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12 month milestones
Here are the CDC milestones most babies reach around 12 months.
Social and emotional
- Plays games with you, like pat-a-cake.
Language and communication
- Waves bye-bye.
- Calls a parent mama or dada or another special name.
- Understands no and pauses or stops briefly.
Cognitive
- Puts something in a container, like a block in a cup.
- Looks for things they see you hide.
Movement and physical
- Pulls up to stand.
- Walks holding on to furniture (cruising).
- Drinks from a cup without a lid as you hold it.
- Picks things up between thumb and pointer finger.
Happy first birthday! Around now most babies can join family meals with soft table foods, and whole cow's milk becomes an option. The WHO encourages continued breastfeeding into the second year if you and your baby want to.
Common questions
What should a 12 month old baby be doing?
Around 12 months, most babies: plays games with you, like pat-a-cake; waves bye-bye; puts something in a container, like a block in a cup; pulls up to stand. Every baby grows at their own pace, within a range of time.
What if my baby was born early?
Most pediatricians count milestones from the due date, not the birth date, until about 2 years. That is called corrected age, and it is how Bobbychips counts milestones too.
What if my baby is not doing these things yet?
Most children reach each milestone within a range of time, so one missing item is not a verdict. If you have questions, or your baby has lost a skill they once had, talk to your pediatrician. The CDC's advice is to act early rather than wait.
The day at this age, in numbers: 12 month old schedule.
Every baby grows at their own pace, and these are general guides, not medical advice. If you ever have questions about how your baby is growing or developing, your pediatrician is the best person to ask.
Sources: the CDC's Learn the Signs. Act Early. milestone checklists and the World Health Organization's infant and young child feeding guidance.
A guide like this, on the day
Bobbychips emails a guide like this one when your baby reaches each of these ages, counted from the due date for a baby born early, and keeps a checklist of the milestones in the app.