14-month milestones: what is emerging next
14-month milestones: CDC has no 14-month checklist, so the 12-month list (10 items) applies for one last month before the 15-month checklist starts. Below are its 13 items, what is emerging next, each with activities that fit a 14-month-old now.
Updated
CDC 12-month milestone checklist
At 14 months use the 12-month checklist (CDC: use the earlier checklist between ages); next checklist at 15 months.
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Social and emotional
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At 14 months, try One for You, One for Me Snack (5–10 min, 15–27 months)
Language and communication
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At 14 months, try Photo Wall Hello Kisses (3–6 min, 12–20 months)
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At 14 months, try Photo Wall Flap Hunt (5–10 min, 13–22 months)
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
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At 14 months, try Tissue Box Scarf Pull and Stuff (3–8 min, 12–18 months)
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At 14 months, try Towel Roll Surprise (5–12 min, 13–20 months)
Movement and physical development
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At 14 months, try Towel Speed-Bump Walk (4–10 min, 14–22 months)
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At 14 months, try Nature Tote Treasure Walk (10–20 min, 16–28 months)
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At 14 months, try Cheers! Open-Cup Clink (3–8 min, 16–24 months)
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At 14 months, try Blanket Picnic Finger Lunch (10–20 min, 12–22 months)
A checklist is monitoring, not a screening test. If your child loses a skill they had, or something worries you, talk to your pediatrician; in the U.S. you can also contact your state's Early Intervention program directly, no referral needed.
14 months at a glance
| CDC checklist for 14 months | None (CDC's checklists in this range: 12, 15, 18, 24, 30, 36 months) |
|---|---|
| Checklist that applies now | 12 months (10 items), reached two months ago |
| Next checklist | 15 months (13 items), next month |
| Where this month sits | In-between month 2 of 2 from 12 to 15 months |
| Library activities that fit 14 months | 90 (age band overlapping 12-17 months) |
| Skills building at 14 months | 42 of the 67 everyday skills on this site |
| Born early | Corrected age applies: born 8 weeks early, 14 months is about 12 mo 1 wk corrected |
Which checklist applies at 14 months
This is the last month on the 12-month list. CDC says to use the earlier checklist between two ages, and the 15-month checklist takes over next month, so 14 months is a good time to look over its items and notice which ones already show up in play.
The 15-month list has 13 items (5 social-emotional, 4 language, 2 cognitive and 2 movement). They are not expected at 14 months; they show what is emerging next. Twelve of them have activities below that fit this month.
15-month milestones to watch for at 14 months
Each 15-month item with one or two activities for a 14-month-old, and how the activity's age band relates to 14 months:
| By 15 months (CDC) | Area | Try at 14 months |
|---|---|---|
| Copies what other children do in play, such as tipping toys out of a box after another child does. | social-emotional | Copy My Box Moves (new in its 13-20 mo band); Playground Copycat Watch (new in its 13-24 mo band) |
| Holds up or brings an object they like to show you. | social-emotional | Nature Tote Treasure Walk (a stretch, band starts at 16 mo); Window Watch Talk (mid-band, 12-24 mo) |
| Shows excitement by clapping. | social-emotional | Everyday moments, no planned activity |
| Gives a doll or stuffed animal a hug. | social-emotional | Teddy Goodnight Hugs (a stretch, band starts at 16 mo); Teddy's Snack Time (mid-band, 12-20 mo) |
| Hugs, cuddles or kisses you to show affection. | social-emotional | Gentle Hands for Teddy (mid-band, 12-18 mo); Photo Wall Hello Kisses (mid-band, 12-20 mo) |
| Attempts one or two words besides "mama" or "dada", even partial ones like "wa" for water. | language | Ready-Set-Go Car Ramp (a stretch, band starts at 16 mo); Sock Puppet Hello (mid-band, 12-20 mo) |
| Looks toward a familiar object when you say its name. | language | Photo Wall Flap Hunt (new in its 13-22 mo band); Shopping Cart Spotter (a stretch, band starts at 17 mo) |
| Follows a direction when you use words and a gesture together, like handing over a toy when you hold out your hand and ask for it. | language | Blanket Picnic Finger Lunch (mid-band, 12-22 mo); Cleanup Song Bucket Drop (new in its 14-22 mo band) |
| Uses pointing to ask for a thing they want or for help. | language | Two-Choice Snack Pick (mid-band, 12-18 mo); Bubble Squat-and-Pop (mid-band, 12-24 mo) |
| Tries to use everyday things the way they are meant to be used, such as a cup, a phone or a book. | cognitive | Two of a Kind Kitchen Match (new in its 14-24 mo band); Real-Things Basket (mid-band, 12-18 mo) |
| Builds a stack of two or more small objects, such as blocks. | cognitive | Two-Block Tower Trade (mid-band, 12-20 mo); Big Box Tower Topple (mid-band, 12-18 mo) |
| Takes a few steps without holding on. | movement | Towel Speed-Bump Walk (new in its 14-22 mo band); Walk-to-Me Hallway Steps (mid-band, 12-16 mo) |
| Feeds themselves some food with their fingers. | movement | Blanket Picnic Finger Lunch (mid-band, 12-22 mo); Ice Tray Snack Picking (mid-band, 12-18 mo) |
Activities toward the 15-month milestones
23 activities picked for 14 months, by CDC area. In Big Box Tower Topple, for example, watch for this sign of progress: places one box on another on purpose.
