Toddler Development

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Basics

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

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

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Research

• 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

• Developmental Milestones (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)

Latest News

• When Adults Show Determination, Babies Copy (09/21/2017, HealthDay)
• How Preschoolers Begin Learning the Rules of Reading, Spelling (08/07/2017, HealthDay)

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)
• Thumb Sucking: Help Your Child Break the Habit (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• 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)
• Cognitive Development: One-Year-Old (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• Cognitive Development: Two-Year-Old (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Emotional Development: 1 Year Olds (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Emotional Development: 2 Year Olds (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• Growth and Your 1- to 2-Year-Old (Nemours Foundation)
• Growth and Your 2- to 3-Year-Old (Nemours Foundation)
• Language Development: 1 Year Olds (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Language Development: 2 Year Olds (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Learning to Write and Draw (Zero to Three)
• Movement and Coordination (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Nurturing Your Child's Development from 24 to 36 Months (Zero to Three)
• Social Development: 1 Year Olds (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Social Development:: 2 Year Olds (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• 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: Global Disability: Empowering Children of all Abilities.
• Article: Concurrent development of facial identity and expression discrimination.
• Article: Preconception Micronutrient Supplementation with Iron and Folic Acid Compared with...
• Toddler Development -- see more articles

Reference Desk

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

Find an Expert

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

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