17-month milestones: what is emerging next
17-month milestones: CDC has no 17-month checklist, so the 15-month list (13 items) applies for one last month before the 18-month checklist starts. Below are its 15 items, what is emerging next, each with activities that fit a 17-month-old now.
Updated
CDC 15-month milestone checklist
At 17 months use the 15-month checklist (CDC: use the earlier checklist between ages); next checklist at 18 months.
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13 items · none marked yet
Social and emotional
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At 17 months, try Stir the Pretend Soup (5–10 min, 14–24 months)
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At 17 months, try Window Watch Talk (3–8 min, 12–24 months)
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At 17 months, try Teddy Goodnight Hugs (4–8 min, 16–26 months)
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At 17 months, try Photo Wall Hello Kisses (3–6 min, 12–20 months)
Language and communication
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At 17 months, try Photo Wall Flap Hunt (5–10 min, 13–22 months)
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At 17 months, try Shopping Cart Spotter (5–15 min, 17–28 months)
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At 17 months, try Nose-to-Nose Mirror Game (3–7 min, 15–26 months)
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At 17 months, try Two-Choice Snack Pick (5–10 min, 12–18 months)
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
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At 17 months, try Teddy's Snack Time (3–8 min, 12–20 months)
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At 17 months, try Big Box Tower Topple (3–8 min, 12–18 months)
Movement and physical development
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At 17 months, try Sticky Note Peel-and-Collect (3–8 min, 15–24 months)
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At 17 months, try Ice Tray Snack Picking (5–10 min, 12–18 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.
17 months at a glance
| CDC checklist for 17 months | None (CDC's checklists in this range: 12, 15, 18, 24, 30, 36 months) |
|---|---|
| Checklist that applies now | 15 months (13 items), reached two months ago |
| Next checklist | 18 months (15 items), next month |
| Where this month sits | In-between month 2 of 2 from 15 to 18 months |
| Library activities that fit 17 months | 127 (age band overlapping 15-20 months) |
| Skills building at 17 months | 53 of the 67 everyday skills on this site |
| Born early | Corrected age applies: born 8 weeks early, 17 months is about 15 mo 1 wk corrected |
Which checklist applies at 17 months
This is the last month on the 15-month list. CDC says to use the earlier checklist between two ages, and the 18-month checklist takes over next month, so 17 months is a good time to look over its items and notice which ones already show up in play.
The 18-month list has 15 items (5 social-emotional, 2 language, 2 cognitive and 6 movement). They are not expected at 17 months; they show what is emerging next. Fourteen of them have activities below that fit this month.
18-month milestones to watch for at 17 months
Each 18-month item with one or two activities for a 17-month-old, and how the activity's age band relates to 17 months:
| By 18 months (CDC) | Area | Try at 17 months |
|---|---|---|
| Wanders a short way from you but looks back to check that you are still close. | social-emotional | Everyday moments, no planned activity |
| Points to share something interesting with you. | social-emotional | Window Watch Talk (mid-band, 12-24 mo); Nature Tote Treasure Walk (new in its 16-28 mo band) |
| Holds out their hands so you can wash them. | social-emotional | Step-Stool Hand-Wash Song (new in its 16-28 mo band); Brush and Hands Wash-Up (a stretch, band starts at 20 mo) |
| Looks through a few pages of a book together with you. | social-emotional | Where's the Dog? Book Hunt (a stretch, band starts at 18 mo); Count-Along Picture Book (mid-band, 15-27 mo) |
| Helps while you dress them, for example pushing an arm into a sleeve or lifting a foot. | social-emotional | Toe-Tug Sock Off (mid-band, 12-20 mo); Peekaboo Sleeve Push (mid-band, 14-24 mo) |
| Attempts at least three words besides "mama" or "dada". | language | Finish-the-Song Pause (a stretch, band starts at 18 mo); Ready-Set-Go Car Ramp (new in its 16-26 mo band) |
| Follows a one-step direction given in words alone, like handing you a toy when you only say "Give it to me." | language | Hoop Bus Walk (a stretch, band starts at 18 mo); Ready-Set-Go Chalk Dash (a stretch, band starts at 19 mo) |
| Imitates you doing household jobs, such as sweeping. | cognitive | Stir the Big Pot (new in its 17-28 mo band); Stir the Pot Like Me (new in its 16-24 mo band) |
| Plays with toys in a simple, purposeful way, like pushing a toy car along. | cognitive | Unpack the Shopping Tote (a stretch, band starts at 20 mo); Real-Things Basket (late in its 12-18 mo band) |
| Walks without holding on to a person or furniture. | movement | Towel Speed-Bump Walk (mid-band, 14-22 mo); Walk-to-Me Hallway Steps (an easy win, band ended at 16 mo) |
| Makes scribbles with a crayon. | movement | Water Painting Walls and Steps (mid-band, 14-24 mo); Baking Sheet Finger Painting (mid-band, 15-24 mo) |
| Drinks from a cup with no lid, sometimes spilling. | movement | Two-Hands Open Cup Sip (mid-band, 12-20 mo); Cheers! Open-Cup Clink (new in its 16-24 mo band) |
| Eats finger foods without help. | movement | Two-Choice Snack Pick (late in its 12-18 mo band); Blanket Picnic Finger Lunch (mid-band, 12-22 mo) |
| Tries to eat with a spoon. | movement | Pre-Loaded Spoon Hand-Off (mid-band, 13-20 mo); Basin Spoon Scoop (a stretch, band starts at 18 mo) |
| Climbs onto and down from a couch or chair without help. | movement | Sofa Climb, Feet-First Down (mid-band, 13-22 mo); Cushion Mountain Climb (mid-band, 12-22 mo) |
Activities toward the 18-month milestones
28 activities picked for 17 months, by CDC area. In Stir the Big Pot, for example, watch for this sign of progress: tips a cup into the pot rather than beside it.
