What should a 1-year-old child be able to do?

[mme_highlight] When you celebrate your baby’s first birthday, you realize that your child has grown very fast and is becoming an independent walker. A child of this age likes to play “peek-a-boo”, waves for good-bye and understands that objects continue to exist even if he/she does not see them. [/mme_highlight]

When you celebrate your baby’s first birthday, you realize that your child has grown very fast and is becoming an independent walker. Also, she/he can independently feed her/himself and loves to explore the world around him/her.

Cognitive development

The child becomes more and more curious and interested in the world around him/her. He/she begins to associate names and objects and can point at objects when parents ask him/her to identify the objects that are part of her/his daily routine. The baby becomes capable of adapting the position of the body when a parent puts on the clothes.
In addition, children begin to imitate adults; in fact, 78% of children aged 12 months had at least one imitative act and besides that, children like to imitate the sounds of animals.

A child of this age likes to play “peek-a-boo”, waves for good-bye and understands that objects continue to exist even if he/she does not see them. Kids gain this important new skill- they can find a hidden object. Now, the child also can make a tower that consists of 2 blocks.

Motor development

One year old children rapidly develop the ability to move independently, as the data below demonstrates.

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97% of children have ability to crawl;
95% of children can walk with assistance;
75% of children can stand alone;
50% of children have ability to walk without support;
50% of children walk with heel strike;
95% of children can squat without support.

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Also, one year old toddler improves his/her fine motor skills. Now, he/she can turn several pages of the book at once and can use pincer grasp to grab or hold small objects (the use of tip of the thumb and index finger). Many kids can grasp a pencil and start to scribble.

Children at this stage also acquire new eating habits, as shown below.

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30 % of children can drink from a cup;
84 % of children eat with the spoon;
90 % of children can eat biscuit or bread.

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Social/Emotional

In this period, children learn to recognize their feelings and learn to cope with them. Temper tantrums are a common occurrence. In addition, separation anxiety and fear of strangers become more apparent. According to the parents’ statements, the frequency of temper tantrums is eight times per week for one-year-olds and the duration of temper tantrums is two minutes on average.

Children still don’t have the ability to play with others or to share the toys at this age.

Language / communication

One year-old child understands about 80 words and can understand simple commands (e.g. “no”, “drink”, “eat” etc.). Also, babbling starts to resemble adult speech (by intonation, manner and duration). Besides words “mama” and “dada”, she/he can clearly say at least 2 words.

The toddler understands the meaning of the word “no”, but she/ he often does not obey the command.

What are the alarm signs I should be worried about?

If the child does not say a word or babbling does not become more complex;
if the child cannot stand with support;
If the child does not crawl;
If the child does not point to objects when parents ask to identify objects of everyday use;
If there is no nodding or waving “good-bye”, or if he/she does not play “peek-a-boo”;
If he/she does not respond to his/her name;
if he/she prefers to play alone.

What are the risk factors that can impair development?

As the baby is moving more and more, parents should provide the safety of the place where the baby stays and plays. Parents should prevent the possibility of crashes, therefore harsh and fragile items must be removed. Keep away poisons and small items that can cause choking.

Parents should remove water tanks, pools, sink and bathtub, because the baby can drown in a small amount of water. Take into account that the child may come in contact with hot liquids and hot surfaces. Thus, parents must protect child from possible contact with power sources.

In addition, pay attention to the possible existence of signs of autism. If the baby does not babble or shows repeated gestures and he/she avoids communication and eye contact with others, you should contact a doctor.

Also, pay attention to the possibility of anemia, especially in children who are not fed with iron fortified infant formula or if the intake of vegetables is not sufficient.

What should parents do to encourage the development of baby at this age?

During this period, baby is dealing with temper tantrums. You should stay calm and support your baby, with love and tenderness. Do not punish your baby, but rather reward her / his for the good behavior.

The good way to have some pleasant time with your toddler is listening to music. Baby is curious and he / she likes new things, like new sounds and rhythms.

You should often repeat things through communication in order to give your baby confidence and security. For example, you may ask several times a day: “What does a cat say?” or “Where is the dog on the picture?”.

Remember that your baby certainly likes to play “peek-a-boo”,“patty-cake” or building a tower over and over again.

Summary and Recommendations

Your one-year-old will show developmental progresses every day. Knowing what to expect makes it easier for you to recognize the progresses and help the child to achieve them.
Cognitive Development: one-year olds are curious about the world around them, identify and point at objects; they can wake goodbye and play peek-a-boo and also look for a hidden object.
Motor Development: one-year-olds can stand up and walk with support and progressively with more independence. They can use pincer grasp to hold objects and turn pages of a book.
Social/Emotional Development: separation anxiety and fear of strangers are typical of this stage. Temper tantrums are frequent.
Language Development: the child can understand about 80 words and can say a few words other than “mama” and “dada”.
Each child has her/his own pace, but if you think your child is not developing adequately, seek for medical advice.

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References

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