Your toddler at 14 months: more words, more opinions, less nap

Where a 14-month-old is

Walking is steadier for most, with squatting to pick things up and carrying objects while moving — a real feat of balance. Stairs are attempted, usually with more confidence than skill.

Words: typically three to ten used with meaning, plus pointing, head-shaking and pulling you toward what they want. Understanding runs far ahead — most follow a two-part instruction with a gesture.

Fine motor: stacking two or three blocks, scribbling with a fat crayon, feeding themselves with a spoon and considerable mess, and turning the pages of a board book.

The nap question

Somewhere between fourteen and eighteen months most children move from two naps to one. The signs: fighting the morning nap, or taking it and then refusing the afternoon one, or taking both and then refusing bedtime.

Move gradually — push the morning nap later by fifteen minutes every few days until it merges into one early-afternoon nap of one and a half to two and a half hours. Expect a rough fortnight and an earlier bedtime during it.

Do not drop naps altogether. An overtired toddler sleeps worse at night, not better, and the afternoon nap usually continues to around three years.

Tantrums and language

Tantrums peak between eighteen months and three years and start now. They are a brain overwhelmed by a feeling with no words attached — which is exactly why they fade as language grows.

The most useful thing you can do for both tantrums and speech is narrate: name what they are doing, name what they want, name the feeling. 'You wanted the ball. You are angry.' Feeling understood shortens a meltdown measurably.

Read every day, sing, and keep screens minimal — no screens before eighteen months to two years beyond video calls. Passive video does not teach language at this age; you do.

When to see a doctor

Same-day at any age: fast or laboured breathing, the chest sucking in, blue lips; a fit; a child who is floppy, drowsy or hard to wake; no urine for six to eight hours or signs of dehydration; a rash that does not fade when pressed; repeated forceful or green vomiting; blood in stool or vomit; a swollen tender abdomen; or a head injury with vomiting or drowsiness. Call 108 for breathing difficulty.

At 14 months specifically: not walking with support, no words at all, no pointing or gestures, not responding to their name, no pretend play emerging, or a marked preference for using only one hand.

And at any age, the loss of a skill a child already had — words, walking, waving, eye contact — needs an assessment rather than a wait.

This article is general information, not medical advice, and is no substitute for personal medical advice. For any decision about your or your child's health, please consult your doctor.

Frequently asked questions

Q: She only says two words. Is that enough? — At fourteen months, yes, if she understands plenty, points, gestures and interacts. Understanding and gestures matter more than word count at this age.

Q: He refuses the morning nap but is wrecked by 11 a.m. — Classic transition. Push the morning nap later in small steps, offer an earlier bedtime meanwhile, and expect two weeks of mess.

Q: How do I handle the biting? — Attend to the bitten child first, say 'no biting' flatly to yours, and give the word they needed. See our hitting-and-biting guide; it is a communication problem at this age.

Q: Is it too early for a toothbrush? — No. Brush twice a day with a rice-grain smear of fluoride toothpaste, and do it for them — small hands cannot until about seven.