Toddler - wikipedia Toddler This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. ( Learn how and when to remove these template messages ) This article may be in need of reorganization to comply with Wikipedia 's layout guidelines. Please help by editing the article to make improvements to the overall structure. ( April 2013 ) This article 's lead section does not adequately summarize key points of its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. Please discuss this issue on the article 's talk page. ( April 2013 ) Part of a series on Human growth and development Stages Human embryogenesis Fetus Infant Toddler Early childhood Child Preadolescence Adolescence Adult Middle age Old age Biological milestones Fertilization Childbirth Walking Language acquisition Puberty Menopause Ageing Death Development and psychology Pre - and perinatal Infant and child Adolescent Youth Young adult Adult Maturity Developmental stage theories Attachment Ecological Psychosocial Psychosexual development Moral Cognitive Cultural - historical Evolutionary Human body portal Vincent van Gogh, First Steps, after Millet Toddlers in a kibbutz A toddler is a child 12 to 36 months old. The toddler years are a time of great cognitive, emotional and social development. The word is derived from `` to toddle '', which means to walk unsteadily, like a child of this age. Contents 1 Developmental milestones 2 One year old 2.1 Physical and motor skills 2.2 Sensory and cognitive development 3 Two years old 4 Two and half years old 5 Motor development 5.1 14 months 5.2 18 months 5.3 Two years 6 Vocalization and socialization 6.1 15 months 6.2 18 months 6.3 Two years 6.4 21⁄2 years 7 Major learning events 7.1 Toilet training 7.2 Play ( parallel play ) 8 Squatting 9 Language 10 Emotions and self - image 11 Overview 12 See also 13 References 14 External links Developmental milestones Learning to walk pushing a wheeled toy Normal vital parameters of toddlers Blood Pressure ( mmHg ) Systolic 80 -- 110 Diastolic 50 -- 80 Heart rate ( BPM ) 90 -- 140 Respiratory rate 20 -- 40 Toddler development can be broken down into a number of interrelated areas. There is reasonable consensus about what these areas may include : Physical : growth or an increase in size. Gross motor : the control of large muscles which enable walking, running, jumping and climbing. Fine motor : the ability to control small muscles ; enabling the toddler to feed themselves, draw and manipulate objects. Vision : the ability to see near and far and interpret what is seen. Hearing and speech : the ability to hear and receive information and listen ( interpret ), and the ability to understand and learn language and use it to communicate effectively. Social : 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 recognize that development exists on a continuum, with considerable individual differences between children. There is a wide range of what may be considered ' normal ' development. However, according to experts, there are specific milestones that should be achieved by certain ages and stages in life in order to properly grow and develop. One year old 12 - month - old toddler sitting in a bucket At one year of age, the typical toddler will be able to display the following skills : Physical and motor skills A typical one - year - old toddler 's body proportions 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 Learning to eat independently Follows a fast moving object Can respond to sounds Responds to his or her name Understands several words Can say mama, 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 permanence ) 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 Two years old Weight : about 11 -- 13 kg Height : about 80 -- 82 cm Teeth : 12 temporary Two and half years old Learning to ride a toy car Teeth : full set of 20 temporary Decreased need for naps Becoming inquisitive Motor development Running and falling 14 months Using a spoon Walks well alone with wide based gait Creeps upstairs Builds with 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 furniture Scribbles vigorously, attempting a straight line Drinks well from a cup, still spills with a spoon Two years Gross motor skills are quite well refined, can walk up and down stairs on both feet with 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 Two years Vocabulary of about 350 words Obeys simple commands Helps undress self and put on simple clothes Shows sign of increased autonomy and individuality Does not share possessions -- everything `` mine '' as in the `` Toddler 's Creed '' : `` If I want it, it 's mine. If I give it to you and change my mind later, it 's mine. If I can take it away from you, it 's mine. If I had it a little while ago, it 's mine. If it 's mine it will never belong to anyone else, no matter what. If we are building something together, all the pieces are mine. If it looks like mine, it 's mine. '' -- Burton L. White in his Raising a Happy, Unspoiled Child 21⁄2 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 ) This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( 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 on to something to stand up again. 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 - image 23 - month - old crying girl There are several other important milestones that are achieved in this time period that parents tend not to 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 '', 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. They also throw tantrums to let others know that they are free and can do what they want. 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. Research has shown that parents with histories of maltreatment, violence exposure, and related psychopathology may have particular difficulty in responding sensitively and in a developmentally appropriate manner to their toddlers ' tantrums and thus may benefit from parent - child mental health consultation. This time between the ages of two and five when they are reaching for independence repeats itself during adolescence. 