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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2008) |
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A toddler is a child between the ages of one and three.[1][2]
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Contents
- 1 Toddler development
- 1.1 Developmental milestones and the toddler
- 1.2 Developmental milestones at 1 year of age
- 1.2.1 2 years
- 1.2.2 2½ years
- 1.3 Motor development
- 1.3.1 14 months
- 1.3.2 18 months
- 1.3.3 2 years
- 1.4 Vocalization and socialization
- 1.4.1 15 months
- 1.4.2 18 months
- 1.4.3 2 years
- 1.4.4 2½ years
- 1.5 Major learning events
- 1.5.1 Toilet training
- 1.5.2 Play (parallel play)
- 1.6 Squatting
- 1.7 Language
- 1.8 Emotions and self
- 2 Overview table
- 3 See also
- 4 References
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Toddler development
The toddler years are a time of great cognitive, emotional and social development. Toddler development refers to the changes that occur in children aged between 1 and 3 years. Change may occur as a result of genetic processes known as maturation, or may be due to environmental factors and learning. Usually it involves an interaction between the two.
Developmental milestones and the toddler
Normal vital parameters of toddlers
Blood Pressure
(mmHg) |
Systolic |
80-110[3] |
| Diastolic |
50-80[3] |
| Heart rate (BPM) |
90-140[3] |
| Respiratory rate |
20-40[3] |
Toddler development can be broken into a number of interrelated areas.[4] There is reasonable consensus about what these include:
Physical: Refers to growth or an increase in size. Gross motor: Refers to the control of large muscles, which enable walking, running, jumping and climbing. Fine motor: Refers to the ability to control small muscles, enabling the toddler to feed themselves, draw and manipulate objects. Vision: Refers to the ability to see near and far and interpret what is seen. Hearing and speech: Hearing is the ability to hear and receive information and listen (interpret). Speech is the ability to understand and learn language and use it to communicate effectively. Social: Refers to the ability to interact with the world through playing with others, taking turns and fantasy play.
Although it is useful to chart defined periods of development, it is also necessary to recognise that development exists on a continuum, with considerable individual differences between children. There is a wide range of what may be considered 'normal' development.
Developmental milestones at 1 year of age
At one year of age, the typical toddler will be able to display the following skills[5]:
PHYSICAL AND MOTOR SKILLS
- Triple the birth weight
- Grow to a height of 50% over birth length
- Have a head circumference equal to that of the chest
- Have one to eight teeth
- Pull to stand
- Walk with help or alone
- Sit down without help
- Bang two blocks together
- Turn through the pages of a book by flipping many pages at a time
- Have a pincer grasp
- Sleep 8 - 10 hours a night and take one to two naps
SENSORY AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
- Follows a fast moving object
- Can respond to sounds
- Responds to his or her name
- Understands several words
- Can say mamma, papa, and at least one or two other words
- Understands simple commands
- Tries to imitate animal sounds
- Connects names with objects
- Understands that objects continue to exist, even when they are not seen (object constancy)
- Points to objects with index finger
- Waves bye bye
- May develop attachment to a toy or object
- Experiences separation anxiety and may cling to parents
- May make brief journeys away from parents to explore in familiar settings
2 years
- Weight: about 11–13 kg
- Height: about 80–82 cm
Teeth: 12 temporary
2½ years
- Teeth: full set of 20 temporary
- Decreased need for naps
Motor development
14 months
- Walks well alone with wide based gait
- Creeps upstairs
- Builds of two blocks
- Drinks from a cup, uses spoon
- Enjoys throwing objects and picking them up
18 months
- Walks sideways and backwards, runs well, falls easily
- Climbs stairs or up on furnitures
- Scribbles vigorously, attempting a straight line
- Drinks well from a cup, still spills with a spoon
2 years
- Gross motor skills quite well refined, can walk up and down stairs on both feet, one step at a time while holding on to a rail
- Builds tower of five cubes
- Control of spoon well-developed
- Toilet trained during day time
Vocalization and socialization
15 months
- Can use 10-15 words
- Says "no" (see holophrasis)
- Indicates when diaper is wet
18 months
- Uses phrases composed of adjectives and nouns
- Begins to have temper tantrums
- Very ritualistic, has favorite toy or blanket, thumb-sucking may be at peak
2 years
- Vocabulary of about 350 words
- Obey simple commands
- Helps undress self and put on simple clothes
- Shows sign of increased autonomy and individuality
- Does not share possessions, everything "mine"
2½ years
