What are babies doing at 11-12 months?
Your baby will soon be 12 months old! It’s amazing how much your baby has developed in the last year.
Communicating
Your baby is now communicating in many ways – pointing, grunting, nodding, waving and often trying to talk to you too. Your baby’s babbling sounds more like a conversation, and they might say 1-2 single words they understand, like ‘dada’ and ‘mama’.
Your baby might also show you what they want, need or are interested in by pointing at something and looking at you, or by looking at what you point to.
Understanding
Your baby might start to link words with their meanings. For example, when you say ‘ball’ or ‘teddy’, your baby might look around for these things.
Your baby might follow simple instructions like ‘Give me the block’ or ‘Put the train down’. And you might notice they cooperate more when they’re getting dressed. Visual cues will help your baby understand. For example, when you hold your hand out and say ‘For daddy?’, your baby will give you the toy they’re holding.
Feeling
Over the past few months your baby has learned to show emotions like caution and fear.
Playing
Play is important, because it’s how your baby learns. Your baby might look at, shake, bang, throw, drop and poke different objects. Your baby also enjoys playing with you and might start showing you things they’re playing with – for example, a toy or doll.
Your baby might copy others and start to do pretend play, like pretending to drink from a cup.
Moving
Your baby is getting better at using their hands and fingers and will probably be feeding themselves with their fingers at most meals.
Your baby might pull themselves up to stand by holding onto furniture, or they might even stand well by themselves. Around now, your baby might take their first steps on their own or could even be walking independently. Walking is tiring for your baby, though, so sometimes they might crawl instead.
Fun fact
Your baby might start to show their growing independence by shaking their head to say ‘no’.
Your child’s brain develops connections faster in the first 5 years than at any other time in their life. Stimulating and caring environments with plenty of different activities help to build these connections and lay the foundations for learning, health and behaviour throughout life.
How can you help your baby grow and develop at 11-12 months?
Have a chat
Your baby is interested in conversation, so the more talk the better!
You can help your baby understand what words mean by talking as you do everyday activities like bathing your baby or changing nappies. And you can help your baby learn new words by naming objects that your baby is interested in.
Also, listening and responding to ‘dada’, ‘mama’ and other words encourages conversation and builds your baby’s communication skills.
Play together
Give your baby toys that encourage imagination and creativity, like blocks and cardboard boxes. Paints are also fun – but be prepared for some mess!
Playing outdoors with you gives your baby many different experiences – there’s so much to see, smell, hear and touch. When you’re outside, remember to be safe in the sun.
Read together
You can develop your baby’s imagination by reading, talking about the pictures in books and telling stories. Singing songs and reciting nursery rhymes are good early literacy activities too. All these activities help your baby to understand language and learn to read as they get older.
Get moving
Moving and exploring builds your baby’s muscle strength. This is important for more complex movements like pulling to stand and walking.
If your baby is on the move, always watch them and never leave them unattended on a sofa, bed or change table. It’s a good idea to look at making your home safe for your baby to move around in.
Offer new foods
Your baby can have healthy family food. They’ll want to feed themselves, and finger food is good for developing their fine motor skills. Make sure your baby sits while they’re eating – this can help to prevent choking.
Sometimes your baby won’t want to do some of these things – for example, they might be too tired or hungry. Your baby might use some baby cues, like crying, to let you know when they’ve had enough and what they need.
How to care for a one-year-old and look after yourself
As a parent, you’re always learning. It’s OK to feel confident about what you know. And it’s OK to admit you don’t know something and ask questions or get help.
It’s also important to look after yourself. Looking after yourself physically, mentally and emotionally is good for you, and it’s good for your baby. When you’re well, you can give your baby the loving attention they need to grow and thrive.
Part of looking after yourself is asking for help, especially if you’re feeling stressed, anxious or angry. There are many people who can support you and your baby, including your partner, friends, relatives, child and family health nurse and GP. It’s a good idea to have a list of these people with their contact details. Put the list on your fridge, so it’s easy to find if you need it.
Never shake a baby. If you feel like you can’t cope or you might hurt your baby, gently put your baby down somewhere safe. Take deep breaths to calm down. Get support by talking to a family member or friend or calling a parenting helpline or Lifeline on 131 114.
When to be concerned about baby development at 12 months
You know your baby best. So it’s a good idea to see your child and family health nurse or GP if you have any concerns or notice that your one-year-old has any of the following issues.
Seeing and hearing
Your baby:
- isn’t making eye contact with you
- isn’t following moving objects with their eyes
- has an eye that’s turned in or out most of the time
- isn’t interested in sounds
- doesn’t respond to their name when called.
Communicating
Your baby:
- isn’t babbling
- isn’t trying to let you know what they want using body language, sounds or words
- isn’t using gestures like waving or pointing.
Behaviour and play
Your baby:
- isn’t showing emotions like happiness or sadness
- doesn’t look for things that they see you hide.
Movement
Your baby:
- isn’t crawling
- isn’t bearing weight on their legs
- uses one hand much more than the other.
See a child health professional if you notice that your baby has lost skills they once had.
Also see your nurse or GP if you have signs of postnatal anxiety, postnatal depression in birthing mothers or postnatal depression in non-birthing parents. With help and support, you can manage symptoms, feel better sooner, and give your baby what they need to develop well.
Development happens in a similar order in most children, but skills might develop at different ages or times. If you're wondering whether your baby’s development is on track, or if you feel that something isn’t quite right, it’s best to get help early. See your child and family health nurse or GP.
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