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Toddler

Before you know it, it’s your child’s first birthday and they’re officially a toddler! The toddler years are characterized by extensive cognitive, emotional and social development, and of course, a lot of toddling about! Did you know your toddler is still going through some developmental leaps? Discover the leaps in our Wonder Weeks app. You could say that the toddler phase marks the start of truly raising your child. It’s so rewarding to watch your toddler becoming a little person!

Milestones in the toddler phase

Milestones in the toddler phase

Your child will have reached many milestones already, and many more are to come in the toddler phase. Toddlers undergo rapid development and they learn something new every day.

Milestones are wonderful and memorable moments that all parents cherish. Your toddler will develop a whole host of new skills this year. However, all toddlers are unique and develop at their own pace. Read more about the milestones of your toddler!

All about the toddler phase

Playtime for toddlers

Toddlers love to play! Play is vital to your toddler’s development as it promotes both cognitive and physical development as well as teaching them how to solve problems and work together with others. However, toddlers don’t find it easy to entertain themselves and think up new things to do. Toddlers aged two and under will largely play alone with their own toys, even when together with other children. Toddlers are very good at making towers with cups, bricks or other objects and enjoy butting things into other things and taking them out again. By doing so, they practice their sorting skills and develop their motor skills. Giving you toddler as many opportunities to play as possible maximizes their opportunities for development. Discover games to play with your toddler in our Wonder Weeks app.

 

Toddlers and sleep

Running, climbing, going on adventures: toddlers are always active, all the time. For this reason, it’s vital they get enough sleep. However, not all toddlers need as much as others: some sleep more, some sleep less. On average, toddlers need between 11 and 14 hours of sleep per 24. Soon after their first birthday, toddlers can still take two naps a day, eventually reducing to one.

Although toddlers no longer need to feed during the night, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they will sleep through. As toddlers are developing so fast, their relationship with sleep can change. You may notice that putting a toddler to bed is more difficult than when they were a baby or that your toddler wakes up multiple times in the night. This is a way for toddlers to learn boundaries and practice becoming independent. Sleeping habits like these are completely normal for toddlers. Keep a close eye on tiredness cues and make sure your toddler does not go to bed overtired, as overtiredness results in poorer sleep quality. A good bedtime routine before going to sleep can help toddlers sleep better and to sleep through the night.

 

Toddler behavior: from tantrums to separation anxiety

At the age of around 15 months, your toddler will undergo leap 9 in their mental development. At this point, if not earlier, the tantrums will start! Toddlers have tantrums, it’s all part of the process. At this age, they will increasingly want to decide what to do for themselves, but of course, this is not always possible. Toddlers can get overwhelmed by their own emotions, have difficulty controlling them and can’t find the words to describe what’s going on, resulting in a tantrum. By paying them positive attention, you can reduce the chances of a tantrum. Establishing a predictable environment and making clear agreements with your child can also help. Tantrums can’t be avoided all the time, and they don’t have to be. It’s a natural part of toddler behavior and doesn’t mean that you’re a bad parent.

Other issues characteristic of the toddler phase are shyness and separation anxiety. These can begin at any point from leap 5 (6 months) onwards, though they reach their peak between 8 and 18 months and can continue until the age of 3 years. Your toddler will increasingly understand what these periods of separation are and also that mum or dad can’t always be there. They get upset as they subconsciously know that they are dependent on mum or dad: panic sets in when mum or dad goes away as your toddler understands that there may be consequences. Shyness represents a step forward, although to parents, it doesn’t always feel like progress.

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