AgeMarks › By age
1–2 years
Gross motor
- Walks alone
Takes several steps without holding on. Wide range: 9–18 months is all normal.
- 180 minutes of movement a day (1–4 years)
Any intensity, spread through the day; outdoors daily; not strapped in for more than 1 hour at a time.
- Climbs stairs holding a hand or rail
Walks up a few steps with support (two feet per step).
- Runs
A stiff-legged run at first; falls are frequent and fine.
- Throws a ball
Throws a small ball forward while standing, without falling over.
- Kicks a ball
Kicks a stationary ball forward while standing.
Fine motor
- Stacks 2 blocks
Puts one block on another and lets go.
- Turns pages in a book
Turns board-book pages, often several at once at first.
- Scribbles on paper
Makes marks with a chunky crayon on purpose.
- Stacks 4–6 blocks
A tower of four or more small blocks.
- Copies a straight line
Draws a vertical/horizontal line after you show one.
Language
- First words with meaning
Says 1–2 words besides mama/dada and means them ('ba' for ball counts).
- Says 3 or more words
Besides mama/dada: e.g., ball, more, no, dog — in any language, counted together.
- Points to body parts when asked
Shows at least a few body parts on request — a window into understanding, not just speech.
Social & emotional
- One fixed family evening a week
Same day, everyone there, screens off — a meal or any ritual of yours; family rituals track with children's adjustment for decades.
- Copies what adults do
Sweeps with a broom, pretends to talk on a phone, stirs a pot — learning by imitation.
- Riding out tantrums
Tantrums peak between 18 months and 3 years. They are a nervous system overflowing, not manipulation.
- Points to show you something interesting
Not to get it — to share it ('look, a dog!'). A key social-communication sign.
Self care
- Soap at the key moments
Before meals, after the toilet, after coming home — taught young it runs for life; hand hygiene cuts respiratory and stomach bugs.
- Drinks from an open cup (some spilling)
Holds a small open cup with two hands and drinks.
- Eats with a spoon (messily)
Scoops and gets most of it in the mouth by 2; earlier attempts are the training.
Feeding
- Family meals: you decide what and when, the child decides how much
3 meals + 2–3 snacks at set times, same food as the family, no pressure, no bribes, milk ≤ 500 ml/day, water in between.
- 3 meals + 2 snacks, predictable times
A predictable meal rhythm beats grazing; portions start around a tablespoon per year of age; a smaller appetite at 1–2 is normal.
- Milk: enough, not too much
About 2–3 cups a day at 1–2 (switch toward low-fat at 2), up to ~2 cups at 2–3; more crowds out iron-rich food. Bottle gone by 18m.
- Stop the bottle
Wean from 12 months, done by 18: tooth decay, iron deficiency and over-drinking milk. Replace the bedtime bottle with a book and a cuddle.
Sleep
- Toddler sleep: 11–14 hours a day (1–2 years)
Including one nap; bedtime 19:00–20:30; a consistent routine and a dark, cool room.
- Snoring most nights
Snoring most nights, mouth breathing or breathing pauses is worth mentioning to the doctor; an ENT check looks at tonsils and adenoids.
- Same bedtime and wake time, all week
Keep bed and wake times within about an hour, weekends included; the exact clock times are convention — consistency is the point.
- A weekly look at the sleep space
Cool, dark and quiet (18–22 °C is a convention, not a rule); a comfort object and night light are fine. Under 1: safe-sleep rules.
- Move from two naps to one
Usually 15–18 months: the morning nap fades; one midday nap of 1.5–3 hours until 3–5 years.
Health
- Tipat Halav: 12 months
Pentavalent 4, PCV 3, MMRV 1; growth; standing, cruising, pincer grasp, first words, gestures; bottle-weaning and cup guidance.
- Pentavalent — dose 4 (last)
At the 12-month visit.
- Pneumococcal (PCV) — dose 3 (last)
At the 12-month visit.
- MMRV — dose 1 (measles, mumps, rubella, varicella)
At 12 months. In towns with a measles outbreak an extra early dose is given at 6–11 months (doesn't count toward the series).
- First dental visit by age 1
A short 'happy visit': check, fluoride varnish, feeding and brushing advice; then every 6–12 months.
- Vegan? B12 every day
B12 has no reliable plant source: a supplement or fortified foods at every age; vegan toddlers — a dietitian (free at Tipat Halav).
- Vitamin D after age 1: worth asking
Not routine in Israel after 12 months; in winter or with little sun, ~600 IU/day (US reference) is worth discussing at Tipat Halav.
- Tipat Halav: 18 months (doctor's exam)
Hep A 1 (+ MMRV 2 for children born from 2025); exam; walking, words (≥3), pointing to show, M-CHAT-R autism screen; toilet-training talk.
- M-CHAT-R autism screen (18 months)
A 20-question parent questionnaire at Tipat Halav; a positive screen leads to an evaluation, not a diagnosis.
- Hepatitis A — dose 1
At the 18-month visit.
- MMRV — dose 2 at 18 months (born 2025 or later)
Since July 2026 the second MMRV dose is given at 18 months for children born on/after 1 Jan 2025 — earlier measles protection.
- Stop iron drops (18 months, per blood count)
Routine iron ends at 18 months unless the 9–12-month CBC or the doctor says otherwise.
Play & learning
- Screens: none under 2 (except video calls); ≤1 hour with an adult at 2–5
Bodies differ on exact hours (WHO/MoH numeric, AAP context-based); co-watch slow content, none at meals or the 2 hours before bed.
- Talk about the book, do not just read it
Stopping to ask, wonder and connect the story to their life builds far more language than reading the words.
- Pretend play
Feeds a doll, 'talks' on a toy phone, drives a block as a car.
For the parent
- CPR refresher every 2 years
Skills fade within a year; a 2-hour refresher keeps them usable.