Your Baby at 12 Months: First Birthday and a Look Back at Year One

A candle on the cake, aunts filming, grandpa clapping: your 12-month-old is celebrating a first birthday without quite understanding why everyone is singing. A year ago they could barely hold their head up. Today they pull themselves up against the table to reach a slice, wave goodbye to the guests and ask for “more”.

It is a good moment to look at how far they have come and to take stock with the paediatrician. The WHO and CDC milestones help measure that journey, as long as you read them properly; they also guide the table, the bed and the party day.

A year of progress in six motor milestones

The WHO followed 816 healthy children in Ghana, India, Norway, Oman and the United States, from 4 to 24 months. For six major motor milestones, it defined “windows” of achievement, from the earliest to the latest of normal children (1st to 99th percentile):

Two lessons. At age 1, a healthy child can be almost anywhere within these windows. And 4.3% of the children in the study never crawled: skipping a stage is not a problem in itself.

What most babies do at 12 months

The American CDC lists the skills that at least three quarters of children of a given age have reached. So a quarter of children may not have reached them yet: a missing milestone is a reason to talk about it, not proof of a difficulty. Around age 1:

To revisit the previous month, reread our milestones for a baby at 11 months.

Is your baby walking yet? Sources do not all say the same thing

UNICEF describes a one-year-old who pulls up to stand and walks without holding on to furniture, some taking a few steps unaided. The CDC, for its part, only expects walking along furniture. And the WHO saw perfectly healthy children let go of the furniture at 8 months, and others at almost 18 months.

These figures do not contradict each other: UNICEF describes a typical child, the CDC sets a threshold for vigilance, and the WHO measures normal variation. If your baby is not walking yet, let them practise with your hands, stable furniture or a push toy, and without a baby walker, which the CDC advises avoiding. Our feature on the age of first steps covers this stage in detail.

Their words, their gestures, their understanding

At age 1, UNICEF describes a child who copies simple gestures, says first words such as “mama” and “dada”, responds to simple requests and tries to repeat what you say. They cry when you leave, may be shy with strangers and hand you a book when they want a story.

Encourage the “hellos” and “goodbyes”, praise every attempt at a word and get them to point at the pictures in a book, advises UNICEF. What comes next, with the vocabulary explosion, is covered in our article on the 18-month-old.

The first-birthday check-up with the paediatrician

Prepare for it like a review: what they do, what they do not do yet, what surprises you. The CDC encourages parents to share their observations with the doctor and to ask for a developmental screening if in doubt, since its milestone lists do not replace validated tools. Bring the health record booklet, and check the vaccinations due in our vaccination schedule for Morocco.

Milk, honey, juice: what changes at the table at age 1

UNICEF describes a child who tastes a wider and wider range of foods, chews properly, starts to feed themselves and learns to drink from an open cup. If you are breastfeeding, you can continue if your child wishes.

On drinks, the UK’s NHS advises against cow’s milk as the main drink before age 1: it is now possible. The CDC suggests water, breast milk or plain milk, considers juice optional, limited to about 120 ml of pure juice a day, and advises against fizzy drinks, sugary drinks and flavoured milks. Honey becomes allowed, but not whole nuts, which the NHS rules out before age 5. Meals from here on are detailed in our guide to meals for ages 1 to 3.

Sleep: 11 to 14 hours

According to Naître et grandir, a one-year-old sleeps about 11 to 14 hours per 24 hours, naps included. Most still take two naps, morning and afternoon, until 18 months, each lasting from 30 minutes to 2 hours.

A birthday party without danger

Quebec public health warns against latex balloons: inflated, deflated or in pieces after bursting, they can choke a young child. Prefer paper decorations out of reach, pick up confetti and small wrappers, and put every gift through the empty toilet roll test recommended by the Canadian Paediatric Society.

For the trip to grandma’s, the car seat stays rear-facing: French road safety authorities recommend keeping it that way for as long as possible, and the R129 standard extends the period when it is compulsory. The right settings are explained in our car seat installation guide, and party planning in our ideas for a simple first birthday.

From the shop

Gift ideas for a first birthday

Toys recommended from 12 months for stacking, pulling, fitting and riding, at a range of prices. Check the age and the absence of small parts before giving.

• −48 %HapeRainbow stacking game, 12 months-3 years – Hape101 DHinstead of 195 DHView product
• −48 %Chicco2-in-1 Build-a-Ball activity toy, from 1 year – Chicco135 DHinstead of 260 DHView product
• −48 %HapeInch Along Cal wooden pull-along caterpillar – Hape127 DHinstead of 245 DHView product
• −61 %BadabulleBath puzzle, from 12 months – Badabulle78 DHinstead of 200 DHView product
• −35 %ChiccoBaby Rodeo & Friends ride-on, boy – Chicco582 DHinstead of 895 DHView product
• −35 %BadabulleWater bottle with straw, from 12 months – Badabulle94 DHinstead of 145 DHView product
• The whole aisle · Early learning25 products online, delivered anywhere in Morocco.Open the aisle

Products sold by La Maison du Bébé, publisher of this magazine. Prices as of 12 October 2026; please check the product page.