Your 13-Month-Old: Milestones, Sleep, Activities & More

After your child’s first birthday, you have officially reached toddlerhood. The toddler phase is full of exciting milestones, developmental changes, and even a few words! Your toddler is walking, talking, and growing right before your eyes! 

You’re probably wondering what to expect during this new phase of your child’s development. Read on to learn more about your 13-month-old, including 13-month milestones, sleep schedules, feeding schedules, activities, and more.

13 Month Milestones

You can look forward to your toddler reaching these 13-month milestones soon.

• Changes their play to imitate friends (starts making block towers when peers do so)
• Can take a few steps without support
• Uses two to three everyday objects for their intended use (like drinking from cup or dialing a phone)
• Uses an object as a tool to pull or push another object
• Moves a body part when asked to
• Follows the beat of a song by clapping or pounding on an instrument
• Answers simple questions with gestures, behavioral changes, or words
• Uses an object properly after observing an adult (like holding a phone to their ear and simulates talking after seeing their mom on a call)
• Goes from sitting to standing without any help

Remember that every child reaches their 13-month milestones in their own time, and if your toddler was a preemie, then you should always refer to their adjusted age for developmental timelines. 

Download the Kinedu App to track all of your child’s milestones and progress!

13-Month-Olds Need Sleep 

At 13 months old, your toddler’s sleep is critical to all of their new milestone developments as well as healthy brain development. When toddlers are asleep, their bodies are saving energy, which allows them to gain weight and grow. 

With the right amount of sleep, your little one can wake up rested and ready to explore their surroundings and with enough energy to practice their physical milestones and learn about the world that surrounds them.

Your 13-month-old toddler needs a recommended 11-14 hours of sleep a day. We know that every child is different and may sleep a little more or a little less at this age. Keep in mind that experts recommend a sleep range that does not fall below 9-16 hours of sleep a day.

At this stage of your child’s life, they should still be napping once a day in the afternoon for 1-2 hours and sleeping at night for 10-12 hours. 

For more information or help with your 13-month-old’s sleeping habits, you can download Kinedu for free and join expert-led baby sleep classes.

13-Month-Old Feeding Schedule

 Your child has probably been eating solid foods since they were 6 months old. If you are still breastfeeding your toddler, you can continue nursing them on the schedule that works for you both

At 13 months, your child needs around 1000 calories a day and it is recommended that you break them up into three meals and two snacks each day. Remember that eating schedules and solid food are still a new and exciting experience for your little one, and consistency is key to adopting a successful 13 month-old feeding schedule. 

Every family and child will have different needs and different times that work for them. A very basic eating schedule at 13 months old would look like this:

• 7:00: Wake Up
• 7:30: Breakfast
• 10:00: Morning snack
• 12:30: Lunch
• 1:30: Nap time
• 3:30: Afternoon snack
• 5:30: Dinner
• 7:00: Bedtime

You should focus on introducing a variety of nutritious foods to your 13-month-old in appropriate portion sizes. Encourage, but never force your toddler to eat during meal times. Each child is different and every mealtime will be different. 

Toddler appropriate portion sizes include:

Grains

• 1/4 to 1/2 slice of bread
• 1/2 muffin or bagel
• 1/4 cup cooked pasta or grains
• 1/4 cup of dry cereal
• 1 to 3 crackers 

Fruits

• 1/2 piece fresh fruit
• 1/4 cup cooked or canned fruit

Vegetables

• 1 tablespoon cooked vegetables per year of age
• 1/4 a small raw vegetable, cut into age-appropriate pieces

Dairy

• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/3 cup of yogurt
• 1/2 ounce of cheese (a tablespoon of grated cheese, half of a slice, or a 1-inch cube)

Protein

• 1 to 2 ounces meat or tofu (about two to four 1-inch cubes or 2 to 4 tablespoons of ground meat)
• 1/2 to 1 egg
• 2 to 4 tablespoons beans or legumes

Activities For 13-Month-Old Toddlers That Support Their Development

The toddler stage is a fun and exciting time! You and your 13-month-old can engage in a number of simple, fun, games and activities that encourage them to express their personalities and explore the world around them in new and profound ways!

You can help to encourage your toddler’s cognitive, physical, and linguistic development by spending time each day introducing them to different activities for 13-month-olds that are exciting and designed to help them grow!

Don’t forget to download the Kinedu app to access over 1,800 activities created by experts in Early Childhood Development!

Bubbles

• Development: Cognitive
• Goal: To learn about cause and effect with bubbles.
• Skills Practiced: Imitating
• Supplies Needed: 
  • Sponges
  • Water
  • Large Container

How To:

Fill a large container with water and hand your toddler a sponge or a rubber toy. Show your child that when the sponge is submerged and squished, bubbles appear! Your little one will learn to associate that if they want more bubbles to appear, they need to let the sponge absorb air and then squish it inside the water again. This activity will teach them about cause and effect with bubbles!

Everyday Objects

• Development: Linguistic
• Goal: To help your child understand the use of everyday objects, fostering their comprehension skills. 
• Skills Practiced: Language comprehension
• Supplies Needed: 
  • Doll
  • Everyday objects like a cup, a phone, and a brush

How To:

For this 13 month-old activity, find a place to sit with your toddler. Take out a doll and a few everyday objects, for example, a cup, a phone, and a brush. Show them to your child one by one. Say the name of each object and remind them how to use it. Ask them simple questions about it and see if you can encourage your little one to answer with gestures or a word. Use the doll to exemplify how to use the objects and let your little one try it too. You can try this exercise with different objects around the house. This activity will stimulate your child’s language comprehension and sense of independence.

Expressions

• Development: Cognitive
• Goal: To imitate facial expressions
• Skills Practiced: Imitating

How To:

 Start by sitting in front of your 13-month-old. Tell them to observe your face carefully. Show your toddler how to move his tongue and mouth. Now, ask them to try to imitate you making the same movements. You can have a lot of fun making funny faces and taking turns imitating each other!

Walking On Different Textures

• Development: Physical
• Goal: To stimulate your baby’s sense of touch by walking on different surfaces.
• Skills Practiced: First steps
• Supplies Needed: 
  • Fabrics with Different Textures

How To:

To complete this activity, let your toddler walk barefoot over different textures like paper, napkins and fabrics. Watch out for their reactions. Are they hesitant to step on the textures, are they curious, do they like it? This activity will stimulate your child’s sense of touch and help them to continue working on their motor skills as well.

There is so much to look forward to at every age of your child’s life, and toddlerhood is no different! Have fun and remember to enjoy every minute!

For access to more than 1,800 activities for your child and to get expert advice and guidance through every stage of your little one’s development, download the Kinedu app today.