13 to 18 months

Every child is different. These are things most children (at least 3 in 4) do by the end of this stage. If your child was born more than 3 weeks early, take the weeks they were born early off their age, and use that age here until their 2nd birthday.

Arabic examples show everyday spoken Arabic first, then standard Arabic. They're examples, not exact phrases your child must understand. Arabic varies from one dialect to another.

What to expect

Listening and understanding

Looks at a familiar object when you name it
Looks around when you ask "where" questions, like "Where's Mummy?" or "وين ماما؟ / أين ماما؟"
Follows simple directions, like "Give me the ball" or "عطيني الطابة / أعطني الكرة". By 18 months, they can do this without you pointing or holding out your hand
Points to at least one body part when you name it

Talking and gestures

Tries to say at least three words besides "mama" or "dada" by 18 months, in any of your languages. Early words are often not complete, like "ba" for ball.
What counts as a word?
A spoken word counts when your child says it independently and meaningfully, even if they don't pronounce it clearly yet. For example, "ba" for ball can count if your child uses it to mean ball. Babbling without a clear meaning doesn't count. A word for the same thing in each language counts as two words, like "water" and "مَيّ". Counting words across your languages is a way of counting, not a pass/fail test. If a word count is flagged, it's an invitation to talk to someone, not a diagnosis.
Has words for everyday things, some actions and the people in their life
Mixes long strings of babble with real words, with the tune of real speech
Points to ask for things, to show you things or to get help
Shakes their head for "no" and nods for "yes"
Uses gestures when excited or being silly, like clapping, a high five or a funny face

Playing and connecting

Shows you things they like
Looks at a few pages of a book with you
Copies you doing chores, like sweeping
Plays with toys in simple ways, like pushing a toy car

Eating and drinking

Sits upright to eat, in a highchair, booster seat or on the floor
Feeds themselves with their fingers and tries to use a spoon
Drinks from a sippy cup without help, and from an open cup with some spilling
Drinks from a straw without help or spilling
Moves food from side to side in their mouth with their tongue

Food and drink at this age

This is general guidance, not a milestone to check. Foods with mixed textures, like a sandwich or soup with pieces in it, alongside breast milk, whole milk or water.

Arabic sounds you may hear

Many toddlers use ب د ي م ت و, the sounds in everyday words like بابا, ماما and تيتا. These words are only examples of the sounds: your child doesn't need to be saying them, or saying them clearly. Sounds like ر and ص ض ط ظ usually come much later, so don't expect them yet. The sound list comes from a small study of Jordanian toddlers aged 14 to 24 months. It shows sounds you might hear, not sounds every child should be able to say at this age.

The full list and the research

Used by most toddlers in the study (10 or more of 13): ب د ي م ت و
Used by some (5 to 9 of 13): ن ل ه ح ش ع
Used by a few (1 to 4 of 13): ك ف س ز خ ث
Not used by any toddler yet: غ ر ق ج ذ ص ض ط ظ
"Used" means said in at least three different words, not said correctly every time. These are sounds you may hear, not milestones to check.
Source: Amayreh and Dyson (2000), Table 2: 13 Jordanian children aged 14 to 24 months. ء is not included in this list.

Growing up with two languages

Give your child lots of chances to hear and use your languages every day, in the languages you're most comfortable using. Learning more than one language won't cause speech or language problems.

Get medical help straight away if, while eating or drinking, your child:

has difficulty breathing (for example grunting, or sucking in their tummy when they breathe); has lips, tongue or skin turning blue, grey or very pale; or is choking and their cough is silent or they can't breathe in properly. Call your local emergency number.

If your child is choking: follow the first-aid steps for children over 1 on the NHS choking first-aid page.

Talk to a professional if your child...

Isn't doing many of the things on this page by the end of this stage
Often coughs during or after eating or drinking
Arches their back or cries during most meals
Vomits often
Often loses a lot of food or drink from their mouth
Regularly takes longer than 30 minutes to finish a meal
Is having any trouble eating or drinking. You don't need to wait.

Worried about your child's hearing? Ask for a hearing test, even if your child responds to some sounds. You don't need to wait for other signs.

When to talk to someone

You don't need to wait until several things are missing. Talk to a professional if your child isn't doing many of the things on this page by the end of this stage, if you have any one specific worry (such as their hearing, losing skills they had, their communication or their feeding), or if you're simply worried. You know your child best.

Who to talk to

Your health visitor, GP, paediatrician or a speech and language therapist.

Ideas to try at home

Ideas to try at home: Try Something Today, under 3s

Where this information comes from

Research references

Pearson, Fernández and Oller (1993), Lexical Development in Bilingual Infants and Toddlers, Language Learning
Amayreh and Dyson (2000), Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics