13-month milestones: what is emerging next
13-month milestones: CDC has no checklist for 13 months, so the 12-month checklist (10 items) still applies; between two ages CDC says to use the earlier one. The 15-month checklist comes in two months; below are its 13 items with activities that fit a 13-month-old.
Updated
CDC 12-month milestone checklist
At 13 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 13 months, try Tube Talk Echo Sounds (3–6 min, 12–20 months)
Language and communication
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At 13 months, try Snack Signs: More and All Done (5–15 min, 13–22 months)
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At 13 months, try Photo Wall Flap Hunt (5–10 min, 13–22 months)
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
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At 13 months, try Turn-to-Fit Slot Box (5–12 min, 16–30 months)
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At 13 months, try Towel Roll Surprise (5–12 min, 13–20 months)
Movement and physical development
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At 13 months, try Squat-and-Collect Bucket Walk (5–10 min, 13–20 months)
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At 13 months, try Walk-to-Me Hallway Steps (3–8 min, 12–16 months)
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At 13 months, try Two-Hands Open Cup Sip (2–5 min, 12–20 months)
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At 13 months, try Muffin Tin Snack Hunt (5–12 min, 16–26 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.
13 months at a glance
| CDC checklist for 13 months | None (CDC's checklists in this range: 12, 15, 18, 24, 30, 36 months) |
|---|---|
| Checklist that applies now | 12 months (10 items), reached one month ago |
| Next checklist | 15 months (13 items), in two months |
| Where this month sits | In-between month 1 of 2 from 12 to 15 months |
| Library activities that fit 13 months | 80 (age band overlapping 11-16 months) |
| Skills building at 13 months | 32 of the 67 everyday skills on this site |
| Born early | Corrected age applies: born 8 weeks early, 13 months is about 11 mo 1 wk corrected |
Which checklist applies at 13 months
The 12-month checklist has just passed, and CDC has nothing new for 13 months: between two checklist ages CDC says to use the earlier one, so a 13-month-old is still compared with the 12-month list. That stays true for two in-between months, until the 15-month list starts in two months.
The 15-month list has 13 items (5 social-emotional, 4 language, 2 cognitive and 2 movement). They are not expected at 13 months; they show what is emerging next. Twelve of them have activities below that fit this month.
15-month milestones to watch for at 13 months
Each 15-month item with one or two activities for a 13-month-old, and how the activity's age band relates to 13 months:
| By 15 months (CDC) | Area | Try at 13 months |
|---|---|---|
| Copies what other children do in play, such as tipping toys out of a box after another child does. | social-emotional | Two-Basket Copy Playdate (a stretch, band starts at 14 mo); Copy My Box Moves (new in its 13-20 mo band) |
| Holds up or brings an object they like to show you. | social-emotional | Window Watch Talk (new in its 12-24 mo band); Nature Tote Treasure Walk (a stretch, band starts at 16 mo) |
| Shows excitement by clapping. | social-emotional | Everyday moments, no planned activity |
| Gives a doll or stuffed animal a hug. | social-emotional | Gentle Hands for Teddy (new in its 12-18 mo band); Photo Wall Hello Kisses (new in its 12-20 mo band) |
| Hugs, cuddles or kisses you to show affection. | social-emotional | Photo Wall Hello Kisses (new in its 12-20 mo band); Teddy Goodnight Hugs (a stretch, band starts at 16 mo) |
| Attempts one or two words besides "mama" or "dada", even partial ones like "wa" for water. | language | Photo Wall Flap Hunt (new in its 13-22 mo band); Ready-Set-Go Car Ramp (a stretch, band starts at 16 mo) |
| Looks toward a familiar object when you say its name. | language | Teddy Needs Help (a stretch, band starts at 14 mo); Photo Wall Flap Hunt (new in its 13-22 mo band) |
| 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 | In and Out Basket Climb (new in its 12-20 mo band); Nose-to-Nose Mirror Game (a stretch, band starts at 15 mo) |
| Uses pointing to ask for a thing they want or for help. | language | Bubble Squat-and-Pop (new in its 12-24 mo band); Clear Tub Ask for Help (a stretch, band starts at 14 mo) |
| Tries to use everyday things the way they are meant to be used, such as a cup, a phone or a book. | cognitive | Stir the Pot Like Me (a stretch, band starts at 16 mo); Teddy's Snack Time (new in its 12-20 mo band) |
| Builds a stack of two or more small objects, such as blocks. | cognitive | Big Box Tower Topple (new in its 12-18 mo band); Two-Block Tower Trade (new in its 12-20 mo band) |
| Takes a few steps without holding on. | movement | Walk-to-Me Hallway Steps (new in its 12-16 mo band); Towel Speed-Bump Walk (a stretch, band starts at 14 mo) |
| Feeds themselves some food with their fingers. | movement | Two-Choice Snack Pick (new in its 12-18 mo band); Blanket Picnic Finger Lunch (new in its 12-22 mo band) |
Activities toward the 15-month milestones
22 activities picked for 13 months, by CDC area. In Photo Wall Hello Kisses, for example, watch for this sign of progress: looks at or touches the right photo when you say a name.
