Toddler

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Toddler

Toddler is a common term for a young child who is learning to walk. The toddling stage is generally considered to be the stage of development between infancy

Infant

An infant or baby is the term used to refer to the young offspring of humans....
and childhood

Childhood

Childhood is a broad term usually applied to the phase of Human_development_ in humans between Infant and adulthood....
. Toddling usually begins between age 12 and 24 months. During the toddler stage, the child learns a great deal about social roles and develops motor skills. To toddle is to walk unsteadily; the term cruising is sometimes used for toddlers who cannot toddle but must hold onto something while walking.

This age is sometimes referred to as 'the terrible twos', because of the temper tantrum

Tantrum

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Encyclopedia

Toddler is a common term for a young child who is learning to walk. The toddling stage is generally considered to be the stage of development between infancy

Infant

An infant or baby is the term used to refer to the young offspring of humans....
and childhood

Childhood

Tantrum

A tantrum is an emotional outburst of ill humor or a fit of bad temper wherein the higher brain functions are unable to stop the emotional expression of the lower brain functions....
s for which they are famous. This stage can begin as early as nine months old depending on the child and environment. 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. This time between the ages of two and five when they are reaching for independence repeats itself during adolescence.

On average, a child begins walking around 12 months of age, although this can greatly vary depending on the child's motivation, culture, and physical strength. Children who constantly have adults bring them what they desire all the time are less likely to have the desire to walk. The varying values and lifestyles of different cultures also commonly have an effect on the age that walking is achieved.

Talking is the next milestone of which parents are typically aware. A toddler's first word

Word

A word is a unit of language that represents a concept which can be expressively communication with Meaning . A word consists of one or more morphemes which are linked more or less tightly together, and has a phonetic value....
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". At this age, children are becoming very proficient at conveying their wants and needs to their parents in a verbal fashion.

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.

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, she has achieved this important milestone. Along with self recognition comes feelings of embarassment and pride that the child had not previously experienced.

Most children are toilet trained

Toilet training

Toilet training, or potty training, is the process of training a young child to use the toilet for urination and defecation. In Western countries it is usually started and completed between the ages of 12 months and three years....
while they are toddlers. In most Western countries, toilet training starts as early as 17 months for some, while others are not ready to begin toilet training until they are three. Two important indicators of toilet training readiness are whether a child understands the concept of using the toilet and whether they have any control over excreting waste. This can be a frustrating time for parents. The parents who are willing to put forward the most time and encouragement are the ones that succeed the quickest. Some toddlers can learn this task in a week, while some take two or three months.

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.

