Month 12 - 15

This is one of the most physically demanding stages your child will go through. She's determined to explore every inch of her surroundings, and with her new-found skills nothing is safe from her. She may be walking alone and by 15 months she'll even be crawling up and down stairs.

Her sophisticated hand skills allow her to pick up objects as fine as a piece of string in either hand, and of course they will go in her mouth. Don't discourage her - to be able to learn she needs to explore. But do make sure she is constantly supervised and take steps to make sure her environment is as safe as possible.

First words

Your baby will use her very first word around now. It will almost certainly be an object or person - dog, cup or dadda. You can't make her use words until she's ready, but you can certainly encourage her. Talk to her about what she's looking at or doing, emphasising key words as you chat: 'Here are your feet...Let's put your socks on'.

By 15 months she can say around two to six words in the right context. But she will understand about 50 words, and very simple instructions such as 'clap hands'.

Walk tall!

The average age for walking is between 12 and 18 months, but can be anything from 10 to 27 months. A new walker waddles with legs wide and holding her arms high for balance.

Over the next six months she learns how to stop and steer - go sideways, backwards and round corners. Her walk becomes steadier and more like an adult's, with legs closed together and smaller steps.

Questions and Answers

Q: Three of my friends have babies who are walking, but my own is not yet. Why?
A: Your baby is an individual with her own in-built development pattern. Her genes play a part in this, but differences in temperament can affect mobility too. Some children are more physical than others. Children have different thinking styles, too. Some think carefully and take their time, while others are more impulsive. There's no evidence that early walkers grow into brighter children.