18 TO 24 MONTHS

you're in for a year of changes! Midway through this year, most babies are walking, and many are starting to have conversations. By their second birthdays, most are losing that `baby' look and growing taller instead of rounder. While developmental growth is going full speed ahead, physical growth slows down during this year, so don't be surprised by what seems like a halt to the rapid growth of the first year. Your baby will change in so many other ways, though, you'll want to keep his photo album close at hand to remember what he was like before!

During this second year of life, your baby-turned-toddler may gain between 1.8kg to 3kg. Compare that with how he tripled his birth weight during the first year! An average 15-month-old girl weighs about 13.2kg and stands 77.5cm tall. Boys tend to be about 600gm heavier at 15 months but about the same height. By age two, both will stand about 85cm tall and weigh about 16.2kg or 16.8kg on average. Your toddler's head size will also not change as dramatically this year. He'll probably add about an inch to his head circumference - bringing him not far from his adult head size!

What you will notice more than actual growth is changes in a toddler's appearance. Instead of the rounded belly and soft arms and legs suited to crawling on all fours, during this second year your toddler will most likely trim down, become more muscular because of his increased activity, and begin to look more like the preschool child he is about to become than the baby he was.

MOVEMENT AND COORDINATION

Walking is the single most obvious motor skill acquired during this period, but a baby this age is also gaining greater mastery over his hands and fingers. As his movement develops, so does his curiosity about the world around him and his ability to investigate places he wasn't able to go before. Once again, you'll have to look around your home from a different eye level. Childproof your home as much as possible, so your new walker can experience the freedom and excitement of exploration.

Different babies walk at different times. Some proficient crawlers will walk later, since they already have the ability to get around quite well. Some younger siblings walk early, just to keep up with the older kids. If your baby hasn't started walking by the time he's one year old, he probably will within the next few months.

New walkers are called 'toddlers' because that's exactly what they do. They keep their legs wide apart and seem to hesitate between each step, jerking side to side as they move one foot forward, then the next. They generally get upright by putting their hands out in front, lifting their bottoms, and pulling their feet under them. Not very graceful, but it works. Your toddler will experience his share of falls, but if you don't overreact to these tumbles, he should get right back up and try again.

Watch the changes in the way your baby uses his hands. Your toddler's hand-eye coordination is developing rapidly, which means he is better able to manipulate small objects. You may notice, though, that when your baby learns to manipulate things with one hand, he'll have to learn to do the same with the other hand. At least at this stage, knowledge from one side of the body isn't instantly and automatically transferred to the other side.

As your baby develops, he may be extremely interested in finding out how things work. Offer him many safe opportunities to do this.

THE SENSES

By now your toddler is embracing life on his own terms, running and jumping, grabbing what he wants, and shouting for joy. His senses are maturing rapidly, and so is his understanding of the why's and how's of the world around him. As the size of his world grows, he'll be seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching things he never has before.

SIGHT

Between one and two years old, your baby's sight will improve dramatically. Your job is to provide pleasant, stimulating visual information. Picture books, colourful toys, and other children are great things for your baby to look at and learn about. Be aware of disturbing or scary images toward the end of this period; your toddler is not able to distinguish between the real and the imaginary yet.

HEARING

No matter when your child says his first words, it's a sure bet he'll understand much of what you say to him well before that. He should be able to respond to commands ('Roll the ball to Mummy.') and should be fully aware of the names of familiar objects and family members. This tells you his hearing is functioning well and helping him develop his language skills. He'll also enjoy the other pleasures of hearing : listening to children's songs and music, laughing and yelling with friends in the park, having you tell him a bedtime story.

TASTE AND SMELL

With his newfound language skills, your toddler will tell you which things he likes the taste of and which ones he doesn 't. You can help him label tastes and smells by using descriptive words during mealtime or outside trips. Don't forget to offer him a variety of foods to taste. Fight the urge to give him only what he likes. Just keep providing opportunities to try new things, and one day he'll surprise you by accepting!