Overview table

Age	Physical	Mental	Emotional
12–14 months	walk alone well. Drink Drinking Drinking is the act of consuming water through the mouth. Water is required for many of life?s physiological processes. Both excessive and inadequate water intake are associated with health problems.... from a cup (poorly). Turn pages in a book Book A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of paper, parchment, or other material, usually fastened together to hinge at one side.... (a few at a time). Play Play (activity) paly is when you have fun...of mind in engaging with one's world view. Play refers to a range of Free will, Motivation#Intrinsic_and_extrinsic_motivation motivated activities that are normally associated with pleasure and enjoyment.... ball Ball A ball is a round object with various uses. It is usually sphere but can be ovoid. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players.... by rolling or tossing it.	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".	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 eye Eye Eyes are Organ that detect light, and send signals along the optic nerve to the visual system and other areas of the brain. Complex optical systems with resolving power have come in ten fundamentally different forms, and 96% of animal species possess a complex optical system.... s while playing Peekaboo Peekaboo Peekaboo is a game similar to hide and seek, but played with baby. In the game, the older player hides their face, pops back into the baby's view, and says — to the baby's amusement — Peekaboo! I see you!... .
15–18 months	Hold a crayon Crayon A crayon is a stick of colored wax, charcoal, chalk, or other materials used for writing and drawing. A crayon made of oiled chalk is called an oil pastel; when made of pigment with a dry binder, it is simply a pastel.... well enough to scribble Scribble A scribble is a drawing composed of random and Abstract art lines, generally without ever lifting the drawing device off of the paper. Scribbling is most often associated with young children and toddlers, because their lack of hand-eye coordination and lower mental development often make it very difficult for any young child to keep their col... . Lift cup up to mouth Mouth The mouth, buccal cavity, or oral cavity is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food and begins digestion by mechanically breaking up the solid food particles into smaller pieces and mixing them with saliva.... for drinking. Climb Climb In aviation, the term climb refers both to the actual operation of increasing the altitude of an aircraft and to the logical phase of a typical flight following take-off and preceding the cruise, during which an increase in altitude to a predetermined level is effected.... onto furniture Furniture Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects which may support the human body , provide storage, or hold objects on horizontal surfaces above the ground.... . Uses 10–20 words. May be able to follow a command without a gesture. Stack two blocks.	Address others with greetings. Mimic parental activities such as cleaning up or talking on a telephone Telephone The telephone is a telecommunications device that is used to transmitter and receive electronically or digitally encoded sound between two or more people conversing.... .
19–24 months	Feed self with a spoon Spoon A spoon is a utensil consisting of a small shallow bowl, oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery , especially as part of a table setting, it is used primarily for serving and eating liquid or semisolid food , and solid foods such as rice and cereal which cannot easily be lifted with a fork.... . Run. Climb into a small chair Chair A chair is used to sit on, commonly for use by one person. Chairs often have the seat raised above floor level, supported by four legs. A back or arm rests in a stool, or when raised up, a bar stool or high chair .... . Walk up steps. Helps with dressing: Likes to dress and undress self.	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.	Wants to be independent at times. Will throw a tantrum or possibly say no. Mimics social behavior Behavior Behavior or behaviour refers to the action s or reactions of an object or organism, usually in Relational theory to the environment. Behavior can be conscious or Unconscious mind, overt or covert, and voluntary or involuntary.... such as hugging Physical intimacy Physical intimacy is sensual proxemics and/or touching. It can be enjoyed by itself and/or be an expression of feelings which people have for one another.... a teddy bear Teddy bear The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. It is an enduring, traditional form of a stuffed animal, often serving the purpose of comforting children.... or feeding a doll Doll A doll is an object that represents a baby or other human being, but includes likenesses of animals and imaginary creatures. Dolls have been around since the dawn of human civilization, and have been fashioned from a vast array of materials, ranging from stone, clay, wood, bone, cloth and paper, to porcelain, china, rubber and plastic.... . Self recognition. Self reference. Displays attachment Attachment theory Attachment theory, originating in the work of John Bowlby, is a psychological, evolutionary and Ethology theory that provides a descriptive and explanatory framework for understanding interpersonal relationships between human beings.... . Separation anxiety Separation anxiety 'Separation anxiety' may refer to:Separation anxiety disorder or Separation anxiety test... . Can play turn-taking game Game A game is a structured wiktionary:activity, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from Manual labour, which is usually carried out for wiktionary:remuneration, and from art, which is more concerned with the expression of ideas.... s. Beginning be ready for toilet learning
25–36 months	Advanced mobility and climbing skills. Increased dexterity with small objects, puzzles. Able to dress oneself.	Speaking in sentence Sentence (linguistics) In linguistics, a sentence is a grammatical unit of one or more words, bearing minimal syntactic relation to the words that precede or follow it, often preceded and followed in speech by pauses, having one of a small number of characteristic intonation patterns, and typically expressing an independent statement, question, request, command, et... s. 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 song Song A song is a musical musical composition which contains vocal parts that are performed, 'sung,' and feature words , commonly accompanied by musical instruments .... s.	Knows boys from girls. Shows preferences, such as clothes and entertainment. Knows how to play different games.

Toddler

Overview table

See also