Social-emotional at 13 months
Language at 13 months
Cognitive at 13 months
Movement at 13 months
What changes in the activity plan at 13 months
The family plan offers an activity from 3 months before its age band until 2 months after it. At 13 months, fourteen activities join (band starting at 16 months) and thirteen bands start right at 13 months:
- Joins the plan: Cheers! Open-Cup Clink, for 16-24 mo: everyone at the table lifts an open cup, clinks gently, sips and sets it back on a taped spot, so your child practices open-cup drinking by copying.
- Joins the plan: Sleepy Fingers Wind-Down Rhyme, for 16-28 mo: a slow finger rhyme in which fingers wiggle, creep and curl up asleep; your child copies the actions as your voice gets softer before bed.
- Joins the plan: Cars Here, Blocks There Tidy-Up, for 16-26 mo: at tidy-up time, toy cars go into one container and blocks into another, so putting toys away becomes your toddler's first two-group sort.
- Band starts at 13 months: Pre-Loaded Spoon Hand-Off (13-20 mo), you fill the spoon, lay it down handle first and let your child pick it up and bring it to their mouth, the first stage of spoon feeding.
- Band starts at 13 months: Teddy Goes Up, Down, Under (13-22 mo), a stuffed animal goes up high, down low and under a blanket while you narrate, so your toddler hears position words tied to a toy they love.
- Band starts at 13 months: Towel Roll Surprise (13-20 mo), a toy disappears inside a rolled-up towel and your child unrolls it to find it again, practicing object search and a two-handed way to solve a problem.
Skills commonly building at 13 months
32 everyday skills on this site have 13 months inside their age window. Six of them, with where 13 months falls and their usual timing:
- Conversation turns, just starting (12-36 months): Keeping a conversation going for at least two back-and-forth exchanges is a CDC 36-month milestone.
- Finger feeding, just starting (12-20 months): Picking up small bits of food between thumb and pointer finger is a CDC 12-month milestone; feeding themselves some food with their fingers is a 15-month milestone, and eating finger foods without help is an 18-month milestone.
- First words, just starting (12-24 months): Calling a parent "mama", "dada" or another special name is a CDC 12-month milestone; trying one or two other words is a 15-month milestone, and trying at least three words besides "mama" or "dada" is an 18-month milestone.
- 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.
- Using a spoon, just starting (12-30 months): Trying to use a spoon is a CDC 18-month milestone, and feeding themselves with a spoon is a CDC 24-month milestone.
- Using objects the right way, just starting (12-24 months): Trying to use things the right way, such as a phone, cup or book, is a CDC 15-month milestone; playing with toys in a simple way, like pushing a toy car, is a CDC 18-month milestone.
When to talk to your pediatrician at 13 months
Talk to your pediatrician if a 13-month-old loses a skill they used to have, if 12-month items such as “joins in simple games with you, such as clapping rhymes” or “understands "no": stops or pauses for a moment when you say it” are still missing at 13 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, five months after 13 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 13 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 13 months by the calendar, that changes which checklist fits:
| Born | Corrected age at 13 mo | Checklist to use | 15-month list from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 weeks early | 12 mo | 12-month | 15 mo + 4 wk (about 15.9 mo) |
| 8 weeks early | 11 mo 1 wk | an earlier CDC list | 15 mo + 8 wk (about 16.8 mo) |
| 12 weeks early | 10 mo 1 wk | an earlier CDC list | 15 mo + 12 wk (about 17.8 mo) |
| 16 weeks early | 9 mo 1 wk | an earlier CDC list | 15 mo + 16 wk (about 18.7 mo) |
Frequently asked questions
How much should a 13-month-old talk?
CDC gives no list for 13 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.
When is the next milestone checklist after 13 months?
At 15 months, in two months: CDC's 15-month checklist has 13 items (5 social-emotional, 4 language, 2 cognitive and 2 movement). Until then the 12-month list (10 items) applies.
Which activities help a 13-month-old toward the 15-month milestones?
This page picks 22 library activities that fit 13 months, one or two per 15-month item, for example Teddy Needs Help, In and Out Basket Climb and Photo Wall Flap Hunt. Short, playful repeats work better than drills.
What if my 13-month-old has not reached these milestones?
The 15-month items are not due at 13 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, five months after 13 months. In the U.S. you can also call your state's Early Intervention program without a referral.
My 13-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 11 months, 1 week corrected at 13 months, so an earlier CDC checklist applies.
Related
Milestones month by month
Plan for 13 months
Born early
Skills building at 13 months
Monitoring, not medical advice. Talk to your pediatrician about any concern. Our sources and method.