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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.
Diagnosis and Tests
- Developmental 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
- Separation Anxiety (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Stopping the Bottle (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Terrible Twos: Why Are 2-Year-Olds So Difficult? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Thumb Sucking: Help Your Child Break the Habit (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Toddler Bedtime Trouble: Tips for Parents (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
- Toddler Reading Time (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Toddlers and Sexual Behavior (Virtual Pediatric Hospital)
- Toddlers: Learning by Playing (Nemours Foundation)
-
Toilet Training: MedlinePlus Health Topic
(National Library of Medicine)
Also in Spanish
- What Is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician? (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
Specifics
- 12-15 Months: Your Child's Development (Zero to Three) - PDF
- 15-18 Months: Your Child's Development (Zero to Three) - PDF
- 18-24 Months: Your Child's Development (Zero to Three) - PDF
- 30-36 Months: Your Child's Development (Zero to Three) - PDF
- Baby Brain Map (Zero to Three)
- Brain Development (Zero to Three)
- Emotional Development: 1 Year Olds (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
- Growth and Your 1- to 2-Year-Old (Nemours Foundation)
- Growth and Your 2- to 3-Year-Old (Nemours Foundation)
- Learning to Write and Draw (Zero to Three)
- Nurturing Your Child's Development from 24 to 36 Months (Zero to Three)
-
Speech and Language Developmental Milestones
(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
Also in Spanish
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Exposure to environmental toxicants and young children's cognitive and social development.
- Article: Effect of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and weekly gestational weight gain on...
- Article: Support for parents of deaf children: Common questions and informed, evidence-based...
- 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
(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 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