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Toddler at 12–18 months: eating, sleeping and development

Stage: 12–18 months

Sleep

transition to 1 nap a day

Feeding

Eats family meals: no added salt or sugar, vegetables and fruit every day. From 1 year, whole or semi-skimmed cows' milk as the main milk drink (skimmed and 1% fat milk not before age 5). Water and milk are the drinks — avoid juice and squash.

Dairy: About 300–350 ml of milk a day (or 2 dairy portions) — from a cup, not a bottle.

Nappy size

Size 4–5, 9–16 kg.

Development at this stage

• Takes first independent steps
• Says several single words
• Points at things they want
• Imitates everyday actions
• Understands far more than they can say

Care & things to watch

• Retire the bottle as soon as possible after the first birthday — the sooner it's gone, the better for teeth and speech
• Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste as soon as there are teeth
• Vitamin D: all children aged 1–4 should have a daily 10 microgram supplement (NHS)
• Read aloud daily and narrate what you do — the engine of language development
• Get outside every day; toddlers need lots of active movement
• Always cut grapes and cherry tomatoes lengthways (until age 4) — whole, they are among the biggest choking hazards for toddlers
• Screen time: avoid screens for under-2s where possible
• New 18-month appointment (children born from July 2024): 6-in-1 (4th dose) and MMRV (2nd dose) — check the red book (PCHR) if you think a dose was missed
• Health visitor review at 2–2.5 years comes next; raise any concerns earlier via your health visiting team

Other ages: 0–6 weeks · 6–12 weeks · 3–4 months · 4–6 months · 6–9 months · 9–12 months · 18–24 months · 2–3 years · 3–4 years · 4–5 years