- Begins to see self as separate individual; still sees other children as "objects"
Major learning events
Toilet training
- Psychological readiness
- Process training
- Parental response
Play (parallel play)
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (December 2010) |
- Child plays alongside other children but not with them
- Mostly free and spontaneous, no rules or regulations
- Attention span very short and change of toys occurs at frequent intervals
- Imitation and make-believe play begins by end of the second year
Games: throwing and retrieving objects
Suggested toys:
- Play furniture, dishes, cooking utensils, play telephone, puzzles with large pieces, pedal propelled toys, rocking horse, clay crayons, finger paints, pounding toys, blocks, push-pull toys, balls
Squatting
Main article: Squatting position
Young child playing at ease in a squatting position
Young children squat instinctively as a continuous movement from standing up whenever they want to lower themselves to ground level. One and two year olds can commonly be seen playing in a stable squatting position, with feet wide apart and bottom not quite touching the floor, although at first they need to hold onto something to stand up again.[6]
Language
Talking is the next milestone of which parents are typically aware. A toddler's first word most often occurs around 12 months, but again this is only an average. The child will then continue to steadily add to his or her vocabulary until around the age of 18 months when language increases rapidly. He or she may learn as many as 7-9 new words a day. Around this time, toddlers generally know about 50 words. At 21 months is when toddlers begin to incorporate two word phrases into their vocabulary, such as "I go", "mama give", and "baby play". Before going to sleep they often engage in a monologue called crib talk in which they practice conversational skills. At this age, children are becoming very proficient at conveying their wants and needs to their parents in a verbal fashion.
Emotions and self
There are several other important milestones that are achieved in this time period that parents tend to not emphasize as much as walking and talking. Gaining the ability to point at whatever it is the child wants you to see shows huge psychological gains in a toddler. This generally happens before a child's first birthday.
This age is sometimes referred to as 'the terrible twos',[7][8] because of the temper tantrums for which they are famous. This stage can begin as early as nine months old depending on the child and environment. Toddlers tend to have temper tantrums because they have such strong emotions but do not know how to express themselves the way that older children and adults do.[citation needed] They also throw tantrums to let others know that they are free and can do what they want.[citation needed] The toddler is discovering that they are a separate being from their parent and are testing their boundaries in learning the way the world around them works. Although the toddler is in their exploratory phase, it is also important to understand that the methods used by the parents for communicating with the toddler can either set off a tantrum or calm the situation.[9] This time between the ages of two and five when they are reaching for independence repeats itself during adolescence.[citation needed]
Self-awareness is another milestone that helps parents understand how a toddler is reacting. Around 18 months of age, a child will begin to recognize himself or herself as a separate physical being with his/her own thoughts and actions. A parent can test if this milestone has been reached by noticing if the toddler recognizes that their reflection in a mirror is in fact themselves. One way to test this is to put lipstick on the child's forehead and show them their own reflection. Upon seeing the out-of-the-ordinary mark, if the child reaches to her own forehead, the child has achieved this important milestone. Along with self recognition comes feelings of embarrassment and pride that the child had not previously experienced.
Overview table
The toddler developmental timeline shows what an average toddler can do at what age. Times vary greatly from child to child. It is common for some toddlers to master certain skills (such as walking) well before other skills (like talking). Even close siblings can vary greatly in the time taken to achieve each key milestone.
| Age |
Physical |
Mental |
Emotional |
| 12–14 months |
- Walk alone well.
- Drink from a cup (poorly).
- Turn pages in a book (a few at a time).
- Play ball by rolling or tossing it.
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- Uses one or two syllable words such as "ball" or "cookie"
- Can follow a simple command with an associated gesture, such as: bringing a cup to you when you point at it and say "Please bring me the cup".
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- Use gestures or words to convey objects, such as: Pointing at a book, raising arms to be picked up, or saying "cup".
