Your toddler at 17 months: pretend play and the first two-word phrases

Where a 17-month-old is

Pretend play begins in earnest: feeding a doll, putting a toy to sleep, stirring an empty pot, holding a block to the ear as a phone. It marks the ability to hold an idea separate from what is in front of them.

Speech: many children have ten to twenty-five words and some begin joining two — 'more milk', 'papa gone'. Others are still using few words and plenty of gestures, which remains within range until eighteen months.

Movement: running, walking backwards, climbing onto furniture, carrying large objects, and beginning to kick and throw with intent.

Feeding a toddler who eats nothing

The pattern is normal: eats well one day and almost nothing the next, prefers one food for a fortnight, refuses what they loved last week.

Structure fixes most of it: three meals and two snacks at fixed times, nothing but water between, milk capped at 400-500 ml a day, and no grazing. Constant snacking and milk on demand are the commonest reasons a toddler has no appetite at meals.

Eat together where possible, serve the same food, and stop commenting on how much is eaten. Children eat more when nobody is watching the plate.

Iron matters: dal, ragi, egg, greens, gud and chana in rotation, with a vitamin-C food alongside. Get haemoglobin checked if the child is pale, tired or eating poorly.

Language and play

Follow their attention rather than directing it: name what they are looking at, wait five seconds after speaking, and respond to any attempt — a sound, a gesture, a look — then expand it. 'Ball.' 'Yes, big red ball.'

Read daily, sing with actions, and play back-and-forth games. Turn-taking is the foundation of conversation.

Resist doing everything before they ask. Small kind gaps — pausing, looking expectant — create the need to communicate that drives speech.

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 17 months specifically: no words at all, no pointing or showing, no pretend play, not responding to their name, no interest in other children, loss of words previously used, or walking only on toes persistently.

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: He understands everything but says nothing. — Good comprehension is reassuring, and expressive delay still benefits from assessment. If there are no words by eighteen months, book a hearing test and a speech assessment rather than waiting.

Q: We speak three languages at home. Is that the reason? — No. Multilingualism does not cause speech delay, and removing a language costs family connection for no gain. Get the assessment.

Q: She eats only rice and curd. — Serve it as part of a plate that also has dal and a vegetable, without pressure, and keep the rest appearing. Restrictive phases pass if they are not fought over.

Q: Is a soother still okay? — Aim to phase it out by around two to reduce the effect on teeth and speech. Start with the daytime ones and keep it for sleep only.