Development From Infant To Toddler

Infancy could be regarded as the earliest stage in the child’s life, basically, between the birth and the toddler-period, so largely in the first year of the child’s life. Highly important changes occur around the time the child is 12 months old, which age by and large also marks the turning point in the development from an infant to a toddler, physically, mentally and emotionally as well.

Physical development

Well, definitely the most apparent change is that the toddler can already walk, or toddle, though still quite slowly and often only with help. The infant is able to lift his head, and chest, reach for certain smaller objects, roll from back to stomach and stomach to back, sit and keep his head erect and crawl as the first 12 months go by. However from around the age of 12 months, the development from infant to toddler will occur, the child will be able to walk and then in later stages, to run, jump and achieve total physical control and comfort.

Mental Development

The most obvious and characteristic development from infancy to the toddler-phase occurs perhaps when the child is able to use meaningful words to express his needs or feelings. The infant is not yet capable of using language, he will explore the world intellectually more and more in the first months of his life, shake, and touch objects pay attention to certain shapes and sounds, recognize familiar faces, even babble, imitating human talk. However, by saying the first word, and the subsequent simple words, like ball for example, the toddler’s language development will begin. A toddler will generally be able to follow simple commands and to express himself more and more effectively with the help of language, while the infant is not yet capable of such intellectual skills.

Emotional Development

The emotional development from an infant to a toddler is marked by the development of selfhood and social skills. While an infant will completely depend on the mother and will not really have a true sense of his own separate self, and distinguish between some other people, a toddler starts exploring himself and the world around him. This will result in tantrums, emotional outbursts, crying, which do not express simple needs any more, as in infancy. Eventually, the toddler will most probably be able to establish his personal selfhood, will be able to refer to himself and recognize others, and will start participating in social interactions with other toddlers for example, though only to a limited extent yet. The difference between the development of the infant and the toddler is that the toddler is already able to understand and imitate the behavior of those surrounding him, while the infant is not yet able to understand these, and does not yet have an established selfhood.