At 20 months old, your baby should be meeting some significant and exciting 20-month-old milestones! From language acquisition to physical coordination, this period is rich with growth and exploration. Here, we’ll cover everything you need to know about this age, from typical developmental milestones to feeding and sleep schedules to tips for keeping your little one safe, healthy, and engaged.
20-month-olds often show significant progress in various areas of development, from muscle coordination to cognition and communication. When assessing your child for these milestones, be sure they’re rested and well-fed, and try to make the attempts fun.1 Here are some 20-month-old milestones to look out for (and look forward to!):
As your child moves through 20-month-old developmental stages, their language may start to explode. Between the ages of 18 and 24 months, many children increase their vocabulary to 300 words!2 You may have heard the term “kids are sponges,” and that’s certainly true for language development at this age.
Anywhere from 10-50 spoken words or more is common at this age and will rapidly increase.1,3,4,25 They should also be able to identify common and familiar objects and people.3 Some other language milestones at 20 months old include:1,4,24,25
- Imitating or repeating a two-word sentence after you say it, such as “Dada eat,” “Mama play,” or “Go home”
- Pointing to the correct image on a page if you ask things like, “Where is the doggy?” or “Which one is the apple?”
- Being able to name at least one picture of a familiar object (such as a ball, cup, hat, or dog) when you ask, “What’s this?”
- Being able to follow one-step directions without visual cues, such as “Close the cabinet,” “Hold my hand,” or “Grab your coat”
- Putting together two to three words of different meanings to formulate a phrase, such as “Mommy’s home” or “Doggy gone”
- Starting to understand simple pronouns, such as “I,” “you,” “me,” and “my”
- Identifying or pointing to three common body parts when asked where they are
Increasing communication is one of the most fun parts of parenting a 20-month-old. With them acquiring more language every day, you may feel like you’re learning more and more about their personality!
As your child’s communication skills improve, you can also expect them to have more connections with peers and adults.3 Here are some 20-month-old personal, social, and emotional milestones you may start to see:1,3,5
- Expression of guilt or shame after knowingly doing something wrong
- Trying to get your attention by tugging on your hand or clothes
- Enjoying participating in mealtimes by using a fork or spoon and an open cup with some spilling
- Copying activities you do, like sweeping, brushing hair, or wiping a spill
- Pretending to care for a doll or stuffed animal by feeding it a bottle, changing its diaper, or rocking it to sleep
- Starting to engage in parallel play by sitting alongside other children (but without much interaction/cooperation)
Cognitive skills show brain development and consist of learning, thinking, memory, and problem-solving.6 Here are some exciting cognitive 20-month-old milestones:1,3,6
- Participating in pretend play by simulating activities like talking on the phone, driving a car, or having a tea party
- Understanding possession and favoring the word “mine”
- Being able to put items away
- Understanding and participating in taking turns
- Exploring contents of drawers and cabinets
- Drawing a semi-straight line on paper after watching you do so
- Obtaining a stool, box, or chair to help acquire something out of reach
- Imitating someone lining up objects in a row
Gross motor skills are large movements that use the muscles in the limbs, trunk, and neck.3,6 At 20 months old, your toddler should be walking well enough to get around and not falling often. Here are some other gross motor milestones for a 20-month-old:1,3,6
- Climbing up onto objects to reach items, wash their hands, or “help” in the kitchen
- Walking down the stairs, if they’re holding your hand, a railing, or a wall
- Being able to run decently well and stop without running into something or falling down
- Kicking a large ball after you demonstrate how to do it
- Walking up or down two steps on their own
- Attempting to catch a ball with their arms or body
- Using their legs to move riding toys forward
- May start attempting to jump or gallop
- Being able to seat themselves in a chair
Fine motor skills involve using the small muscles in the hands or fingers to accomplish occupational and self-care tasks.6 At 20 months, here are some fine motor developmental skills you can expect:1,3,6
- Being able to make a mark on paper with the tip of a pen, pencil, or crayon when trying to draw
- Being able to independently stack three to six small objects (like blocks, spools of thread, or 1-inch toys)
- Turning the pages of a book, even if they turn more than one page at a time
- Twisting their hand to unscrew a jar lid, turn a doorknob, or wind up a toy
- Being able to get a spoon to their mouth right-side-up without much spilling
- Stringing large beads
Monitoring all these 20-month-old milestones can help ensure your child is on track developmentally and show you what to look forward to with your growing toddler.
