Parents have enough on their plates: from choosing a daycare to understanding the latest technology and research for babies and making sure your little one is hitting important benchmarks. Things can get pretty overwhelming, especially in that first year!
No matter how busy the first year gets, it’s important to pay attention to 1-year-old developmental milestones to make sure your baby is staying on track and healthy. Of course, every baby develops at their own pace – if you have concerns, please address them with your pediatrician.
What are the Most Important 1-Year-Old Developmental Milestones?
There are several 1-year-old developmental milestones that help indicate the overall health and wellness of your child. Some of the categories include:
- Social milestones
- Physical development
- Cognitive function and learning
Baby Should be Socially Interacting
By a year old, your little one should be a little social butterfly! They should have been smiling and laughing for a while now, but it should become more prompted and inspired by the actions of others. Additionally, they should be able to start playing baby games and enjoying nursery rhymes more than ever before.
As your baby approaches a year old, they should also be familiar with the caregivers and family that they see most often. They should be identifying “mama” or “dada” (or any other name you choose for parents and caregivers) and showing preference toward their favorite adults.
Physical 1-Year-Old Developmental Milestones
Your baby should also hit some pretty important physical benchmarks by their first birthday, but don’t stress too much if they seem behind. Remember: all babies develop at their own pace! Generally, by a year old, they should be able to walk with assistance, like holding onto your hands or furniture.
Little ones should also be eating and drinking up a storm! Most babies can drink from an open cup with assistance by this age. They should also be able to grasp food and feed themselves to a certain extent, even though some are a bit lazy and prefer you to do the hard work!
Learning and Education Milestones for 1-Year-Olds
Another set of important 1-year-old developmental milestones surrounds learning and cognitive function. That ever-tricky object permanence should be well-developed by now, so they should start to look for toys or people that are suddenly out of their sight.
Additionally, they should start displaying some logic and problem-solving skills, however basic. For example, they may start putting toys in other things, like cups, bowls, and larger toys. As simple as this sounds, it’s a very important 1-year-old developmental milestone to hit!
How Daycare Can Help
One of the best qualities to look for when finding a daycare is teachers that have the ability to help your child reach all the 1-year-old developmental milestones above and more. For many kids, daycare is where they will spend a good majority of their time, so it’s imperative to find the best of the best!
The Breakie Bunch Learning Center is here to help! If you’re interested in enrolling your child in daycare, like our infant or young toddler classes, make sure to visit our frequently asked questions page and get in touch if you’d like to know more. We’d love to connect with you!