Toddler
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A toddler is a child approximately 1 to 3 years old, though definitions vary.[1][2][3] 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.[4]
Developmental milestones
Blood Pressure ( mmHg ) |
Systolic | 80–110[5] |
Diastolic | 50–80[5] | |
Heart rate ( BPM ) |
90–140[5] | |
Respiratory rate | 20–40[5] |
Toddler development can be broken down into a number of interrelated areas.[7] 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 interpret), and the ability to understand and learn language and use it to communicate effectively.[8]
- 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.[9][10] 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.[11] Medical experts also point out that children develop in their own time and suggest that carers should not worry too much if a child fails to reach all the milestones for their age range. Premature birth or illness during infancy may also slow down a young child's development.[12]
Below follows a rough breakdown of the kinds of skills and attributes which young children can be expected to have developed by different points during the toddler period. Citations for the information given are provided here.[13]
Aspects | One year old | Months after first birthday | 18 months old | Two years old | Two and a half years old |
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Physical and motor |
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Intellectual and social |
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Early milestones and intelligence
It has long been known that markedly late achievement of
Toilet training
- Readiness: The Azrin and Foxx method of toilet training introduced the first set of objective criteria for determining whether a child is prepared to begin toilet training. The child should be physiologically and psychologically capable. Physiologic preparedness describes the ability of the child to perform tasks necessary for toilet training such as controlling their anal and urethral sphincter, sitting upright, and walking. Psychological readiness describes the child's motivation to become toilet trained and their ability to understand and follow directions.[20]
- Process training.[21]
- Parental response.
Squatting
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.[22]
Language
Talking is the next milestone of which parents are typically aware. A toddler's first word often occurs around 12 months, but this is only an average.[23] 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".[citation needed] 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.
"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."
Poem about the social lives of young children written by Burton L. White in his Raising a Happy, Unspoiled Child[14]
Emotions and self-image
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.[citation needed]
This age is sometimes referred to as "the terrible twos",[24] 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.[25] Immediate causes can include physical factors such as hunger, discomfort and fatigue or a child's desire to gain greater independence and control of the environment around them.[26] 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.[27][28] 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.[29][30] This time between the ages of two and five when they are reaching for independence repeats itself during adolescence.[citation needed]
See also
- Child development stages
- Early childhood
- Early childhood education
- Sign language in infants and toddlers
References
- ^ "toddler". The Free Dictionary.
- ^ Barker R (2001). The Mighty Toddler: The essential guide to the toddler years. Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia. p. 1.
- ^ Lieberman AF (1993). The Emotional Life of the Toddler. New York: The Free Press. p. 1.
- ^ Brown S (December 19, 2015). "What Is the Definition of a Toddler?". verywell.com. 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.
- ^ a b c d PEDIATRIC AGE SPECIFIC, page 6. Revised 6/10. By Theresa Kirkpatrick and Kateri Tobias. UCLA Health System
- ^ Lewsley, Joanne (February 2019). "Developmental milestones: walking".
- ^ Barker, Robin (2001) The Mighty Toddler: The essential guide to the toddler years, Pan Macmillan Australia, Sydney, p19.
- ^ "Age-Appropriate Speech and Language Milestones". Stanford Children's Health. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
- .
- ^ Jaeger G (20 February 2019). "Your Child's Developmental Milestones: Why it's 'Normal' to be Different". Retrieved 2020-10-08.
- ^ Toddler growth, Gold Learners
- ^ "Child Development". KIDS- Child development website associated with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. 17 December 2017.
- ^ 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
- ^ a b White BL (1995). Raising a Happy, Unspoiled Child. Simon and Schuster [Fireside Book]. p. 161.
- PMID 17487877.
- S2CID 51718533.
- PMID 28198006.
- PMID 31990952.
- ^ "Early Milestones, Smarter Child?". Retrieved 2021-06-20.
- PMID 17764212.
- ^ "The Complete Toilet Learning Guide | The SOEL Way". SOEL. 2018-04-23. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
- ^ Slentz K, Krogh S Early Childhood Development and Its Variations (2001)
- ^ "Child talking timeline". babycentre.
- ^ "The Terrible Twos Explained - Safe Kids (UK)". Safe Kids. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
- ISSN 0163-6383.
- ^ "Temper Tantrums (for Parents) - Nemours KidsHealth". kidshealth.org. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
- PMID 28479643.
- ^ "Toddlers World". Archived from the original on 2011-02-07.
- PMID 21903276.
- PMID 22021653.
External links
- Media related to Toddlers at Wikimedia Commons
- The dictionary definition of toddler at Wiktionary
- The dictionary definition of toddlerhood at Wiktionary