12 - 18 months: what your toddler’s saying

Toddlers love to talk! Learn what to expect as they discover new ways to express themselves.

Between 12 -18 months you’ll start to notice a huge improvement in your toddler's communication skills as words gradually evolve into phrases and requests.

Don't be too concerned if they don't seem to be using lots of words because at this stage they’ll understand far more than they can actually say. Rather than producing fully formed sentences, they’ll start by using single words to explain what they want, like ‘cup’ for ‘I want my cup’ and ‘teddy’ for ‘give me my teddy’.

Eventually, they’ll start putting two words together, like ‘play me’ when they want you to play with them, and they’ll begin to listen with great interest to what you're saying.

At this stage, your toddler is more than likely to want to join in nursery rhymes and songs – so it's a good idea to refresh your memory and recall your own childhood favourites!

Despite their ever-developing skills, it’s good to remember that at the 12 -18 month stage, a toddler’s vocabulary is still quite limited and they can't always express their emotions or tell you what they want quite as well as they would like… so be prepared for temper tantrums and fiery outbursts!