Milestones: birth to four years

This is a year of firsts - first steps, first words, first tantrums. Most children are moving freely, running, climbing and exploring. They are self-centred and see everything and everyone as being there for them alone.

Relationships and feelings

By 18 months, babies usually:

• like to be cuddled
• show different feelings and can easily move from happy to sad to angry
• are afraid of strangers
• show a strong attachment to you or a main carer
• become upset when you leave - and may be clingy when you return.

Talk to a community nurse or your doctor if your toddler does not:

• show preference for people they know well
• seem to like cuddles.

By two years babies usually:

• play near other children, but not yet with them
• are unable to share or take turns.

Doing

By 12 months, babies can usually:

• pull themselves up on furniture
• side step around furniture whilst holding on
• push a small trolley along in a straight line.

By 18 months, they can usually:

• walk - at first with feet wide apart, until their balance improves
• walk downstairs while holding your hand
• fall over if they try to run
• climb on to low furniture
• place objects - like 3 small blocks - on top of each other
• use a spoon right side up
• start to scribble with a pencil
• turn pages of a book
• try to kick a large ball if shown how
• pick up small objects.

Talk to a community nurse or your doctor if your toddler is:

• not yet walking
• not holding a spoon or is not able to get food into their mouth
• not picking up small objects.

By 2 years, babies usually:

• explore more widely, open doors and drawers and push buttons
• run fast without falling over when turning corners or stopping
• squat steadily to pick up objects
• bring a small chair to the table and sit on the chair at the table
• walk backwards pulling a toy or trolley
• get up without using their hands.

Talk to a community nurse or your doctor if your toddler is not walking steadily by 2 years, or is limping.

Learning to talk

By 18 months, babies usually:

• babble loudly to themselves and others
• listen to what is said and understand a few things such as ‘no’ or ‘stop’
• point to one or 2 body parts
• follow simple instructions like ‘please get your shoes’
• identify familiar objects when they are named
• know and use eight or more words in addition to ‘mama’ and ‘dada’ - even if you are the only one who understands them.

Talk to a community nurse or your doctor if your toddler is not:

• babbling a lot
• starting to use some meaningful words
• listening when people speak to them.

By 2 years, babies can usually:

• use at least 50 recognisable words
• listen to things that are said to them
• start to put 2 words together such as ‘daddy car’
• remember 2 things at a time such as ‘please get the ball and bring it to daddy’
• join in with songs and nursery rhymes
• point to 6 body parts
• babble while playing, with a few recognisable words in the babble
• tell you most of what they want with words, such as ‘outside’, ‘milk’, ‘want more’ or ‘go away’.

Talk to a community nurse or your doctor if your toddler:

• is mostly silent while playing
• does not respond when people talk to them
• does not point to objects when named
• uses signs, grunts or gestures but not words when they want something.