An easy to understand guide to your toddlers physical and social development at the age of fifteen months including his sight, language and hearing.
You hardly ever hear of a child's development at the age of fifteen months, and this is strange because at this time your child has grown so much from when they were only a year and is able to do so many new and exciting things.
Socially your child will be more helpful, trying to assist you in certain chores and wanting to be more involved in the house. At this point trying to cook a ten-minute dinner can be turned into a marathon of cooking perseverance. Let your child be involved as much as possible, not only will they love the fact that they are being needed but they love to copy mom or dad and you should enjoy their help while you can still get it. Your child may start hugging and generally showing more affection to not only the immediate family, but the pets as well. Most children will want to show a little independence by helping to dress and undress themselves at this stage but my son showed a marked lack of interest in this field. If I had left it up to him he would have run around with absolutely no clothes on for months. So remember that each child is an individual and should be treated as such. Generally boys develop later than girls in the early years so if your little girl was dressing herself at this age and your little boy isn't capable of putting a hat on don't worry. Around this time your previously quiet child may begin to take an interest in adults other than those he is used to having around him. He may begin imitating them and will enjoy social gatherings. Other children will be fun to play around but he probably won't play with another child for another few months yet.
Mirrors will begin to fascinate your child at around this time. They will even begin to recognize themselves in it, and may spend hours in front of the mirror making faces and doing funny actions. Join in the fun by pointing to objects in the mirror and name them, or by doing actions and letting your child copy you. He will be able to point to an object, which you have named at this stage and may begin to sort his toys into shapes and colors. A number of fun games can be played at this time to help your child learn the colors or shapes. Pile all his toys into the centre of the room and name the colors and shape and then ask your child to hand you a blue ball for example. Keep the number of toys you use to a minimum so as not to confuse him.
Your child's understanding of language is growing and he will be trying to form words and short sentences. Expressions you use often will probably be picked up on and he will be able to repeat them back to you. Or in some cases he may repeat them back to a horrified crèche teacher. It's amazing how you spend months trying to teach them their name and they can't or won't say it, but swear once and the little dear turns into a tape recorder ready to spew back exactly what you just uttered. Your child will begin to utter long sentences of babble with maybe the occasional real word dropped in for good measure, and this is his rehearsal for real sentences. He may be able to imitate the sounds of some animals and will be able to recognize items in a book or magazine as being real. Some body parts may also be named and he will be able to understand short sentences and instructions.
Your child's walking may still be a little unsteady and awkward but he will be able to stand up, sit down and kneel without help from you. His motor skills are starting to develop and he will be able to build little towers with his blocks and other items. He will be able to partially dress himself in the easier items, and will try to turn the pages in books or magazines. This can make reading time a long process but letting him try and allowing the time for him to keep trying will help teach him to carry on trying even if something doesn't work the first time. Feeding time will be easier as he will spill less, and he should be able to pick up a cup, drink from it and then put it down without too many accidents. However I kept my sons spill proof cup and at two years old he still drinks from it.
