#asktheexperts
development

Question

#asktheexperts 
development

Accepted Answer

A 1-year-5-month-old baby, or 17-month-old, typically exhibits a range of developmental milestones in various areas. Here’s what you might expect:

### Physical Development
1. **Walking and Running:** Most toddlers at this age can walk independently and may start running or climbing.
2. **Fine Motor Skills:** Improved hand-eye coordination; able to stack blocks, turn pages of a book, and use utensils with increasing skill.
3. **Gross Motor Skills:** Enjoys pushing, pulling, and carrying objects, and may start to kick or throw a ball.

### Cognitive Development
1. **Problem-Solving:** Engages in simple problem-solving activities, such as figuring out how to get a toy from a shelf.
2. **Imitation:** Imitates actions and behaviors of adults and older children.
3. **Understanding:** Understands simple instructions and can follow basic commands.

### Social and Emotional Development
1. **Attachment:** Shows strong attachment to caregivers and may experience separation anxiety.
2. **Play:** Enjoys parallel play (playing alongside other children) and may start engaging in simple interactive play.
3. **Expressing Emotions:** Displays a range of emotions and may have temper tantrums when frustrated.

### Language and Communication Development
1. **Vocabulary Growth:** Vocabulary is expanding, with toddlers typically knowing 10-20 words, and some may have a vocabulary of up to 50 words.
2. **Simple Phrases:** Begins to combine two words to form simple phrases, like "more milk" or "bye-bye."
3. **Understanding Language:** Understands and responds to simple questions and commands, and recognizes names of familiar people and objects.

### Tips for Supporting Development
1. **Interactive Play:** Engage in interactive play, such as building with blocks, playing with simple puzzles, and reading books together.
2. **Talking and Reading:** Talk to your child frequently, narrate your activities, and read books to encourage language development.
3. **Exploration:** Provide a safe environment for exploration and movement to develop physical skills.
4. **Routine and Consistency:** Establish a consistent routine to help your child feel secure and understand expectations.
5. **Social Interaction:** Arrange playdates or opportunities for your child to interact with other children.

Each child develops at their own pace, so variations in the timing of these milestones are normal. If you have any concerns about your child's development, consult your pediatrician for personalized advice.

#asktheexperts development