One year old: first steps and first words

Typical range; your paediatrician tracks your child on a growth chart, and the trend matters more than any single figure. Head circumference is still measured at every check. Toddlers slim down and lose some of their baby roundness once they start to walk.

• Many children take their first independent steps around the first birthday; anywhere between 9 and 18 months is normal, and early or late walking says nothing about intelligence.
• Many children say 1–3 real words besides "mama" and "dada", such as the name of the cat or "give". Babbling with the rhythm of speech continues.
• Pointing to ask for something or to show you something is an important social milestone at this age.
• Many children understand simple requests such as "come here" or "give me the cup" and respond to their name every time.
• Drinking from an open cup or a sippy cup with your help, and picking up small pieces of food between thumb and finger.
• Imitating what you do: "talking" on a phone, stirring a pot, waving goodbye, clapping to music.

• At 12 months the national calendar gives MMR-1 (measles, mumps, rubella) and PCV-3 (pneumococcus). A mild fever, fussiness or a small rash 5–12 days after MMR is common; call the polyclinic if the fever is above 39 °C, lasts more than two days or your child seems unwell.
• The one-year examination at the polyclinic: weight, length and head circumference, a blood count and a urine test, a dentist for the first teeth and an eye check. The paediatrician also asks about walking, words and hearing.
• Iron-deficiency anaemia is common in Uzbekistan at this age; ask about the blood count result and whether your child needs iron. Ask too about vitamin D drops, which are usually continued through the second year.
• Start brushing teeth twice a day with a small soft brush and a smear of fluoride toothpaste as soon as the first tooth is through.

• Push toys, a sturdy cart or a box to push along build walking confidence; shoes are for outdoors only, and bare feet are best for learning to walk at home.
• Stacking cups, large blocks, balls to roll back and forth, and containers to fill and empty keep hands and minds busy.
• Read a picture book every day in the language or languages you speak at home. Name objects, animals and body parts; in bilingual Uzbek and Russian homes both languages are a gift and do not delay speech.
• Songs, finger games and clapping rhymes teach rhythm and words. Go outside every day in every season, dressed for the weather.
• Safety: a walking child reaches further. Lock away medicines and household chemicals, keep hot tea, the kettle, the stove and the tandir out of reach, and turn pot handles towards the wall.
• Fit guards on windows and balconies in multi-storey housing, empty buckets and cover pools, and use a car seat on every trip. No screens before 2 years (WHO).