Toddler Physical and Motor Development
The term toddler typically refers to a child between the ages of one and two, and usually used for a child just beginning to walk, according to the National Network for Child Care (NNCC). Significant physical growth and development occurs during this time frame, which is part of the reason these little ones swing from pure joy at the mastery of a new skill to sheer rage when frustrated.
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Development of Fine Motor Skills
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Toddlers refine and practice many of the fine motor skills, or small muscle skills, that were started in infancy, which is a critical aspect of development because this stage builds the foundation for more complicated tasks such as writing, reading and even personal hygiene, according to the National Childcare Accreditation Council (NCAC). Fine motor skill milestones for toddlers include stacking blocks, starting to self-feed and beginning to color or draw. Parents and caregivers can encourage the continuing development of a toddler's fine motor skills by encouraging the toddler to play with dress-up clothes, safe utensils such as cups or cooking trays or toys of different sizes, according to NCAC.
Development of Gross Motor Skills
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Toddlerhood is a time of significant refinement or improvement of gross motor skills, or large muscle skills. During this time, toddlers transition from an uneasy, tottering walk to running and jumping according to the MentalHelp website. Complex gross motor skills such as throwing and kicking also start to emerge.
Parents and caregivers should note that this growing physical development often does not mesh with mental development, and therefore, babyproofing and vigilance remain important. For example, toddlers may run into a few walls or step into dangerous situations because their brain simply can not get the message to stop moving to their body fast enough, according to MentalHelp.
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Growth Rate
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Unlike the rapid increases in size that occur during infancy, the growth rate for toddlers slows, according to the KidsHealth website. Toddlers typically only gain three to five pounds per year, and this growth typically occurs in spurts unlike the steady increases of an infant. The size of the child's head will not grow as much during the toddler years as it did during his first year of life, according to the website.
Potty Training
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On average, most children master the potty right after the toddler years. Girls tend to become potty trained around 29 months and boys around 31 months, according to the University of Michigan Health System. Significant physical developments take place during the toddler years that enable potty training: At around age two, many children start to feel uncomfortable by wet or soiled diapers, according to the National Network for Childcare (NNCC). Toddlers also start to learn to recognize the physical urges that signal potty time, according to the MentalHelp website. Somewhere around 18 months, children's sphincter muscles reach maturity, according to Potty Training Concepts, which is a critical physical development because a child cannot voluntary delay excretion until this occurs. However, though many toddlers may be physically ready to use the potty, there are other emotional and cognitive changes that must occur for the child to go by herself, which generally occur between the ages two and three.
Appearance
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Toddlers' increased activity also plays a role in changing their appearance. Since toddlers use more of their muscles as a result of developing gross motor skills, they start to gain the longer, leaner look of a little child rather than the soft, round look of an infant, according to KidsHealth. The increased activity also causes a toddler to slim down and lose his chubbier baby look. The changing look will coincide with a toddler reaching gross motor skill milestones such as walking or running. However, parents and caregivers can expect the appearance changes closer to the toddler's second birthday, according to KidsHealth.
Physical Development of the Brain
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While toddlers experience a range of mental developments, their brains are also literally growing and developing physically. During the toddler years, nerve cell connections increase to 1,000 trillion, double the amount present at birth, and the brain grows in complexity according to the Riley Hospital for Children.
Teeth
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Many parents and caregivers associate teeth with the infant years since teething often leads to cranky babies and sleep-deprived caregivers. However, the teeth continue to develop during the toddler years, according to the Riley Hospital for Children. Between 20 to 30 months, the second molars emerge. The first dental appointment should be scheduled between 12 to 18 months, according to the hospital.
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- Photo Credit Crying Toddler image by Mary Beth Granger from Fotolia.com
