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1. How is your toddler sleeping? (Your toddler may be waking up often at night these days. He misses the fun and companionship of daytime and will be reluctant to go back to sleep. The doctor may have some helpful suggestions, especially if you have detailed information on how much he sleeps and when. Most 12-month-olds are sleeping a little more than 11 hours at night and just under three during the day.)
2. How is your toddler eating? (Twelve-month-olds can feed themselves with their hands and drink from a cup. Most toddlers have tripled their birthweight by their first birthday. If yours is little ahead or behind that marker, your doctor may have suggestions for adjusting what and how much he’s eating.)
3. How many teeth does your toddler have? (At this age, many toddlers have two or three teeth. Your toddler may suffer from red, swollen, and tender gums when his teeth are erupting, and your doctor can suggest ways to soothe them.)
4. Is your child pulling himself up? Standing? Walking? (By now your child is probably an experienced cruiser and can stand on his own. He may even have taken his first steps. If not, don’t worry — many children don’t walk until they’re 14 or 15 months old. But if he can’t bear his own weight on his legs, tell the doctor. In addition to pulling up and standing, your child should also be crawling or getting around some other way; if he’s not, let the doctor know.)
5. Does your toddler point at objects? (Between the ages of 9 and 12 months, most children start pointing at things that catch their attention such as dogs, and toys. It’s a non-verbal way of trying to communicate with you and an important step in language development.)
6. What does your toddler say? (At this age your toddler can join syllables together and is jabbering wordlike sounds. He can say “mama” and “dada,” and maybe a couple of other words as well. Let the doctor know what your toddler understands. By now he should know and respond to his own name and other familiar words and show an interest in others’ conversations; if he’s not making any sounds or is making fewer than he was before, tell the doctor.)
7. How are your toddler’s social skills developing? (Most 1-year-olds enjoy playing games with others, including peekaboo and patty-cake. Your child will imitate everyday actions such as sweeping the floor or brushing his hair and will be exuberant and curious most of the time. He’ll probably seek out interaction with familiar people, but will be anxious when separated from you or around strangers.)
8. How are your toddler’s fine motor skills developing? (Twelve-month-olds like to point at things and can use both hands together when they play with things. If your toddler isn’t using both hands equally, tell the doctor.)
9. Have you noticed anything unusual about your toddler’s eyes or the way he looks at things? (Check our eye examinations article to learn how to spot potential problems.)
10. How is your toddler’s hearing? (If your toddler doesn’t turn toward sounds, be sure to tell his pediatrician; the sooner potential hearing problems are investigated, the sooner they can be treated.)
