Walking and talking

Often from the moment your child has mastered how to crawl it can become the next challenge of teaching them to take their first steps. The initial step to the sofa turns into 2 steps and then the amazement of the few shaky unconfident steps into your arms becomes confident steps which opens up a whole new world to the child. It is such a proud moment that few forget. Once your toddler starts to walk and talk you'll find you're suddenly very busy, chasing a child that has learnt to use there feet can be a shock to the system, as they find things like stairs and cupboards. Obviously this doesn't just happen over night, but is more a gradual process. There are times when all parents remember the stage where the child remained where they were put, with fond memories! By the time your toddler reaches the age of 2 they will be able to kick and throw a ball, this also means they can kick and throw other objects which may be unacceptable behaviour. To the child however this can seem to be fun and they haven't mastered the realisation that throwing a ball and receiving praise does not achieve the same raise as throwing books, cups or even the family pet. once they reach the age of three or maybe four they will have gained the necessary balance skills to be able to ride a bike (with stabilisers) and to run with some confidence.

This is also the age in which their speech will develop, you should find that your toddler will become a bit of a chatterbox, by the time they reach 18 months the average toddler is able to use between six and twenty words and starting to put together simple word structures, maybe two to three words long.

By the time your toddler reaches two years their curiosity will start to show, this usually involves all parents favourite word "why?" questions will be in abundance. Once their school days start to come closer you will be able to hold simple conversations with your toddler as they begin to speak in sentences and sing rhymes.

Feeding Time

Mealtimes are usually a messy occasion as independence starts to prevail your toddler will become more insistent on feeding themselves, developing there skill with a spoon and a cup. Although it can be frustrating that the child appears to be getting more food on the floor than in their mouths it is an essential part of their learning independence and as such needs to be encouraged. The mess does get less! By the time they reach three or four, there hand-eye co-ordination is usually a little more improved; at this stage they could even be attempting their skills with a knife and fork. Between their second and third birthday your toddler should be about ready to attempt toilet training, don't get frustrated if they cant get the hang of this, some take longer then others, but they all get there in the end. By the age of three, most are dry through out the day, though the majority do need to wear nappies still for bed time. Independence again appears, this time in the guise of dressing, you will notice getting dressed will take some time as your toddler will become more insistent on doing this for themselves, undressing is more likely to happen first as socks mysteriously vanish , in some cases never to be seen again! And on the occasions you do find them, you may notice a resistance to having them put back on. By the age of three, possibly four, your toddler will have figured out how to undo press studs, and remove other simple fastenings on clothing, they should also now be able to put on some clothing, such as shorts and T-shirts.

At Play

At around 2 years old, your toddler will become increasingly interested in making their own mark. Their first picture may not look like much to most people, but as parents they hold a special place in our hearts; you will find most parents keep these. By the age of 2 or 3 you will start to see lines and circles appearing inside their pictures, and around the time they start nursery it's likely they will be using the circles and lines to form simple stick people. Once wanting to play with you, now you will find they want to play alongside other toddlers, this is termed parallel play. The toddler is not actually making friends at this stage but is learning to play alongside someone else they feel comfortable with. By 3 or 4 the child will start to develop friendships, not how an adult perceives friendship but the fact that at that moment in time your child wishes to play with that other child. This may be a one off friendship or it may develop as the child's understanding of friendship develops. Finally your child will form a group of friends as they grow. Here they will learn about sharing, and at some point after the age of three most arguments and fights over sharing usually begin to calm down. You are likely to see a change in your toddlers sleep pattern here to. At 18 months of age your toddler will need on average around 13.5 hours sleep a day (including a nap during the day), by 4 years this will have dropped to around 11.5 hours with no naps.