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Taking Care of Toddlers
Growth and Development
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Toddlers
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Toddlers are children between the ages of one and three
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The name toddlers come from the unsteady walk that this age
of children has
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZiNvBS7Ruo
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Physical Growth
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Toddlers will continue to grow taller and heavier
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Bones and muscles become stronger
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The toddler’s spine will become more erect
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Toddlers will begin to lose some of the “baby fat” that they
had as infants
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They will also lose the sway back that causes the cute belly at
age 3
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Physical Changes
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The biggest change in a toddler’s life is the ability to move
around quickly
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Most toddlers will walk around one year old, although some
may not start until almost 16 months old
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In the beginning, a toddler’s walk is unsteady and uneven
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Toddlers will have to practice all major gross motor skills in
order to perfect them
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Gross Motor Milestones
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By the age of one the biggest milestone will be walking
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At two, toddlers should be able to balance on one foot and
jump with both feet off of the ground (at the same time)
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At age three, toddlers should be able to skip
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Gross motor skills involve large muscle groups and often
include skills such as running, jumping, and balance
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8GJGHnmZ1Y
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Gross Motor Skills
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Around age one, toddlers will begin to climb as much as
possible
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It is important to let toddlers practice this skill in an
appropriate and safe place (playgrounds, rock walls, etc)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9yvmw97210
Children are always able to get down from places where they
have climbed unaccompanied, although it may take longer
At age two, most toddlers can operate wheeled toys such as
tricycles and sitting cars
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Hand Coordination
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Toddlers will learn to throw a ball, although the technique
requires practice and aim will be inaccurate
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydCOCPgNe_8
Catching, a skill that requires more hand eye coordination,
will be more challenging
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Fine Motor Skills
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Fine motor skills are those that use smaller muscle groups
such as those in the hands
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Toddlers will eat with a spoon around 15- 22 months
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Around the same time, toddlers will begin to practice sipping
out of a cup
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Toddlers can begin to open doorknobs and jars/lids that are
not tightly closed
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Some toddlers may begin to stack blocks and lace beads on
string
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Eating Habits
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Toddlers are notoriously picky eaters
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Some toddler become carb loaders and prefer only one or
two items consistently (such as mac and cheese and bread)
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There are many different ways to encourage toddlers to eat a
variety of foods
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Encouraging Healthy Eating
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Offer a healthy meal, and if it is refused, set it aside until the
toddler is hungry enough to comply
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Add secret nutrients by pureeing veggies or fruit and adding
it to favorite items (pureed spinach in pasta sauce)
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Make healthy food look appealing for children
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Encouraging Healthy Eating
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In your groups, brainstorm some ways to make healthy food
look appealing, and use the markers and paper to illustrate
your ideas
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Intellectual Growth
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Toddlers are experiencing a language explosion- adding
new vocabulary at a rapid rate
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Because of this language explosion, toddlers will often
shorten difficult words
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Ex. Nana instead of Grandma
Toddlers can understand many more words than they can say
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To test a toddler’s knowledge of colors, they may have to point to
the correct answer instead of saying “yellow”
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After their second birthday, toddlers are better able to speak in
complete sentences
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Toddler Language
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wdt-yBN76uw
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Intellectual Growth
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Toddlers begin to problem solve to achieve goals
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Ex. If a toddler sees a toy they want on the counter top, they may
move a chair to stand on in order to get the toy
Toddlers will begin to compare objects
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Toddlers will begin to learn to classify objects orally
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Ex. Toddlers can sort by color or shape
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Intellectual Growth
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Toddlers, although they are learning quickly, do not yet
grasp the concept of volume
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If a toddler looks at a full skinny glass and a half full very fat
glass, which ever one is higher they will assume has more in
it
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Example
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Social and Emotional Growth
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Toddlers care most about their parents and caregivers
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Toddlers begin to use parallel play at around 1-2 and
imaginative and peer play closer to 3
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Toddlers are beginning to build their own self concept
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They no longer think that they are the same person as their parent
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Erik Erikson
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Erik Erikson calls the toddler phase 2-3, and labels it the age
of AUTONOMY VS. SHAME AND DOUBT
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It is important for Toddlers to recognize that they can
accomplish things on their own
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Dressing themselves, feeding themselves
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They need to know that when they say no, as long as it is
reasonable, they will be respected
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Toddlers will either gain confidence in their abilities or learn to
doubt themselves and have a sense of shame about their
inadequacies
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Tantrums
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Toddlers have tantrums, in part, because they are attempting
to have this autonomy
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When trying to convince a toddler to comply with you, you
will be more successful if you give them choices
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Ex. Do you want to run to the car, or walk, or skip?
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Ex. Would you like to brush your teeth first or get dressed?
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Ex. Would you like to wear this shirt or this one?
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqKv6g9GBtE
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Tantrums
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Toddlers do not have complete control over their emotions
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You should not expect a toddler to calm down in a full blown
tantrum just because you ask them to or give them a
consequence
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As long as the toddler is safe, allow them to throw their fit and
then come back later to discuss
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6NzGj1eWc0
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Scenario
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You are at the grocery store with a 2 year old you are
babysitting. The toddler asks for candy, and when you say no
he starts to cry loudly and ask you over and over. When you
again say no, he falls on the floor and kicks and screams
loudly.
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What do you do?