Is it normal for a 13 month old to recognize and remember this many things?

Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask if what my 13 month old is doing is within the normal range, or if it’s something a bit unusual.

My little one (13 months old) absolutely loves looking at picture books, especially ones with animals, objects, fruits, vegetables, etc. He can say about 20 words, which I think is pretty normal for his age.

What really surprised me recently is how much he remembers from those books. When we read together, he can point to every animal, fruit, or object I name, and not just from one specific book. For example, if I say “elephant” or “apple,” he’ll point to it right away.

Last week I realized he seems to memorize everything he sees in those books. If there’s something new, like a chameleon, I’ll name it and show it to him. Then the next day (and even days later), he’ll remember it and can point to it immediately when I ask.

To make sure he wasn’t just remembering the pictures from one book, I got a few other books with completely different illustrations, and he still recognizes the same animals and objects, even though they look different.

What amazes me even more is that if there’s a page with, say, five different pictures (for example, elephant, pot, tree, apple, and bed — and “bed” is new to him), and I ask him to point to the bed, he always points to the one he doesn’t know yet, almost like he’s using a process of elimination.

At this point he probably knows around 300 things, from pliers to bus, almost all zoo and forest animals, and he points to them in real life too, even if he can’t say the word yet.

Is this kind of recognition and memory typical for this age? This is our first child so I have no real comparison.

Thanks in advance!