Feeding a 20-month-old can be fun — but also challenging. It may feel hard and confusing to know how much, how often, and what to feed your toddler! So, let’s go over what their diet should look like and explore a sample feeding schedule:
Caloric and Nutritional Needs
At 20 months old, your child should consume around 1,000-1,400 calories per day. You can calculate their estimated calorie needs by multiplying their weight (in pounds) by 36.4. Your child’s calorie requirements can change by the day and also depend on their sex, their activity level, and whether they’re in a growth spurt.7,8
Instead of worrying about how much your child eats at an individual meal, try to focus on the big picture — are they getting well-rounded nutrition over the course of a day or a week? If they’re growing appropriately according to your pediatrician, keep doing what you’re doing and try not to make each mealtime a battle! Meals will be more fun and engaging for your toddler if you serve them the same foods you’re eating and enjoy food together as a family.8
Macronutrients and Micronutrients
The calories your child consumes should be distributed throughout the day into three meals and one to two snacks. Ideally, each meal and snack should incorporate carbohydrates, protein, and fat. The daily distribution of these macronutrients should be around:8,9
- 45-65% of carbohydrates (such as whole-grain bread, cereal, rice, pasta, or fruit)
- 5-20% of protein (such as meat, fish, eggs, beans, or dairylike yogurt, cheese, or milk)
- 30-40% of fat (such as whole milk and other full-fat dairy, butter, and oils such as olive or avocado oil)
In addition to carbs, protein, and fat, your toddler has nutritional requirements for many micronutrients. In most cases, children at this age don’t need a vitamin or supplement, as you can usually meet their nutrient needs with a healthy and varied diet, including lots of fruits and vegetables. Be sure your child is consuming enough:9,10
- Vitamin D: This helps the body absorb calcium and prevents bone diseases now and later in life.7,9 Aim for 600 international units per day from sources such as dairy products and fortified cereals.9
- Iron: This helps produce red blood cells, which distribute oxygen to the body. Aim for 7-10 milligrams of iron per day from sources such as red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, and iron-fortified grains. Feeding iron-rich foods alongside vitamin C, like citrus and strawberries, can help with iron absorption. Too much dairy can also impede iron absorption, so don’t exceed the recommended 2 cups of milk per day.8,9
- Fiber: Fiber helps bulk up the stool and keeps food moving through the intestines to prevent constipation and diarrhea. Aim for 7-19 grams of fiber per day from fruit, vegetable, and whole-grain sources.7,10
Putting all that together, here’s a sample feeding schedule for your 20-month-old:8
7:30 a.m.
Breakfast: 1 egg with cheese, 1/3 cup of berries, 1 slice of whole wheat toast
10:00 a.m.
Morning snack: Carrot sticks and crackers with hummus
12:00 p.m.
Lunch: Whole-grain pasta with chicken and steamed broccoli, cut-up melon
3:00 p.m.
Afternoon snack: Banana with peanut butter or yogurt
5:30 p.m.
Dinner: Cheeseburger with a whole-grain bun or a potato, green beans, and fruit like apples, grapes, or an orange
Again, feeding your toddler what you’re eating will foster healthy eating habits and positive mealtime associations.8 It’s important to encourage independence while still supervising mealtimes as your 20-month-old works on feeding themselves.1,5
Sleep is crucial for your 20-month-old’s growth and development. It’s the time when they recharge their bodies, process their knowledge and experiences from the day, restore their energy, grow and heal, strengthen their immune system, and develop their brains and hormones. A toddler should sleep between 11 and 14 hours cumulatively in a 24-hour period, consisting of night sleep and one nap.11 A typical 20-month-old sleep schedule may look something like this:
7:00 a.m.
Daily wake up
12:30 p.m.
Naptime
3:00 p.m.
Nap wake up
7:30 p.m.
Bedtime
Sleep can be a challenge for both toddlers and their parents. Issues such as nightmares and night terrors, difficulty falling or staying asleep, sleepwalking and sleep talking, and a 20-month-old sleep regression can keep the whole family awake at night. To encourage solid sleep and make it through a regression, focus on consistency and good sleep hygiene:11
Going down for naps and bedtime at around the same time every day can program your child’s body to expect sleep at that time. They should also wake up at a similar time each day. A familiar bedtime routine (such as taking a bath, brushing their teeth, reading a book, singing a song, saying a prayer, and snuggling) can also cue your 20-month-old that it’s time for sleep.11
Distractions such as toys, screens, games, and electronics in your child’s bedroom can prevent them from settling into good sleep. Keep their bedroom a place for sleeping only, and try to avoid bringing your child into your room at night for comfort. Finally, ensure they get adequate movement, sunlight, and food throughout the day to foster their best sleep at night.11
It can be difficult to fit in all the meals, naps, and activities for your 20-month-old, but creating structure in your daily schedule can help them feel secure and thrive. Here’s an example of a daily schedule, which you can alter based on your family’s habits, needs, and other obligations:
7:00 a.m.
Wake up
7:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:00 a.m.
Outdoor walk
9:00 a.m.
Storytime
10:00 a.m.
Morning snack
10:30 a.m.
Music and dance
11:15 a.m.
Free play
12:00 p.m.
Lunch
12:30 p.m.
Naptime
3:00 p.m.
Afternoon snack
3:30 p.m.
Outdoor play
4:30 p.m.
Sensory play
5:30 p.m.
Dinner
6:30 p.m.
Bathtime
7:00 p.m.
Books, songs, prayers, and snuggles
7:30 p.m.
Bedtime
Again, you can adjust this schedule based on your child’s unique needs, energy levels, hunger, and sleep cues. But it can be helpful to have a loose framework to tweak as needed!
