12-18 months: Child to Child -- Milestones

1. Interacts with other children.

Babies this age show more interest in toys than in other children. Peer play may begin to have the "feel" of a dialogue when there is a mutual exchange of tickling, touching, and laughing with each other. However, toys have an important role in helping babies maintain social interaction. Eighteen-month-olds may interact briefly and sometimes somewhat impulsively with another child, and the periods of interaction become longer as young children grow in their ability to share attention with each other. For example:

Developing as expected, they might:

• reach out and tug another child's curly hair
• give another child a piece of their play dough after receiving lots of encouragement from an adult
• hit another child when that child tries to take the ball
• make silly faces with a child sitting across from them at the lunch table
• offer a toy to another child
• play with an older child by following the activities that the older child suggests

Needing development, they might:

• not look in the direction of the children playing near them
• ignore another child who has fallen down nearby and is crying loudly
• back away when another child approaches and offers a toy
• hit a child who gets too close
• sit on the climbing structure or on the top of the toddler slide, unaware that other children can't get by
• say, "Okay," but still won't give another child one of the trucks they are using, even after you try to encourage them to let the other child play with just one

2. Begins to show awareness of other children's feelings.

Although babies are mostly focused on their own ideas and feelings, they can recognize sadness, anger, and happiness in the expressions of other children. They might become upset when another child is unhappy, or jump up and down when another child is excited. Sometimes they try to imitate the feelings they see other children expressing. They begin to respond to other children in ways similar to how they have been taken care of. For example:

Developing as expected, they might:

• look distressed when another child cries after falling on the playground
• hug their teddy bear to comfort themselves when they see another child crying
• seek comfort after they hear their brother being scolded
• look sad or worried when they see some children fighting over a toy
• attempt to comfort another child who has fallen on the playground
• clap with joy when the teacher praises another child for an accomplishment
• help an adult comfort an infant by patting the baby's back

Needing development, they might:

• not look in the direction of another child who is crying
• grab another child's shirt and ignore the other child's demand that they let go
• look confused by another child's angry reaction to being hit
• pinch the child who is crying