Understanding Toddler Development

Understanding Toddler Development

20 Sep 2021 | 4 min Read

Babychakra

Author | 1369 Articles

Your little one is now a toddler. You must be surprised to see how quickly time flies. At this stage of development, it is very essential that a healthy development not only means a physical development of a child. Rather it also includes social and emotional development, too. A safe and happy family including loving parents and siblings, and a healthy environment is all that a toddler needs for its healthy development.

What defines a toddler?

Technically, a child who toddles is called a toddler. So, once your baby starts walking on his own, even staggering, he is a baby. Toddlers range in age from 1 year to two years. These years are a learning phase for a toddler as he learns new skills every day, such as walking, talking, using the toilet and gradually becoming independent.

What are the major toddler milestones?

Toddlers keep on surprising their parents by doing new things daily. Their first step, first word, first non-verbal interaction with the peers and family is always memorable. One of the major toddler milestones are walking and talking.

  • Walking – Ideally, a toddler should start walking within the age of 12 months to 18 months. But don’t worry if your child is taking extra time to walk independently. As he grows, your toddler will start walking independently, running and pulling the toys. In general, medical experts do not suggest using any special equipment for any physical development. Thus, do not use walkers for your toddler to let them learn how to walk independently. This kind of special equipment makes a toddler dependent on them and thus leads to delay in achieving milestones.
  • Talking – Most children utter their first words at the age of 10 months and some even do it by 14 months. So, instead of stressing your child to speak right at the age of 10 months, it will be good if you focus on the other alternative ways to help your child speak. Toddlers use several ways to express themselves. They sometimes use pointers, or sometimes gibber to tell others what they are feeling. Thus, keep communicating with your toddler and allow him to express himself, too. You can use picture books, wherein you can talk about the bright colours, animals, and weave out the story as well. This sort of communication will help your child to understand how he can express himself correctly.

What can my child do at the age of 12 months?

The toddlers between the age of 12 to 18 months are called young toddlers. They start uttering a few basic and small words and exhibit the social behaviour of others. They also demonstrate certain basic life skills such as feeding themselves by spoon, picking objects and throwing balls.

What can my child do at the age of 2 years?

By the age of 2, toddlers get familiar with their surroundings and the languages spoken in their family. Thus, they are able to understand and form a few short sentences. Physical skills get more developed such as walking up the stairs, throwing and kicking the ball. By this age, a toddler gets potty trained, too.

What can my child do at the age of 3 years?

The older toddler gets more confident in his basic skills like walking and talking. They can jump and run as well as hold a crayon to scribble on the paper. At this stage, toddlers can recognise shape, colours, numbers and alphabets.

What should I do if my child is not reaching its milestones?

If you’re concerned that your toddler isn’t developing the skills, or if slower than the other at this age, trust your instincts. The first thing is to consult with a pediatrician who deals with developmental issues in children. Discuss your concerns with your developmental pediatrician very clearly. If you’ve a concern, despite your doctor saying okay, schedule a follow-up. Ask your pediatrician what you can do over the next three months period of time and then make an appointment to review again. If your child needs further evaluation, find a local early intervention center to evaluate his gross motor development, fine motor development, and speech and hearing abilities.

 

 

#babygrowthanddevelopment #growthmilestones

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