Let's Get Physical

When our son Jackson started to walk at 12 months, my husband and I cheered him on and called him a “big boy.” But as we began chasing after an increasingly confident—and speedy—little tyke, we realized that walking was just the first of many exciting physical developments. “Parents understandably get excited when their baby takes his first steps, which typically occurs within a few months of his first birthday,” says Andrew Adesman, M.D., chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York, in New Hyde Park. “But the other motor milestones in the second year of life can be even more exciting.” Why? Because these achievements, such as running and climbing, mean your child is becoming increasingly independent and expanding his capacity for play and learning. (Don’t panic if he is on a slower track—it doesn’t necessarily mean that he’ll be any less coordinated than other kids.) Read on to learn what you can expect in the coming months.When our son Jackson started to walk at 12 months, my husband and I cheered him on and called him a “big boy.” But as we began chasing after an increasingly confident—and speedy—little tyke, we realized that walking was just the first of many exciting physical developments. “Parents understandably get excited when their baby takes his first steps, which typically occurs within a few months of his first birthday,” says Andrew Adesman, M.D., chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York, in New Hyde Park. “But the other motor milestones in the second year of life can be even more exciting.” Why? Because these achievements, such as running and climbing, mean your child is becoming increasingly independent and expanding his capacity for play and learning. (Don’t panic if he is on a slower track—it doesn’t necessarily mean that he’ll be any less coordinated than other kids.) Read on to learn what you can expect in the coming months.