Academy · Prevention · Pediatrics
A calm guide to what happens now—and what matters at home.
Use this page to prepare for the visit, understand what may be due, and focus on the few daily actions that matter most as infancy becomes toddlerhood.
Visit overview
The 12-month visit checks how your child is growing and developing, addresses what may be due in medical care, and helps daily life adjust to a newly mobile toddler.
First pillar
Second pillar
What happens at the visit
The order may vary, but a routine 12-month visit brings these core parts together.
01
Health changes, caregiver questions, feeding, sleep, behavior, family life, childcare, and safety.
02
Weight, length, and head size are plotted over time, followed by a complete age-appropriate examination.
03
Movement, communication, social connection, hearing, vision, and any loss of skills are reviewed.
04
Emotional and behavioral screening is routine; iron, lead, and other testing depend on guidance and history.
05
The vaccine record is reviewed. Due vaccines, fluoride varnish after tooth eruption, and dental-home planning are addressed.
06
Feeding, play, sleep, relationships, exposure avoidance, injury prevention, and the next visit are discussed.
Growth and development at 12 months
Measurements are compared with your child’s earlier growth. Development is watched through conversation, play, movement, and your observations.
Plotted on the growth chart.
Measured lying down at this age.
Tracked through 24 months.
Around 12 months
Waves bye-bye and plays games such as pat-a-cake.
Around 12 months
Uses a special name such as mama or dada and briefly pauses when told “no.”
Around 12 months
Puts an object into a container and looks for a hidden object.
Around 12 months
Pulls to stand, moves while holding furniture, and uses thumb and finger to pick up small items.
Speak up promptly
Do not wait for the next scheduled screening if your child loses a skill or you are worried about movement, hearing, vision, communication, or social connection.
Screening and vaccines at 12 months
The labels below are intentional: a risk-based item should not be read as something every child automatically needs.
A standardized parent-completed screen is recommended at 12 months.
Development is reviewed at every visit. Formal developmental and autism-specific screening are scheduled at 18 months.
Eyes and alignment are examined. Instrument screening may be used when available.
Timing depends on whether the child has mainly received human milk or formula and on individual risk. AAP and USPSTF guidance differs.
Testing is universal at 12 and 24 months for children enrolled in Medicaid. Otherwise it depends on local programs and exposure risk.
Testing is for specific exposure, travel, household, immune, or epidemiologic risks—not every 12-month-old.
Hearing is watched through milestones and concerns. Risk factors or concern lead to audiology; there is no routine objective test at 12 months.
Vaccines
MMR
First dose, usually between 12 and 15 months.
Varicella
First dose, usually between 12 and 15 months.
Hepatitis A
The two-dose series begins between 12 and 23 months.
Pneumococcal (PCV)
A routine booster is usually due between 12 and 15 months.
Hib
A booster is due between 12 and 15 months; the dose number depends on the earlier product series.
Influenza is seasonal. Polio and hepatitis B doses may already be complete or may fall in the 6–18-month window. DTaP is ordinarily due at 15–18 months but may be given at 12 months when the required interval has passed. The complete record and current schedule determine what is actually due.
AAP and CDC wording differs for 2025–2026 COVID-19 vaccination, so the two recommendations should not be treated as one rule. RSV prevention with nirsevimab depends on season, age, prior protection, and qualifying risk factors.
Safety at 12 months
Increasing mobility makes the home environment part of preventive care.
Car
Keep the car seat rear-facing while your child remains within the manufacturer’s rear-facing limits.
Falls & burns
Use stair gates and window guards; move hot liquids and cookware out of reach.
Water
Stay within reach near water; empty tubs and buckets and use secure pool barriers.
Choking
Modify or avoid hard, round, or large foods and supervise eating.
Poisoning
Lock medicines, cleaners, and toxins in their original containers. U.S. Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222.
Firearms
Store firearms locked and unloaded, with ammunition stored separately.
Daily life at 12 months · Contrada second pillar
At 12 months, the most meaningful lifestyle domains are feeding, play, sleep, responsive relationships, and avoiding harmful exposures.
Nutrition
Encourage floor play, crawling, cruising, standing, and walking practice. Pediatric guidance does not set a structured daily exercise target for this age.
Sleep needs bridge infancy and toddlerhood at this transition: 12–16 or 11–14 hours in 24 hours, including naps. Keep a consistent bedtime routine and safe sleep through 12 months.
Talk, read, sing, and play every day. Predictable routines and responsive caregiving support regulation; separation anxiety and stranger wariness can be expected at this age.
Avoid secondhand and thirdhand smoke, nicotine, and e-cigarette aerosol. Avoid impaired caregiving, assess environmental toxin risks, and avoid screen media before 18 months except interactive video chatting.
Next steps
The next routine visit is planned for 15 months.
Next routine visit
Growth, development, feeding, safety, and the vaccine record are reviewed again. DTaP dose 4 is ordinarily due during the 15–18-month window.
After that
Routine standardized developmental screening and autism-specific screening are scheduled.
Until the next visit: make feeding changes safely, childproof for mobility, build a sleep routine, and establish dental care.
References & review
This family guide was last reviewed August 10, 2026. It is educational and does not replace individualized clinical care.
Evidence reviewed includes guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, CDC/ACIP, USPSTF, CMS/Medicaid, and Bright Futures. Where recommendations differ, those differences are identified explicitly.
