Explore the 20 milestones that your child is exploring this month!

At 19 months, your toddler is busy showing you just how capable they’ve become. At his point, you'll notice them exploring every corner and even attempting to run. You might find them imitating your routines and walking from room to room carrying a toy. This stage is all about movement, communication, and growing independence.

Every day brings something new as your child continues to grow across five key areas including Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Cognitive Development, Social-Emotional Development, and Communication. Each milestone helps strengthen the foundation for even more skills ahead!

Is your baby up to the challenge?

Around this age, toddlers begin weaving together everything they’ve learned. Their actions and play are more intentional. Don't be surprised if you catch them pretending to cook, feeding a doll, or proudly bringing you something they’ve found. Each of these little gestures show how they’re starting to understand and engage with the world on their own terms.

Of course, every child follows their own rhythm. Some may take off running early, while others focus on words or play before movement.

Why this month matters?

19 months marks a time of connection between movement, thought, and emotion. Your toddler is not only getting stronger and more coordinated but is also beginning to understand ideas like helping, sharing, and expressing feelings. They’re starting to remember routines, recognize familiar people and objects, and express what they want with both words and gestures.

What are this month's milestones?

Gross Motor Skills:

Around this age, many children can walk without support and should have mastered squatting and getting back up again. You might notice them trying to run short distances even if their steps still feel a little wobbly. With your support, they may also begin tackling stairs. Throwing a ball forward becomes a new favorite way to play, even if they can't quite catch it when you toss it back. These activities are helping your child strengthen coordination, balance, and muscle control which are all essential foundations for the more complex movements that they'll soon explore.

Fine Motor Skills:

Smaller, more delicate movements are also becoming increasingly intentional. Around this time, your toddler may be able to stack four to six blocks into a tower. They'll continue to enjoy scribbling with crayons, exploring how their movements create color and shape. They’re likely experimenting with pushing and pulling toys and testing how lids, buttons, or small moving parts work. These everyday moments all help strengthen hand-eye coordination and finger control, laying the groundwork for future skills like drawing and writing.

Cognitive Development:

Your toddler’s thinking is becoming more creative and deliberate. You might see them pretending to cook, brushing a doll’s hair, or using objects in new ways that mirror what they see you do on a daily basis. They’re beginning to follow simple one or two-step directions such as “pick up your shoes and bring them to me”. At this point they can recognize familiar people, objects, and even photos. Sorting toys by shape or color becomes an engaging way to explore similarities and differences. Play, at this stage, is their way of learning; through repetition and imitation, they’re piecing together how ideas, actions, and objects connect.

Social-Emotional Development:

The social world is taking on new meaning for your toddler. As has been mentioned, your toddler will be imitating your words, actions, and gestures. They may often bring you toys or objects, which is their way of sharing their interests with you. Many children this age check to make sure you’re nearby while they play, showing growing trust and attachment. Asking them to help with small tasks, like putting toys into a bin, makes them feel capable and included. They’re also beginning to show more affection as well as a wider range of emotions from delight to frustration. These moments reflect their emerging sense of self and their understanding of how they relate to others.

Communication:

Language and self-expression are blossoming at this stage. Many toddlers around 19 months can say between 25 and 50 words and understand many more. They begin combining simple words like “more milk” or “bye mama”, and can follow short directions without needing gestures to guide them. You might see them point to objects or pictures when you name them, or use gestures alongside words, such as waving, nodding, or saying “no.” Some toddlers even start using pronouns like “I” or “mine,” showing an emerging sense of individuality. Each new word, gesture, or expression deepens their ability to connect with others.

At 19 months, your toddler is weaving together everything they’ve learned so far. They're moving with purpose, imitating your routines, and finding joy in simple discoveries. Their words more expressive, and their emotions easier to recognize. Each new skill reflects not only growth but a deeper understanding of how they fit into their world around them.

Work Cited:

1. “The Development and Shaping of the Brain.” Discovering the Brain,

2. “Understanding why your child’s brain is so amazing!” Parenting. Give it Time, Llywodraeth Cymru Welsh Government,

3. CDC, Developmental Milestones

4. Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Developmental Milestones: 18–24 Months.

5. Brown Health. Children’s Developmental Milestones: Gross and Fine Motor Skills.

   
   

How many of this month's milestones has your baby mastered?

Tracking your toddler’s 19-month milestones can give you a better sense of how they’re developing and where they’re headed next. Each milestone is a step forward in building independence and personality. With a Basic Membership for just $2 per month, you can track all 812 milestones your child is expected to reach by age 4. Stay on top of your baby’s progress and celebrate every exciting new skill along the way!

Create a free account with Fledglings' Flight and get access to 4820 screen-free, play-based exercises. That is 100-200 exercises each month that you can start doing with your baby from the day that they are born to help them to develop into the best version of themselves. In addition, your free account gives you access to 1200+ articles on child development to keep you informed while you help to navigate your child's developmental journey.