Leap 10 (Around Week 75): Strong Opinions in the Second Year
For general reference only, not medical advice. Every baby develops at their own pace. If you are worried about your baby, contact a doctor or other health professional.
The last window covered by the calculator falls in the middle of the second year. Many toddlers now have strong opinions about clothes, food, toys and who should help them. They also begin to notice other people’s feelings and the rules of the household, and they test those rules often.
This page describes what is common in this window and ways to keep routines steady while your toddler works out who they are.
Typical timing
The tenth window is usually placed at around week 75 from the due date, which is roughly seventeen months for a child born on time. The calculator shows it as a single week, but in reality the behaviour described here can appear at any time across the second half of the second year.
By this stage, a child’s personality, language, sleep and family circumstances shape behaviour at least as much as any developmental window. The window is a useful reminder rather than a fixed event.
What parents may notice
- Saying “no” often and insisting on choosing for themselves.
- Repeating forbidden actions while watching your face.
- Showing concern when someone else is upset, or offering a toy to comfort them.
- More pretend play: feeding a teddy, putting a doll to bed, pretending to cook.
- Clinginess and protests at bedtime or childcare drop-off.
- A growing vocabulary and the first two-word combinations in some children.
What is developing
Toddlers in this period are developing a stronger sense of self. They notice that they can have different wishes from other people and want to express them. At the same time they begin to recognise rules, such as “we hold hands near the road”, and to notice how others feel. Testing rules is a way of checking that they stay the same.
Language usually grows fast in the second year, but the range is wide. Some children use many words at seventeen months, others only a few. What matters most is steady progress, understanding of everyday language and the use of gestures and sounds to communicate.
Practical ways to help
- Keep a small number of important rules and apply them the same way each time.
- Offer real choices within limits: the red shirt or the blue shirt, banana or apple.
- Name feelings, both your toddler’s and other people’s: “You are angry because we have to go. Your friend is sad because the tower fell.”
- Praise specific helpful behaviour, such as sharing or being gentle, when you see it.
- Join in pretend play and add simple words to what your toddler is doing.
- Give warnings before transitions and use songs or timers to make them more predictable.
- Keep bedtime calm and consistent, with the same short steps every night.
Sleep, feeding and safety
Expect waiting and sharing to be hard for some time yet. Toddlers this age can start to take turns with lots of help, but sharing willingly usually comes later. Short turns and adult support work better than asking a toddler to share on their own.
If you are expecting a new sibling, moving house or starting childcare, extra clinginess and sleep changes are common. Keep familiar routines, talk simply about what is happening, and allow some extra closeness.
When to consult a doctor
Talk to your doctor if by around eighteen months your child does not walk, does not say several words, does not point to show you things, does not notice or mind when a caregiver leaves or returns, or does not copy others. Any loss of words or skills should be checked promptly.
Also seek advice if you are worried about hearing, vision, very limited eating, or behaviour that is causing ongoing difficulty for your family. Early support is helpful and asking does not mean something is wrong.
Whatever the calendar says, seek urgent medical help for difficulty breathing, blue or very pale lips or skin, a baby who is unusually floppy or hard to wake, a seizure, a rash that does not fade when pressed, signs of dehydration such as very few wet diapers, repeated forceful vomiting, or a fever of 38°C (100.4°F) or higher in a baby under three months. Trust your instincts: if you feel something is wrong, contact a doctor or emergency service.