Pediatrics
NCLEX® practice.

Free practice set · 1 questions

1 more free pediatrics NCLEX-RN® practice questions

Real questions from the same bank the app serves. Pick an answer in your head, then open the rationale to see why the correct option holds and why each other option falls short. No account needed for these.

1. Question 1 of 1 · Preschool, School-Age & Adolescent Care

   A nurse is caring for a 14-month-old infant at a well-child visit. The infant's weight, length, and head circumference are tracking steadily along established growth curves, and the infant has 6 wet diapers and 2 soft stools per day while eating table foods and drinking whole milk from a cup. The mother reports the infant babbles but only cruises along furniture and has not yet walked independently. Which finding should the nurse recognize as a developmental red flag requiring further follow-up?

   1. AThe infant drinks whole milk and eats table foods
   2. BThe infant has 6 wet diapers and 2 soft stools per day
   3. CThe infant is not yet walking independently at 14 months
   4. DThe infant babbles but does not yet say clear words
   Show the answer and rationale

   Correct answer: C. The infant is not yet walking independently at 14 months

   Independent walking is expected by about 12 to 15 months, with most infants walking well by 18 months; failure to walk independently by 18 months is a recognized red flag warranting developmental referral, so cruising without independent steps at 14 months should prompt the nurse to monitor closely and plan follow-up rather than assume the toddler will simply catch up. Babbling at 14 months is age-appropriate language development, since clear two-word phrases are not expected until around 24 months, so this option describes normal, not delayed, language and should not be flagged as concerning. Drinking whole milk from a cup and eating table foods three times daily is exactly the expected feeding pattern after 12 months of age, so this reflects appropriate, not abnormal, nutrition. Six wet diapers and two soft stools daily reflect adequate hydration and normal elimination, not a sign of dehydration or illness, so this finding should reassure rather than concern the nurse. The correct recognition rests on identifying which single finding falls outside the expected milestone timeline for this exact age, distinguishing normal variation from a true red flag that changes the plan of care.

   A. The infant drinks whole milk and eats table foods

   Whole milk and table foods are the appropriate diet after 12 months of age. Labeling this normal feeding pattern as concerning reflects a misunderstanding of age-appropriate nutrition, not a true abnormal finding.

   B. The infant has 6 wet diapers and 2 soft stools per day

   Six wet diapers and two soft stools daily indicate adequate hydration and normal elimination. Flagging this as worrisome ignores that these values fall within the expected normal range for this age.

   C. The infant is not yet walking independently at 14 months

   Most infants walk independently by 12 to 15 months, and failure to do so by 18 months is a recognized delay needing evaluation. At 14 months with only cruising, this is the correctly identified red flag to track.

   D. The infant babbles but does not yet say clear words

   Babbling without clear words is normal at 14 months; two-word phrases are not expected until around 24 months. Treating this as a red flag misapplies a later milestone to this age band.