Social-emotional at 14 months
Language at 14 months
Cognitive at 14 months
Movement at 14 months
What changes in the activity plan at 14 months
The family plan offers an activity from 3 months before its age band until 2 months after it. At 14 months, ten activities join (band starting at 17 months) and fifteen bands start right at 14 months:
- Joins the plan: Box Lid Ramp Races, for 17-27 mo: a flattened box propped on a cushion becomes a ramp; your child sends balls and toy cars down it and notices how height and push change what happens.
- Joins the plan: One Open Hole Shape Sorter, for 17-27 mo: painter's tape covers all but one hole of a large-piece shape sorter, so your child succeeds with one shape before choosing among several.
- Joins the plan: Stir the Big Pot, for 17-28 mo: your child tips pre-measured cold ingredients into a big pot and stirs them with a wooden spoon, helping make a real snack the family eats.
- Band starts at 14 months: Sticky Tab Page Turner (14-24 mo), folded sticky-note tabs on the page edges of a board book give small fingers a handle, so your child turns the pages while you share the pictures.
- Band starts at 14 months: Two Lumps Under the Blanket (14-22 mo), hide a ball under one of two lumps in a blanket while your child watches, then let them search; tracking which lump hides it builds memory for locations.
- Band starts at 14 months: Big Cup, Little Cup Bath Pour (14-26 mo), in the bath, your toddler pours from a big cup into a little one and watches it overflow, hearing 'big', 'little', 'full' and 'too much'.
Skills commonly building at 14 months
42 everyday skills on this site have 14 months inside their age window. Six of them, with where 14 months falls and their usual timing:
- Climbing on and off furniture, just starting (12-30 months): Climbing onto and down from a couch or chair without help is a CDC 18-month milestone.
- Making music, just starting (12-36 months): Making music is not on the CDC checklists.
- Posting objects, just starting (12-28 months): Putting an object into a container, such as a block into a cup, is a CDC 12-month milestone.
- Scribbling and early drawing, just starting (12-36 months): Many children scribble with a crayon by about 18 months (a CDC 18-month milestone).
- Household helping, just starting (14-36 months): Copying you doing chores, like sweeping, is a CDC 18-month milestone.
- Walking up stairs, just starting (14-32 months): Walking up a few stairs, rather than climbing on hands and knees, with or without help, is a CDC 24-month milestone.
When to talk to your pediatrician at 14 months
Talk to your pediatrician if a 14-month-old loses a skill they used to have, if 12-month items such as “waves to say goodbye” or “drops an object into a container, like a block into a cup” are still missing at 14 months, or if anything else worries you. The next AAP-recommended checks are a general developmental and an autism screening, both at the 18-month visit, four months after 14 months.
CDC milestones are things most children (75% or more) can do by that age; the checklists are for monitoring and are not a standardized screening tool. In the U.S. you can contact your state's Early Intervention program for children under 3 yourself; no doctor's referral is needed.
Born early? Corrected age at 14 months
CDC suggests using corrected age (age minus the weeks born early) for a child born more than 3 weeks early, and the AAP advises it for the first 2 years. At 14 months by the calendar, that changes which checklist fits:
| Born | Corrected age at 14 mo | Checklist to use | 15-month list from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 weeks early | 13 mo | 12-month | 15 mo + 4 wk (about 15.9 mo) |
| 8 weeks early | 12 mo 1 wk | 12-month | 15 mo + 8 wk (about 16.8 mo) |
| 12 weeks early | 11 mo 1 wk | an earlier CDC list | 15 mo + 12 wk (about 17.8 mo) |
| 16 weeks early | 10 mo 1 wk | an earlier CDC list | 15 mo + 16 wk (about 18.7 mo) |
Frequently asked questions
How much should a 14-month-old talk?
CDC gives no list for 14 months. The 12-month checklist says: waves to say goodbye and uses "mama", "dada" or another special name for a parent. By 15 months it adds: attempts one or two words besides "mama" or "dada", even partial ones like "wa" for water and uses pointing to ask for a thing they want or for help.
Which activities help a 14-month-old toward the 15-month milestones?
This page picks 23 library activities that fit 14 months, one or two per 15-month item, for example Copy My Box Moves, Playground Copycat Watch and Two-Block Tower Trade. Short, playful repeats work better than drills.
Is there a CDC milestone checklist for 14 months?
No. In the 12-36 month range CDC has checklists at 12, 15, 18, 24, 30 and 36 months. At 14 months use the 12-month checklist (CDC: between two ages, use the earlier one); the 15-month checklist follows next month.
What if my 14-month-old has not reached these milestones?
The 15-month items are not due at 14 months. If 12-month items are missing, if a skill is lost or if you are worried, talk to your pediatrician now. The next AAP-recommended checks are a general developmental and an autism screening, both at the 18-month visit, four months after 14 months. In the U.S. you can also call your state's Early Intervention program without a referral.
My 14-month-old was born early: which age do I use?
Use corrected age until 24 months if your child was born more than 3 weeks early (CDC; the AAP advises corrected age for the first 2 years). For example, a child born 8 weeks early is about 12 months, 1 week corrected at 14 months, so the 12-month checklist applies.
Related
Milestones month by month
Plan for 14 months
Born early
Skills building at 14 months
Monitoring, not medical advice. Talk to your pediatrician about any concern. Our sources and method.