

You may notice that when you play music your toddler will start the dance, wiggle, or move their arms and fun motions. This is when your child starts to take interest in music, melodies, tunes and beats and it is very important to their developmental skills in the future.

3. Takes Interest in Chores

Toddlers take notice of things around them, most notably, what their parents are doing. If you notice that your child is wanting to help you with chores around the house like sweeping, picking up toys, or help you in the kitchen when you mix ingredients in a bowl and such, it's a good sign that your child is developing properly. This milestone aids your toddler in the future with friendship skills, sharing, kindness, and builds a strong relationship between parent and child.

4. Knows Difference Between Right & Wrong

Many parents believe that children are small so they don't know what they're doing and use that as a crutch to not discipline or correct them. This is not a good routine. Between the ages of 18 and 24 months, your child will begin to understand the difference between right and wrong. With your help, behavioral skills will develop properly. If you see your child engaging in activities that are dangerous, bad, or destructive, step in to correct them, they will understand you and will sometimes test you.

5. Plays Correctly with Toys Like Balls

During this stage, your child will begin to play correctly with toys such as balls and blocks. They will understand that balls are meant to be thrown, rolled, or kicked and can engage in stacking blocks properly. These months are when your child begins a fascination with interactive games and activities.

6. Can Undress

When you're see your toddler running down the hall with no clothes at all, then you know they've reached this milestone. Learning how to take off a shirt, a pair of pants, or unbutton or unbuckle an article of clothing is essential to your child's cognitive skills in the future. Pay close attention to this milestone.

7. Walks Up & Down Stairs

Your child will begin to become more independent, this comes along with walking up and down the stairs by themselves. They can either use their legs as an adult would do or in their own way. Sometimes toddlers find their way ups and down steps by sitting in using their bottoms. This point you should exercise extra caution and invest in child safety gates, and only allow your child to wander the steps under your careful supervision.

If your child has not reached some of these milestones by month 24, you should discuss this with your doctor.