- Mimic actions such as covering eyes while playing Peekaboo.
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| 15–18 months |
- Hold a crayon well enough to scribble.
- Lift cup up to mouth for drinking.
- Climb onto furniture.
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- Uses 10–20 words.
- May be able to follow a command without a gesture.
- Stack two blocks.
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- Address others with greetings.
- Mimic parental activities such as cleaning up or talking on a telephone.
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| 19–24 months |
- Feed self with a spoon.
- Run.
- Climb into a small chair.
- Walk up steps.
- Helps with dressing: Likes to dress and undress self.
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- Speaks 20–50 words; understands many more
- Stack six blocks
- Understands non-physical relationships such as turning on lights or pushing buttons.
- Sorting toys.
- Searching for hidden objects.
- Problem solving through experimentation.
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- Wants to be independent at times. Will throw a tantrum or possibly say no.
- Mimics social behavior such as hugging a teddy bear or feeding a doll.
- Self recognition.
- Displays attachment.
- Separation anxiety.
- Can play turn-taking games.
- Begins to be ready for toilet learning
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| 25–36 months |
- Advanced mobility and climbing skills.
- Increased dexterity with small objects, puzzles.
- Able to dress oneself.
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- Speaking in sentences.
- Ability to be independent to primary care giver.
- Easily learns new words, places and people's names.
- Anticipates routines.
- Toilet learning continues
- Plays with toys in imaginative ways.
- Attempts to sing in-time with songs.
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- Knows boys from girls.
- Shows preferences, such as clothes and entertainment.
- Knows how to play different games.
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See also
- Baby walker
- Child development stages
- Early childhood
- Early childhood education
- Sign language in infants and toddlers
References
- ^ Barker, Robin (2001) The Mighty Toddler: The essential guide to the toddler years, Pan Macmillan Australia, Sydney, p1.
- ^ Leiberman, Alicia F, (1993) The Emotional Life of the Toddler, The Free Press, New York, p1.
- ^ a b c d PEDIATRIC AGE SPECIFIC, page 6. Revised 6/10. By Theresa Kirkpatrick and Kateri Tobias. UCLA Health System
- ^ Barker, Robin (2001) The Mighty Toddler: The essential guide to the toddler years, Pan Macmillan Australia, Sydney, p19.
- ^ Feigelman S. The first year. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chapter 8 quoted in Developmental milestones record - 12 months MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
- ^ Slentz K, Krogh S Early Childhood Development and Its Variations (2001)
- ^ "The Terrible Twos Explained - Safe Kids (UK)". Safe Kids. http://www.safekids.co.uk/terrible-twos-explained.html. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
- ^ "UKfamily and Raisingkids have closed". Ukfamily.co.uk. http://ukfamily.co.uk/community/adviceopedia/baby-toddler/behaviour/terrible-twos.html. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
- ^ "Toddlers World". Archived from the original on 2011-02-07. http://web.archive.org/web/20110207105113/http://toddlers-world.com/.
Preceded by
Infancy |
Stages of human development
Toddlerhood |
Succeeded by
Childhood |
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Human development: Biological • Psychological
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| Pre- and perinatal |
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Biological
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Prenatal development · Embryo · Fetus
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Psychological
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Pre- and perinatal psychology
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| Infancy |
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Biological
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Infant
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Psychological
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Infant and child psychology
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| Childhood |
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Biological
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Child development · Child development stages · Toddler
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Psychological
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Infant and child psychology · Preadolescence
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| Adolescence |
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Biological
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Puberty
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Psychological
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Youth development · Adolescent psychology
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| Young adulthood |
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Psychological
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Young adult (psychology)
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| Middle adulthood |
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| Maturity |
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Biological
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Ageing · Senescence
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Psychological
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Old age
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| Legal and general definitions |
Minor (law) · Infancy · Child · Childhood · Adolescence · Age of majority · Adult
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| Theorists and theories |
Bowlby—attachment · Bronfenbrenner—ecological systems · Erikson—psychosocial dev. · Freud—psychosexual dev. · Kohlberg—moral dev. · Piaget—cognitive dev. · Vygotsky—cultural-historical psych. · Evolutionary developmental psychology
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