Leap 9 (Weeks 60–64): Plans, Imitation and Early Tantrums
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.
At around fourteen months many toddlers have firm ideas about how things should be done. They copy adults, want to help with real tasks and try to carry out small plans of their own. When their plan does not work or someone gets in the way, early tantrums are common.
This guide describes what you might see in this window and gives practical ways to support your toddler’s growing determination.
Typical timing
The ninth window is usually placed at weeks 60 to 64 from the due date, which is around fourteen months for a child born on time. For a child born early, it falls a little later after birth.
As children get older, temperament, sleep, illness and changes at home play a bigger role in day-to-day behaviour. The window can be a helpful reminder to be patient, but it is only one of many influences.
What parents may notice
- Copying adult tasks: sweeping, stirring, talking on a toy phone.
- Frustration and crying when a toy or task does not work as expected.
- Insisting on doing things a particular way or in a particular order.
- More clinginess with a main caregiver, alongside bursts of independence.
- Climbing on furniture and exploring further away from you.
- Saying more words, or using gestures and sounds to make requests.
What is developing
In the second year children start to use simple plans. They decide they want to put the doll to bed or fill a cup and then carry out the steps, sometimes changing approach when the first try does not work. Copying adults is one of the main ways they learn how everyday tasks are done.
Language is still catching up with these ideas. A toddler may know exactly what they want but not be able to say it, and the gap between wanting and explaining is a major reason for frustration. Gestures, pointing and pulling you by the hand are all ways of communicating.
Practical ways to help
- Let your toddler help with simple, safe tasks: putting clothes in the basket, wiping a table, carrying a light bag.
- Give toys that support pretend play, such as a toy cup, a doll, a play kitchen or blocks.
- Put words to what your toddler wants: “You want the ball. Let’s get the ball.”
- Offer one or two signs or gestures for common needs such as “more” or “all done”.
- When a tantrum starts, stay close and calm, keep everyone safe and wait for it to pass before talking.
- Avoid long explanations in the middle of strong emotions. Short, kind phrases work better.
- Protect sleep, because tiredness makes frustration much harder to manage.
Sleep, feeding and safety
Climbing is a new risk. Anchor bookcases and drawers to the wall, move furniture away from windows, and keep medicines and cleaning products locked away. Toddlers can climb to places that were safe only a few weeks earlier.
Many toddlers become pickier about food in this period. Keep offering a range of foods without pressure, eat together where possible and keep portions small. Appetite naturally varies from day to day.
When to consult a doctor
Speak to your doctor if your toddler is not walking by around eighteen months, does not use any words, does not point to show you things, does not copy others, does not seem to understand simple instructions, or has lost words or skills.
Frequent, very long tantrums together with very limited communication, little interest in other people, or self-injury are also worth discussing with a professional.
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.