22-month milestones: what is emerging next
22-month milestones: there is no CDC checklist for 22 months, so keep using the 18-month one (15 items), as CDC advises between two ages. The 24-month checklist is two months off, and this page lists its 13 items with an activity for a 22-month-old beside each.
Updated
CDC 18-month milestone checklist
At 22 months use the 18-month checklist (CDC: use the earlier checklist between ages); next checklist at 24 months.
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Social and emotional
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At 22 months, try Shopping Cart Spotter (5–15 min, 17–28 months)
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At 22 months, try Step-Stool Hand-Wash Song (2–5 min, 16–28 months)
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At 22 months, try Lap Book Point and Pause (3–10 min, 12–20 months)
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At 22 months, try Peekaboo Sleeve Push (2–5 min, 14–24 months)
Language and communication
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At 22 months, try Cardboard Garage Parking Talk (5–15 min, 21–32 months)
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At 22 months, try Blanket Wave Teddy Bounce (5–10 min, 17–28 months)
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
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At 22 months, try Scarf Float Up-and-Down Song (3–8 min, 13–22 months)
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At 22 months, try Stir the Pot Like Me (5–15 min, 16–24 months)
Movement and physical development
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At 22 months, try Push-the-Box Train (5–10 min, 12–20 months)
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At 22 months, try Baking Sheet Finger Painting (5–12 min, 15–24 months)
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At 22 months, try Ice Tray Pour-and-Fill (5–15 min, 22–34 months)
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At 22 months, try Muffin Tin Snack Hunt (5–12 min, 16–26 months)
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At 22 months, try Stir the Big Pot (5–10 min, 17–28 months)
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At 22 months, try Sofa Climb, Feet-First Down (3–8 min, 13–22 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.
22 months at a glance
| CDC checklist for 22 months | None (CDC's checklists in this range: 12, 15, 18, 24, 30, 36 months) |
|---|---|
| Checklist that applies now | 18 months (15 items), reached four months ago |
| Next checklist | 24 months (13 items), in two months |
| Where this month sits | In-between month 4 of 5 from 18 to 24 months |
| Library activities that fit 22 months | 157 (age band overlapping 20-25 months) |
| Skills building at 22 months | 64 of the 67 everyday skills on this site |
| Born early | Corrected age applies: born 8 weeks early, 22 months is about 20 mo 1 wk corrected |
Which checklist applies at 22 months
Four months after the 18-month checklist and two before the 24-month one, a 22-month-old sits in the middle of a 5-month stretch with no CDC list of its own; CDC's rule is to keep using the earlier checklist, here the 18-month one.
The 24-month list has 13 items (2 social-emotional, 4 language, 3 cognitive and 4 movement). They are not expected at 22 months; they show what is emerging next. Thirteen of them have activities below that fit this month.
24-month milestones to watch for at 22 months
Each 24-month item with one or two activities for a 22-month-old, and how the activity's age band relates to 22 months:
| By 24 months (CDC) | Area | Try at 22 months |
|---|---|---|
| Reacts when someone is hurt or upset, for example stopping or looking sad when another person cries. | social-emotional | Teddy Is Sad: Comfort Game (new in its 22-32 mo band); Feelings Faces in Board Books (new in its 21-33 mo band) |
| Looks at your face to work out how to react when something is new. | social-emotional | Teddy's Doctor Check-Up (a stretch, band starts at 24 mo); Family Feelings Photo Cards (a stretch, band starts at 24 mo) |
| Points to the right picture in a book when you ask something like "Where is the dog?" | language | Where's the Dog? Book Hunt (mid-band, 18-30 mo); Lap Book Point and Pause (an easy win, band ended at 20 mo) |
| Joins at least two words together, like "more juice". | language | Family Photo Action Talk (a stretch, band starts at 24 mo); Cardboard Garage Parking Talk (new in its 21-32 mo band) |
| Shows you two or more body parts when you ask, such as nose or tummy. | language | Sticky Note Body Spots (mid-band, 19-30 mo); Nose-to-Nose Mirror Game (mid-band, 15-26 mo) |
| Uses gestures beyond waving and pointing, such as nodding for yes or blowing a kiss. | language | Goodbye Wave at the Window (mid-band, 12-24 mo); Photo Wall Hello Kisses (an easy win, band ended at 20 mo) |
| Holds an object steady in one hand while working with the other, like gripping a container and pulling off its lid. | cognitive | Bubble Jar Twist and Blow (new in its 22-36 mo band); Nature Jar Lid Twist (new in its 22-32 mo band) |
| Tries to work the buttons, knobs or switches on a toy. | cognitive | Colander Rain Pour (mid-band, 20-30 mo); Tap Test: Pot, Box or Towel (late in its 14-22 mo band) |
| Combines two toys in play, such as setting pretend food on a toy plate. | cognitive | Stir the Pretend Soup (mid-band, 14-24 mo); Teddy's Cardboard Box Car (mid-band, 17-27 mo) |
| Gives a ball a kick. | movement | Kick It Back to Me (new in its 22-36 mo band); Kick Over the Tube Pins (mid-band, 20-36 mo) |
| Runs, not only walks. | movement | Bubble Chase on the Grass (mid-band, 18-30 mo); Ready-Set-Go Chalk Dash (mid-band, 19-31 mo) |
| Walks up a few stairs, rather than climbing on hands and knees, with or without help. | movement | Curb Step-Ups on Walks (mid-band, 20-30 mo); Climb the Stairs to Teddy (mid-band, 15-30 mo) |
| Feeds themselves with a spoon. | movement | Basin Spoon Scoop (mid-band, 18-28 mo); Pre-Loaded Spoon Hand-Off (an easy win, band ended at 20 mo) |
Activities toward the 24-month milestones
26 activities picked for 22 months, by CDC area. In Pre-Loaded Spoon Hand-Off, for example, watch for this sign of progress: grasps the handle and brings the spoon to the mouth.