Social-emotional at 17 months
Language at 17 months
Cognitive at 17 months
Movement at 17 months
Skills behind the 18-month list
What changes in the activity plan at 17 months
The family plan offers an activity from 3 months before its age band until 2 months after it. At 17 months, fourteen activities join (band starting at 20 months) and ten bands start right at 17 months:
- Joins the plan: Two-Hoop Nature Sort, for 20-32 mo: outdoors, your toddler gathers big pinecones and leaves into a bucket, then sorts them into two hula hoops on the grass, one for each kind.
- Joins the plan: Pour-and-Rub Garden Hand-Wash, for 20-32 mo: after outdoor play, one person pours clean water from a measuring cup while the other rubs, then you swap, washing grubby hands over a basin.
- Joins the plan: Unpack the Shopping Tote, for 20-28 mo: after an errand, your child helps unpack a cloth tote, showing what each safe item is for and carrying it to where it belongs.
- Band starts at 17 months: Box Lid Ramp Races (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.
- Band starts at 17 months: Tote Bag Fetch Mission (17-28 mo), you hold out a tote bag and ask for one familiar object at a time, without pointing, so your child practices following a simple spoken direction.
- Band starts at 17 months: Egg Carton Latch Surprise (17-25 mo), a sock waits inside a closed egg carton; working out how to pop the latch open builds patience and two-handed problem-solving.
Skills commonly building at 17 months
53 everyday skills on this site have 17 months inside their age window. Six of them, with where 17 months falls and their usual timing:
- Conversation turns, early in its window (12-36 months): Keeping a conversation going for at least two back-and-forth exchanges is a CDC 36-month milestone.
- Following directions with gestures, mid-window (12-20 months): Following a direction given with both words and a gesture is a CDC 15-month milestone.
- Imitating actions, early in its 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.
- Pointing to ask, mid-window (12-20 months): Pointing to ask for something or to get help is a CDC 15-month milestone.
- Pouring, early in its window (12-36 months): Pouring is not a CDC checklist item.
- Pointing to pictures, early in its window (14-30 months): Pointing to things in a book when you ask, like "Where is the bear?", is a CDC 24-month milestone.
When to talk to your pediatrician at 17 months
Talk to your pediatrician if a 17-month-old loses a skill they used to have, if 15-month items such as “hugs, cuddles or kisses you to show affection” or “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” are still missing at 17 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, one month after 17 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 17 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 17 months by the calendar, that changes which checklist fits:
| Born | Corrected age at 17 mo | Checklist to use | 18-month list from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 weeks early | 16 mo | 15-month | 18 mo + 4 wk (about 18.9 mo) |
| 8 weeks early | 15 mo 1 wk | 15-month | 18 mo + 8 wk (about 19.8 mo) |
| 12 weeks early | 14 mo 1 wk | 12-month | 18 mo + 12 wk (about 20.8 mo) |
| 16 weeks early | 13 mo 1 wk | 12-month | 18 mo + 16 wk (about 21.7 mo) |
Frequently asked questions
How much should a 17-month-old talk?
CDC gives no list for 17 months. The 15-month checklist says: 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. By 18 months it adds: attempts at least three words besides "mama" or "dada".
When is the next milestone checklist after 17 months?
At 18 months, next month: CDC's 18-month checklist has 15 items (5 social-emotional, 2 language, 2 cognitive and 6 movement). Until then the 15-month list (13 items) applies.
Which activities help a 17-month-old toward the 18-month milestones?
This page picks 28 library activities that fit 17 months, one or two per 18-month item, for example Unpack the Shopping Tote, Window Watch Talk and Blanket Picnic Finger Lunch. Short, playful repeats work better than drills.
What if my 17-month-old has not reached these milestones?
The 18-month items are not due at 17 months. If 15-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, one month after 17 months. In the U.S. you can also call your state's Early Intervention program without a referral.
My 17-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 15 months, 1 week corrected at 17 months, so the 15-month checklist applies.
Related
Milestones month by month
Plan for 17 months
Born early
Skills building at 17 months
Monitoring, not medical advice. Talk to your pediatrician about any concern. Our sources and method.