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 the rouge test : putting lipstick on the child 's face and showing them their own reflection. Upon seeing the out - of - the - ordinary mark, if the child reaches to his or her own face, 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 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. 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 saying `` 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 eyes while playing Peekaboo. 15 -- 18 months Hold a crayon well enough to scribble. Lift cup up to mouth for drinking. Climb onto furniture. 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. 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. 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 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 25 -- 36 months Advanced mobility and climbing skills. Increased dexterity with small objects, puzzles. Able to dress oneself. 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. Knows boys from girls. Shows preferences, such as clothes and entertainment. Knows how to play different games. See also Child development stages Early childhood Early childhood education Sign language in infants and toddlers References Jump up ^ `` toddler ''. The Free Dictionary. Jump up ^ Barker, Robin ( 2001 ) The Mighty Toddler : The essential guide to the toddler years, Pan Macmillan Australia, Sydney, p1. Jump up ^ Lieberman, Alicia F, ( 1993 ) The Emotional Life of the Toddler, The Free Press, New York, p1. Jump up ^ Brown, Stephanie ( December 19, 2015 ). `` What Is the Definition of a Toddler ? ''. verywell.com, an About.com site. About, Inc. Retrieved November 13, 2016. The term toddler comes from the way that children first walk, which is at first unsteady and more like a toddle than actual walking. ^ Jump up to : PEDIATRIC AGE SPECIFIC, page 6. Revised 6 / 10. By Theresa Kirkpatrick and Kateri Tobias. UCLA Health System Jump up ^ Barker, Robin ( 2001 ) The Mighty Toddler : The essential guide to the toddler years, Pan Macmillan Australia, Sydney, p19. Jump up ^ Toddler growth, Gold Learners Jump up ^ 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 ^ Jump up to : Burton L. White, Raising a Happy, Unspoiled Child ( Simon and Schuster ( Fireside Book ), 1995 ), 161. Jump up ^ Slentz K, Krogh S Early Childhood Development and Its Variations ( 2001 ) Jump up ^ `` The Terrible Twos Explained - Safe Kids ( UK ) ''. Safe Kids. Retrieved 2010 - 12 - 08. Jump up ^ Kuersten - Hogan, Regina ; McHale, James P. ( 1998 ). `` Talking About Emotions During the Toddler Years and Beyond : Mothers ' and Fathers ' Coaching of Children 's Emotion Understanding ''. Infant Behavior and Development. 21 : 514. doi : 10.1016 / s0163 - 6383 ( 98 ) 91727 - 1. ISSN 0163 - 6383. Jump up ^ Fields - Olivieri, Margaret A. ; Cole, Pamela M. ; Maggi, Mirella C. `` Toddler Emotional States, Temperamental Traits, and their Interaction : Associations with Mothers ' and Fathers ' Parenting ''. Journal of Research in Personality. 67 : 106 -- 119. doi : 10.1016 / j. jrp. 2016.05. 007. ISSN 0092 - 6566. Jump up ^ `` Toddlers World ''. Archived from the original on 2011 - 02 - 07. Jump up ^ Gudmundson, Jessica A. ; Leerkes, Esther M. `` Links Between Mothers ' Coping Styles, Toddler Reactivity, and Sensitivity to Toddler 's Negative Emotions ''. Infant Behavior and Development. 35 ( 1 ) : 158 -- 166. doi : 10.1016 / j. infbeh. 2011.07. 004. ISSN 0163 - 6383. Jump up ^ Schechter DS, Moser D, Wang Z, Marsh R, Hao XJ, Duan Y, Yu S, Gunter B, Murphy D, McCaw J, Kangarlu A, Willheim E, Myers M, Hofer M, Peterson BS ( 2012 ). `` An fMRI Study of the Brain Responses of Traumatized Mothers to Viewing their Toddlers During Separation and Play ''. Journal of Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. 7 ( 8 ) : 969 -- 79. doi : 10.1093 / scan / nsr069. External Links The dictionary definition of toddle at Wiktionary Media related to Toddlers at Wikimedia Commons Preceded by Infancy Stages of human development Toddlerhood Succeeded by Childhood Human biological and psychological development Before birth Embryo Fetus After birth Infant Toddler Early childhood Childhood Child Preadolescence Adolescence Adulthood Middle age Old age Definitions Minor Age of majority Events and phases Gestational age Prenatal development Birth Child development stages Cognitive development of infants Human development Adult development Puberty Ageing Senescence Death Developmental psychology Antenatal Positive youth development Young adult Positive adult development Maturity Theorists and theories Freud ( 1856 -- 1939 ) ( Psychosexual development ) Piaget ( 1896 -- 1980 ) ( Theory of cognitive development ) Vygotsky ( 1896 -- 1934 ) ( Cultural - historical psychology ) Erikson ( 1902 -- 1994 ) ( Psychosocial development ) Bowlby ( 1907 -- 1990 ) ( Attachment theory ) Bronfenbrenner ( 1917 -- 2005 ) ( Ecological systems theory ) Kohlberg ( 1927 -- 1987 ) ( Stages of moral development ) Commons ( b. 1939 ), Fischer ( b. 1943 ), Kegan ( b. 1946 ), Demetriou ( b. 1950 ), and others ( Neo-Piagetian theories of cognitive development ) Evolutionary developmental psychology Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Toddler&oldid=816254618 '' Categories : Childhood Squatting position Hidden categories : Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages Wikipedia articles needing reorganization from April 2013 Wikipedia introduction cleanup from April 2013 All pages needing cleanup Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from April 2013 All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify Articles with multiple maintenance issues All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from December 2014 Articles needing additional references from December 2010 All articles needing additional references Articles with unsourced statements from December 2010 Talk View source Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Deutsch فارسی 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia मराठी Nederlands Polski Русский Sicilianu Simple English Svenska Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 20 December 2017, at 06 : 23. 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Question: when does a baby officially become a toddler
Answer: 12 to 36 months old