Approaching your baby’s one-year birthday is a time for celebration and reflection. To you, it probably seems as if your baby were just born a few months ago and now already, turning one. From this time to around 18 months of age, you will begin to see remarkable developmental changes.
Having just gone through a stage of being able to sit alone, crawling around the house on hands and knees, and holding a bottle, you now see more advanced changes. One of the fun aspects of this age is playtime. Babies love to play games such as peek-a-boo, patty-cake, and so on. Even a subtle game of hide and seek may be appreciated. This one-on-one playtime is just the beginning of a very exciting year.
Babies around the age of one will also begin communicating much better. Words such as “mama”, “dada”, “doggie”, “bobba, or bottle” are now spoken. Although most words will still be babbling, you will begin to hear more and better imitation of things you say. In addition to crawling, your baby will likely show great interest in pulling up on furniture. Although walking is not yet mastered, he or she will try, falling many times in the process.
Then as your baby progresses to 14, 15, or 16 months of age, chances are the bottle is gone, now replaced with a favorite sippy cup. Your baby is now walking around without support, although still taking his or her share of spills. As far as talking, you now hear a significant vocabulary, almost as if your baby learned to talk overnight. You might even find your baby at this age trying to dress him or herself, brushing teeth, combing hair, and so on. While some assistance is needed, you will see more independence.