Toddler Milestones: What to Expect in the Second Year
Gain an understanding of toddler milestones, and learn what to expect in your child’s second year: physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development.
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Watching your baby grow and develop is one of the most rewarding experiences for any parent. Long before your baby utters her first word, she has already started communicating with you using smiles, looks, movements, and sounds.
Children develop at different rates but usually can do certain things at certain ages. Here are the key toddler milestones in the second year.
What are the Milestones for a 1 to 2-Year-Old?
Language and Communication Toddler Milestones
- Following Simple Commands: Toddlers can follow simple commands when the adult speaks and gestures, and later with words alone.
- Naming Objects: They begin to point to objects so you will say their name. When asked, they can name a few everyday objects and pictures.
- Enjoy Pretending: They enjoy pretending, such as pretend cooking and will use gestures and words with you or a favourite stuffed animal or doll.
- Talking: By age 2, toddlers usually begin talking in short sentences with two to four words.
Social and Emotional Toddler Milestones
- Copying Adults and Children: They like to copy adults and other children.
- Excitement and Independence: They get excited when socialising with other children and show signs of being more independent, sometimes even defiant, as they push boundaries.
Cognitive Toddler Milestones
Cognitively, toddlers make leaps in understanding their environment and problem-solving.
- Sorting and Identifying: Toddlers start to sort shapes and colours and can recognise familiar body parts and people.
- Following Instructions: They can follow simple and two-step instructions and complete sentences in familiar books.
- Imagination: They begin playing simple make-believe games and building towers with four or more blocks.
Movement and Physical Development Toddler Milestones
Physical development is marked by increased mobility and coordination.
- Running and Climbing: By age 2, most toddlers can run, kick a ball, throw a ball overhead, and climb up and down from furniture without assistance.
- Drawing: They can make or copy straight lines and circles, developing fine motor skills.
What Should a One and Half-year-old Know?
Emotional and Social Development
At 18-24 months, toddlers experience new emotions and social interactions.
- Feelings: They begin to feel and express new emotions like anger, frustration, guilt, shame, possessiveness, and excitement.
- Separation Anxiety: Although separation anxiety peaks around 18 months, it usually starts to settle by two years. They might still want to stay near you, a familiar adult, or a sibling.
- Empathy: They show affection by giving kisses or hugging dolls, which is part of developing empathy.
Everyday Skills
Independence in everyday tasks becomes more apparent.
- Feeding Themselves: Toddlers learn to feed themselves using a spoon, cup, and maybe even a fork, with fewer spills than before.
- Dressing: They might try to help when getting dressed and undressed and can often take off socks, shoes, and clothes without buttons.
- Toilet Training: From 2 years on, toddlers might show signs of being ready for toilet training, though some may show signs earlier, around 18 months.
Playing and Learning
Play is crucial as this is how children learn and develop.
- Pretend Play: Toddlers start imagining and creating through pretend play, such as pretending to drink from a cup or sweeping the floor with a branch.
- Social Play: They enjoy spending time with siblings and other children, even if they don’t play directly with others.
Language Skills
Language development continues to flourish.
- Talking: Toddlers enjoy talking and might have up-and-down tones in their speech. They learn new words regularly and might name and point at familiar objects, people, and body parts.
- Understanding and Speaking: By two years, they can say I, you and me and use sentences with 2-3 words. They understand simple sentences and instructions and often repeat words they overhear.
Movement
Physical activities are more advanced.
- Walking and Running: Toddlers usually walk by 18 months and begin to run. They can walk up and down stairs or climb furniture with help.
- Throwing and Kicking: They enjoy throwing and kicking a ball, scribbling with pencils or crayons, and building small towers of blocks.
Key Toddler Milestones for 18-24 Months
Communication and Language Skills
- Try to say three or more words (besides mama and dada)
- Follow one-step directions
- Use 10-25 words
- Respond to questions
- Produce speech-like sounds (babbling), maybe singing along to a song in tone, if not words
- Understand the concepts of in and on
- Point to people when named and identify objects in a book
Movement and Physical Development
- Walk without holding on to anyone or anything
- Climb on and off a chair or couch without help
- Drink from a cup without a lid and may spill sometimes
- Use their fingers and maybe a spoon to eat
- Scribble
Social and Emotional Development
- Point to show you something interesting
- Move away from you, but look to make sure you are close by
- Put hands out to get them washed
- Help with getting dressed by pushing their arm through a sleeve or lifting a foot
- Look at a few pages in a book with caregivers
Cognitive Skills (Thinking and Learning)
- Copy you doing chores, like sweeping
- Play with toys, like pushing a toy car
Fine Motor Skills
As they near 18 months, it becomes easier for toddlers to manipulate objects.
- Drinking and Eating: They should be able to drink from a cup, eat with a spoon, and stack two objects or blocks
- Drawing: Hold a crayon and scribble a line.
Understanding toddler milestones in the second year helps parents support their children’s growth and development. Watching your child achieve these milestones is a thrilling journey, providing opportunities to guide and nurture their budding skills. Each milestone is a testament to their growth, showcasing their unique progress and potential.
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