What to Expect in the Toddler Years?

The toddler years are precious moments in your child’s life. It is the phase when your baby has grown a bit older but not yet a full-time kid. These adorable years are the time when you cannot stop laughing at the mischievous acts of your child. As a doting parent, the toddler years of your young one never ceases to amaze you. On a daily basis, you marvel at how you could create such a beautiful angel. However, the toddler years are not all fun and frolic. There are also food throwing, tantrums flying, the possessiveness, and much more naughtiness from your innocent toddler. And if you are a first-time parent, you may often wonder what to expect in the toddler years.

Let us tell you one thing – it is going to be a lot of work and less play! Since you took the decision of bringing a new member to the world, it is now YOUR responsibility to embrace the tantrums and unending love.

What is the toddler years?

As much as you want to hold the time and wish with all your heart to keep your baby as a baby for a very long time, your little angel does need to grow up. From carrying your baby nine months in your womb to seeing the angelic little face for the first time as a newborn, and witnessing the first eleven months of your baby’s life, it is now time to face the music. Your baby is technically not a baby anymore when your child reaches 1-year-old. Your adorable cherub is now a toddler. Toddler years start at one year old and end at three years old.

The developmental landmarks of your toddler

When your child reaches the first year of living, there are interrelated aspects of life that can happen during toddler development. Your precious toddler grows in body size, and the muscles are becoming strong enough to allow your child to run, dance, walk, climb, jump, and do normal things that a toddler loves to do. Toddlers learn the ability to understand and interpret what they see and hear during these years. And it is also notable that toddlers are developing their social skills and play fantasy games on their own or with playmates. Changes are inevitable, but you must understand that growth and development do not happen overnight. There is a certain progress window for each stage.

One year

Once your child reaches one year of age, you should be able to see the following developments:

Physical

• Height is doubled from the date of birth
• Weight is three times more the birth weight
• Circumference of the head is the same with the chest
• Can stand alone while pulling something
• Can sit down with no assistance
• Walk alone or with someone
• Teeth count reaches up to 8
• Clash two objects
• Tighter grasp
• Flipbook pages
• 8-10 hours of sleep and up to two nap times

Intellectual

• Run after moving objects
• Respond when called by name
• Can say “dada”, “mama”, and other variations
• Recognize sounds
• Comprehend words
• Follow simple instructions
• Imitates sounds
• Associates objects and names
• Understands object permanence
• Explores surrounding
• Possessiveness of toys
• Point at things
• Waves with hands
• Clingy

Two years

When your toddler is two years old, the developments from the first year continues to develop in the second year. At two years old, your treasured toddler weighs around 11 to 13 kilograms, around 80 to 82 centimeters tall, and has 12 temporary teeth. And in two years and a half, you will notice that your beloved small human has a complete set of 20 temporary teeth. Also, this is the stage when your child does not need long naps anymore.

Three years

The 36th month of your child’s life is the end of the toddler years. By this age, your little angel can determine a boy from a girl, play games, and develop taste for favorite clothes and toys. Your toddler can speak sentences and knows what a routine is. This is the time when you have to be very careful in watching your child since curiosity always gets the better of toddlers. You may find that you have turned away for a second and next thing you know, your adorable mischievous toddler is already on top of the table.

The gradual development in toddler years

Every child has different development levels. Some are more advanced than other toddlers, and some are slow in their growth physically, mentally and emotionally. It is essential that you exercise exceptional patience when you deal with your toddler. Never compare your child to another toddler, since you may feel resentment towards yourself or your little human. And when you feel negative emotions, they tend to creep out of your system and manifest in masked ways. Be aware of the stages of a toddler’s life, and watch fondly how your baby grows into a toddler. Cherish this time because they will never happen again.

Healthy food introduction

The toddler stage of your young one is the best time for you to influence the food preference of your child. Yes, no toddler has impeccable table manners, but just be patient and feed your cherished toddler with healthy foods. Careful on the sugar and make it a point to prepare only nutritious food like vegetables and fruits. Take note that the toddler years are the foundation of your kid’s healthy lifestyle. Help your child develop a positive taste for healthy foods, so subconsciously your toddler will grow up liking greens and fruits.

Final Words

Being a parent to an adorable toddler is a blessing that is unmatched by any material object in this world. The toddler years are your greatest opportunity to mold your child into a good person. You will notice that your toddler constantly defies your authority and do whatever comes to mind. Do not reproof your child intensely since this phase is yet the time when your child can understand and feel remorse. Rather, guide your child through doing good things and eating healthy foods. Show good examples and don’t tolerate bad behaviors by telling your child “no”, “it is bad”, and other similar terms. Most of all be a model parent to your toddler.