Social-emotional at 22 months
Language at 22 months
Cognitive at 22 months
Movement at 22 months
What changes in the activity plan at 22 months
The family plan offers an activity from 3 months before its age band until 2 months after it. At 22 months, five activities join (band starting at 25 months) and eight bands start right at 22 months:
- Joins the plan: Teddy's Two-Step Picnic, for 25-34 mo: set up a picnic for a stuffed animal and give two-step requests like "give teddy a cup, then a spoon", practicing listening inside pretend play.
- Joins the plan: Dough Birthday Cake Party, for 25-36 mo: your child shapes a play dough cake, adds dough-snake candles, sings, blows them out and shares slices with toys, acting out a familiar celebration in order.
- Joins the plan: Things That Go Together, for 25-33 mo: your child pairs everyday objects by use (spoon with bowl, lid with pot, sock with shoe), showing they know what each thing is for.
- Band starts at 22 months: Teddy Is Sad: Comfort Game (22-32 mo), a stuffed animal pretends to bump its knee and cry, and your child notices the sad toy and comforts it with a hug, a pat or a blanket.
- Band starts at 22 months: Egg Cup Circle Stamping (22-32 mo), your toddler dips a cut-off egg carton cup into washable paint and stamps rings on big paper, hearing color and shape names as the page fills.
- Band starts at 22 months: Ice Tray Pour-and-Fill (22-34 mo), outdoors, your child pours water from a small measuring cup into the compartments of an ice-cube tray, aiming at a small target with a steady tip.
Skills commonly building at 22 months
64 everyday skills on this site have 22 months inside their age window. Six of them, with where 22 months falls and their usual timing:
- Imitating actions, mid-window (12-30 months): Copying other children while playing is a CDC 15-month milestone, and copying you doing chores, such as sweeping, is a CDC 18-month milestone.
- Simple pretend play, mid-window (12-36 months): Hugging a doll or stuffed animal is a CDC 15-month milestone; playing with more than one toy at the same time, like putting toy food on a plate, is a 24-month milestone; and pretending one thing is another, such as feeding a block to a doll, is a 30-month milestone.
- Walking on their own, consolidating (12-24 months): Pulling up to stand and walking while holding furniture are CDC 12-month milestones; taking a few steps alone is a 15-month milestone, and walking without holding on to anyone or anything is an 18-month milestone.
- Following one-step directions, mid-window (15-26 months): Following a one-step direction without any gestures is a CDC 18-month milestone.
- Jumping, early in its window (18-36 months): Jumping off the ground with both feet is a CDC 30-month milestone.
- Twisting lids and knobs, early in its window (18-36 months): Holding something in one hand while using the other, such as gripping a container and pulling off its lid, is a CDC 24-month milestone.
When to talk to your pediatrician at 22 months
Talk to your pediatrician if a 22-month-old loses a skill they used to have, if 18-month items such as “looks through a few pages of a book together with you” or “follows a one-step direction given in words alone, like handing you a toy when you only say "Give it to me."” are still missing at 22 months, or if anything else worries you. From 22 months, the next AAP-recommended checks are an autism screening at 24 months (two months away) and a general developmental screening at 30 months (eight months away).
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 22 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 22 months by the calendar, that changes which checklist fits:
| Born | Corrected age at 22 mo | Checklist to use | 24-month list from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 weeks early | 21 mo | 18-month | 24 mo (correction stops) |
| 8 weeks early | 20 mo 1 wk | 18-month | 24 mo (correction stops) |
| 12 weeks early | 19 mo 1 wk | 18-month | 24 mo (correction stops) |
| 16 weeks early | 18 mo 1 wk | 18-month | 24 mo (correction stops) |
Frequently asked questions
How much should a 22-month-old talk?
CDC gives no list for 22 months. The 18-month checklist says: attempts at least three words besides "mama" or "dada". By 24 months it adds: joins at least two words together, like "more juice" and uses gestures beyond waving and pointing, such as nodding for yes or blowing a kiss.
Is there a CDC milestone checklist for 22 months?
No. In the 12-36 month range CDC has checklists at 12, 15, 18, 24, 30 and 36 months. At 22 months use the 18-month checklist (CDC: between two ages, use the earlier one); the 24-month checklist follows in two months.
When is the next milestone checklist after 22 months?
At 24 months, in two months: CDC's 24-month checklist has 13 items (2 social-emotional, 4 language, 3 cognitive and 4 movement). Until then the 18-month list (15 items) applies.
What if my 22-month-old has not reached these milestones?
The 24-month items are not due at 22 months. If 18-month items are missing, if a skill is lost or if you are worried, talk to your pediatrician now. From 22 months, the next AAP-recommended checks are an autism screening at 24 months (two months away) and a general developmental screening at 30 months (eight months away). In the U.S. you can also call your state's Early Intervention program without a referral.
My 22-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 20 months, 1 week corrected at 22 months, so the 18-month checklist applies.
Related
Milestones month by month
Plan for 22 months
Born early
Skills building at 22 months
Monitoring, not medical advice. Talk to your pediatrician about any concern. Our sources and method.