Toddler Development

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

Mastering new skills such as how to walk, talk, and use the potty are developmental milestones. It is exciting to watch your toddler learn new skills. The normal development of children aged 1-3 includes several areas:

• Gross motor - walking, running, climbing
• Fine motor - feeding themselves, drawing
• Sensory - seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling
• Language - saying single words, then sentences
• Social - playing with others, taking turns, doing fantasy play

Toddlers do not develop at the same rate. There is a wide range of what is considered "normal." Your child may be ahead in some areas and slightly behind in others. If you are worried about possible delays, talk to your child's health care provider.

Start Here

• CDC's Developmental Milestones (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Positive Parenting Tips: Toddlers (2-3 years old) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Toddler Growth and Development (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Your Child's Development: 1 Year (12 Months) (Nemours Foundation)
• Your Child's Development: 1.5 Years (18 Months) (Nemours Foundation)
• Your Child's Development: 15 Months (Nemours Foundation)
• Your Child's Development: 2 Years (24 Months) (Nemours Foundation)
• Your Child's Development: 2.5 Years (30 Months) (Nemours Foundation)
• Your Child's Development: 3 Years (Nemours Foundation)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Developmental and Behavioral Screening Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Developmental Monitoring and Screening (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF - In English and Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Physical Therapy (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Speech-Language Therapy (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)

Related Issues

• Creating a Toilet Training Plan (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Learning, Play, and Your 1- to 2-Year-Old (Nemours Foundation)
• Potty Training: Learning to Use the Toilet (Zero to Three)
• Separation Anxiety (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Stopping the Bottle (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Toddler Bedtime Trouble: Tips for Parents (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Toddlers and Breastfeeding (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• Toddlers and Sexual Behavior (Virtual Pediatric Hospital)
• Toilet Teaching Your Child (Nemours Foundation)
• Toilet Training and the Older Child (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• What Is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician? (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• 12 to 24 Months (Zero to Three)
• 24 to 36 Months (Zero to Three)
• Growth and Your 1- to 2-Year-Old (Nemours Foundation)
• Growth and Your 2- to 3-Year-Old (Nemours Foundation)
• Speech and Language Developmental Milestones (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) Also in Spanish

Videos and Tutorials

• Managing Your Toddler's Behavior (Nemours Foundation)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Child Development (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Neurodevelopment at Age 9 Years Among Children Born at 32 to...
• Article: Physical development of infants born to patients with COVID-19 during pregnancy:...
• Article: The contributions of motor skill proficiency to cognitive and social development...
• Toddler Development -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Growth Charts (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Also in Spanish
• KidsHealth (Nemours Foundation)

Patient Handouts

• Developmental milestones record - 12 months (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Developmental milestones record - 18 months (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Developmental milestones record - 2 years (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Developmental milestones record - 3 years (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Developmental Monitoring and Screening (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF - In English and Spanish
• Normal growth and development (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Toddler development (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Toilet training tips (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish