Your Baby at 12 Months
Date: 08/15/18
MHS and Project Home Indy care about you and your baby. How your child plays, learns, speaks and acts offers important clues about his or her development. Developmental milestones are things most children can do by a certain age.
Check the milestones your child has reached by the end of 12 months.
What most babies do at this age:
Social/emotional:
- Is shy or nervous with strangers
- Cries when mom or dad leaves
- Has favorite things and people
- Shows fear in some situations
- Hands you a book when he wants to hear a story
- Repeats sounds or actions to get attention
- Puts out arm or leg to help with dressing
- Plays games such as “peek-a-boo” and “pat-a-cake”
Language/communication:
- Responds to simple spoken requests
- Uses simple gestures, like shaking head “no” or waving “bye-bye”
- Makes sounds with changes in tone (sounds more like speech)
- Says “mama” and “dada” and exclamations like “uh-oh!”
- Tries to say words you say
Cognitive:
- Explores things in different ways, like shaking, banging, throwing
- Finds hidden things easily
- Looks at the right picture or thing when it’s named
- Copies gestures
- Starts to use things correctly; for example, drinks from a cup, brushes hair
- Bangs two things together
- Puts things in a container, takes things out of a container
- Lets things go without help
- Pokes with index (pointer) finger
- Follows simple directions like “pick up the toy”
Movement/physical development:
- Gets to a sitting position without help
- Pulls up to stand, walking holding on to furniture (“cruising”)
- May take a few steps without holding on
- May stand alone
Talk to your child’s doctor if your child:
- Doesn’t crawl
- Can’t stand when supported
- Doesn’t search for things that she sees you hide
- Doesn’t say single words like “mama” or “dada”
- Doesn’t learn gestures like waving or shaking head
- Doesn’t point to things
- Loses skills he once had
MHS can help you make your baby’s well-child appointment. We can also help you schedule a free ride to and from the appointment. Please call us at 1-877-647-4848, ext. 20404.
MHS and Project Home Indy want to be helpful resources during this exciting time!