It is during the six- to twelve-month stage when "babies" turn into walking or near-walking one-year-olds. They learn amazing skills and grow tremendously. The toddler's primary adult caregiver may be the mother, the father, or another person. We will use the word "mother" to indicate any of those. Here's what we know about six- to twelve-month-olds:
They depend on adults to provide a safe and stimulating environment.
They don't like to share their mother's time or attention with anyone.
They want to be physically close to their mothers and may panic when she's out of sight.
They can sit up and crawl.
Some will walk. Many will not.
They use their mouths a lot to check out things.
They can grasp a cup or bottle with both hands and can manage finger foods.
They can imitate simple actions like clapping hands and playing peekaboo.
They begin to imitate new sounds.
They like books that are sturdy and slobberproof with simple pictures.
They may sleep from nine to eighteen hours a day.
At around nine months, they may resist being put to bed.
They are quite competent and can figure out solutions to many of their problems.
Let's go on to the twelve- to eighteen-month-old stage to
see how these skills are refined and what new developments
unfold. Here's what we know about twelve- to eighteen-month olds:
They are constantly on the move.
They can express whole thoughts with one word. ("Car" means "I want to go for a ride.")
They can understand far more than they can express.
They learn by doing.
They cannot anticipate consequences or decide what's right or wrong.
They may begin to resist naps.
They like to play alongside other children.
They like to stack blocks, pull things, fill and empty containers.
They are not ready to be toilet trained.
They often intensely dislike having their hair washed.
Exploration is the key word in describing this time in children's development. They are actually "soaking up" knowledge from everything they hear, touch, smell, and taste. So even if there are days when you imagine that your child is "hyperactive", he is probably just a normal, curious, searching, and enthusiastic explorer!
Darlene Montz, Judith L. Popp, and Judith-Anne Salts
Source: HELP! For Parents of Children from Birth to Five: Tried and True Solutions to Parents' Everyday Problems, author Jean Illsley Clarke, First Rev ised Edition, 1993
Copyright 2000 by Jean Illsley Clarke, Self-Esteem: A Family Affair, All Rights Reserved.