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends well-child visits at 18 months and again at 24 months. However, if your child gets sick or injured in the meantime, they may also need additional visits. Here are some reasons you should seek guidance from your pediatrician:
- Your child has difficulty breathing, as shown by noisy or wheezy breathing, pulling in between the ribs with each breath, blue lips or face, rapid breathing, or a cough that won’t stop.12,13
- They experience fevers that last more than 24 hours or are higher than 102 degrees Fahrenheit when taken rectally.12,14
- Their symptoms continue to worsen after three to five days or don’t resolve after a week. Colds can sometimes last 10 days, but you should begin to see improvement before then.12
- Your child has persistent eye or ear pain, redness, itchiness, drainage, or irritation. Eye or ear infections (called pink eye or conjunctivitis and otitis media, respectively) may need treatment with antibiotics, which your pediatrician can prescribe if indicated. Untreated infections can interfere with seeing, hearing, and learning.12
- They have gastrointestinal distress lasting more than one day. If your child experiences vomiting or diarrhea for more than 24 hours, they’re at risk for dehydration. They also may need to be evaluated for infections or anatomical issues.12
- A worsening rash, especially if it’s crusty or spotty, could be a sign of serious illness that requires treatment and should be looked at by a professional.12
Unfortunately, it’s a fact of life that toddlers get sick or injured fairly often. So, focus on thorough and frequent handwashing, keep up with your child’s well visits to the pediatrician, and ensure proper diet, sleep, and exercise to keep serious illnesses at bay.12
Engaging your child in various activities at this age can foster their development and creativity. These activities not only support 20-month-old milestones but can also create cherished bonding moments! Here are some ideas:
Use materials like playdough, sand, or water to encourage exploration, investigation, creativity, and scientific thinking. Sensory play can be messy, but toddlers are messy anyway (mine just colored in permanent ink on our new sectional!). Planning and organizing a way to stimulate one or multiple of their senses can appease some of their curiosity and help foster healthy brain connections.15
Reading together can boost language skills and comprehension.16 Hearing stories can also improve their listening skills, teach them morals and values, and inspire creativity and imagination.26 Reading familiar books in your home is great, but another fun activity to consider is storytime at your local library. Many have toddler storytimes, which get you out of the house and let you interact with other parents and toddlers while experiencing the benefits of reading books!
3. Music and Dance
You can encourage movement and rhythm through singing and dancing. Music encourages emotional regulation and expression, vocabulary, memory, and even motor development. Experiencing music together can even enhance social bonds.17,27 All music and free movement is good, but once children are capable of imitating someone else’s dance, they can also become more detail-oriented. My 20-month-old loves doing “YouTube Ballet,” as we call it, alongside her 3-year-old sister, and I’m always amazed at how well she’s able to imitate the instructor’s motions.
Activities like running, jumping, and climbing promote physical development. Open-ended play outside also encourages creativity through children making up games, imagining that objects are something else (like how a stick can be a wand), and crafting pretend scenarios. You can also have snack time, take a walk, or do that dance video outside!18
Keeping your 20-month-old safe is paramount as they gain independence and explore their environment. Here are some safety tips to follow:
Secure cabinets, use outlet covers, and remove small objects like toys with small parts, marker caps, marbles and other small balls, batteries, coins, and balloons that can be swallowed to prevent choking. Put all medicines, cleaning supplies, and sharp objects behind locked doors and/or far out of reach.19
Choking is particularly likely with round foods about the size of a coin, such as hot dogs, string cheese, and grapes. To mitigate the risk of choking, cut round foods into fours to eliminate the circular shape, and avoid foods that are particularly chewy, hard, sticky, spongey, or chunky.20
When a dresser, bookshelf, nightstand, or television isn’t properly secured to a stud in the wall behind it, it can tip over and crush a child. This is particularly common and risky for toddlers, who may explore and climb furniture and drawers. So, install anti-tip furniture wall anchors to prevent this devastating injury from happening.19,22
Close any doors at the top and bottom of a staircase, or use a baby gate. You don’t want your child climbing up or down unsupervised. Also, keep stools and furniture away from windows that children could fall out of and counters they could fall off of.19
Keep hot liquids, as well as pots and pans, out of your child’s reach. Place a fence or guardrail around any working fireplaces in the home. You should also keep the hot water heater at 120 degrees Fahrenheit or below to prevent bath burns.21
Install your child’s car seat per the manufacturer’s instructions, and pay attention to the weight and height limits for different installation methods. To ensure safety, don’t use both the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system and the traditional seat belt. (According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, these are equally safe, so choose whichever one works best for you). Also, make sure the harness is snug and that the chest clip is at armpit level.23
7. Supervise Play and Mealtime
At 20 months old, your child’s situation can change on a dime. You can never be too careful when preventing drowning, choking, falls, burns, and more. Keep a watchful eye on them during mealtime and playtime, especially around stairs, near water, or in unfamiliar places.
Meeting key 20-month-old milestones exemplifies your child’s remarkable growth and development. By understanding their feeding and sleep schedules, providing stimulating activities, and ensuring their safety, you can support your little one through this exciting stage. Remember, every child is unique, so embrace their individual journey as they explore the world around them!