By 15 months many toddlers climb stairs with hands and knees and come down backwards or on their bottom. Scribbling also appears: the AAP lists making marks with a crayon among the fine motor skills of this period, and it is a first sign that the hand and the eye are working as a team. The grip is a whole-fist hold, and the lines have no shape. Both skills are about coordination and confidence, not neatness. A child who climbs and marks is building the same control that later writes letters.

Between 14 and 18 months, toddlers start to follow simple two-step directions, such as go to your room and bring the ball. The AAP checks this kind of comprehension at the 15-month visit, because understanding comes before speech. A toddler this age also points to ask, follows where you look, and learns that words stand for things that are not there. If a child hears a language at home and another outside, both count and the total grows faster, not slower. Comprehension is the foundation the vocabulary will stand on.

By 15 months most toddlers can feed themselves finger foods and are learning to use a spoon, though spills are the norm. The AAP encourages letting children practice self-feeding, because it builds hand control and a sense of autonomy at the same time. Appetite is still smaller than a parent expects, and growth in the second year is slower, so a few bites can be a full meal. Pressure to eat backfires at this age and can turn a fussy phase into a lasting standoff. Offer, do not push.

Night terrors and nightmares are different, and the difference changes what you do. A night terror happens in deep sleep, often in the first hours after bedtime. The child may scream, sit up, or thrash with open eyes but is not awake and will not remember it. A nightmare comes later in the night during dreaming sleep and the child wakes, seeks you, and can recall the fear. The AAP notes that both are common in toddlers and usually outgrow themselves. Night terrors are more common when a child is overtired.

Fear becomes real around 15 months because a toddler can now hold a picture in mind of something that is not there. That is why the dark, the vacuum, a stranger, or a masked character at a party can suddenly terrify a child who was fine last month. The AAP says this is a normal step in imagination, not a weakness, and it usually eases as language grows and the child can name the fear. Forcing a scared toddler toward the thing makes the fear stronger. Comfort first, then a slow, optional approach.

A fever with no runny nose, cough, or rash is common in toddlers and is usually viral. The AAP defines a fever as 38 C (100.4 F) or higher and says how a child looks matters more than the number. Many mild viral fevers peak on day two or three and settle within three days. A fever with no other symptom can also signal a urinary or ear infection, so a doctor may want to check. Red flags: a fever over three days, a listless toddler, or one who will not drink.

At the 15-month visit the AAP checks language, walking, self-feeding, and social pointing. Hearing should be reviewed if words are not growing, and ear infections are a common hidden cause of a language stall. Your toddler may be due for vaccines depending on the schedule, so bring the card. Sleep is also on the agenda, because the move from two naps to one often happens in this window and can disturb nights for a few weeks.