Toddlers Development

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• QHow does language develop between 13 and 18 months of age?

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  A Intermountain Registered Dietitians , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered on behalf of Intermountain Healthcare

  Language development from 13 to 18 months of age includes:
  
  Receptive language skills (what child understands)

  • Identifies one body part
  • Comprehends simple questions
  • Understands meaning of many nouns (person, place or thing)

  Expressive language skills (what child says)

  • Communicates with true words and gestures
  • Repeats words overheard in conversation
  • Watches others to see if they understand
  • Has a vocabulary of 5-20 words
• QHow can I help improve my child's language development?

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  A Dr. Alan Greene, MD , Pediatrics, answered on behalf of DrGreene.com

  It’s simple, talk to them!
  
  The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published an intriguing study of 120 babies from 4- to 12-months old, tracking their eyes while their parents spoke. At four months the babies gaze at their parents’ eyes. By six months, though, a dramatic change has happened: babies are intent on lip-reading. When someone speaks, they stare at the mouth -- puzzling out what this whole talking thing means and how it works. By 12 months old, babies developing normally have come to understand the mechanics and go back to watching the eyes during conversation -- unless unfamiliar sounds, such as a foreign language, come up. The eyes also dilate to unfamiliar words.
  
  I think this is one of the reasons that speaking and reading to babies is so powerful. Use the opportunity when they watch your mouth during speech to read to your baby, so they can watch the same words in the same order again and again.
  
  And keep in mind: Babies understand far more language than most people think. Using a tool like the KidGlyphs app can help you bridge the gap in communication and improve language development.
   

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• QHow does language develop in a 4-year-old?

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  A Intermountain Registered Dietitians , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered on behalf of Intermountain Healthcare

  Language development in a 4-year-old includes:
  
  Receptive language skills (what a child understands)

  • identifies basic colors
  • understands basic prepositions such as on, in, under, beside
  • demonstrates interest in "why" and "how" questions
  • knows the names of familiar animals
  • understands contrasts such as longer, larger
  • easily follows simple (one-step) commands

  Expressive language skills (what a child says)

  • expresses complex ideas in short sentences
  • counts to 10
  • uses up to 1,500 words
  • begins using past tense correctly
  • repeats words, phrases, syllables, and even sounds
  • names common objects in picture books or magazines
• QHow does language develop between 19 and 24 months of age?

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  A Intermountain Registered Dietitians , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered on behalf of Intermountain Healthcare

  Language development from 19 to 24 months of age includes:
  
  Receptive language skills (what a child understands)

  • identifies up to five body parts
  • identifies common objects and pictures when named
  • recognizes new words daily
  • understands some complex sentences

  Expressive language skills (what a child says)

  • speaks up to 50 words
  • begins using two-word sentences
  • begins using pronouns
  • refers to self by name
  • begins talking about things she is interested in -- things that move, do something, or things she can do something with
• QHow does language develop in a 3-year-old?

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  A Intermountain Healthcare answered

  Language development in a 3-year-old includes:
  
  Receptive language skills (what child understands)
  

  • understands comparisons such as little and big, hot and cold
  • attends to activities for up to 10 minutes
  • understands what objects do, such as a toaster

  Expressive language skills (what child says)
  

  • uses sentences three to six words in length
  • uses a vocabulary of almost 1,000 words
  • repeats up to three numbers
  • uses pronouns such as I, you, and me correctly
  • uses some words in plural and past tense
  • handles three-word sentences easily
  • about 90% of what a child says should be understandable
  • able to give her sex, name, and age
• QWhat are some developmental milestones for toddlers?

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  A Alliance For Kids® answered

  Developmental milestones for toddlers include the following:

  • seeks independence
  • develops language skills
  • learns new skills like walking and toilet training
  • uses mobility is a means to learning
  • threatened by changes in routine

  This content originally appeared on the Alliance for Kids website.
• QWhat can I do to encourage language development in my 2 year old?

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  A Mia Redrick , Healthcare, answered

  Read to your child, and then talk to him or her about it, asking questions about what you read.  What color was that?  What sound do pigs make?  Ask engaging questions that allow child to think critically and connect with story.  What was silly?  Create interaction with contextual references to what they’re hearing. 

  Another way to encourage language development is through puppets.  You might have the puppet read the story and encourage your child to talk to the puppet.  Kids will say things to a puppet that they won’t say to an adult.  You can even make your own puppets together.  Hand puppets, sock puppets, or finger puppets are a wonderful craft you can share together.

• QWhy is it more difficult to deal with a toddler than an infant?

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  A Lisa Oz , Health Education, answered

  As an infant, your child is pretty much perfect. Babies burp, poop, or cry, and you act like they've just won a Nobel Prize. If they smile, it is heaven on earth. However, once they turn into toddlers, everything changes. This is because they start to develop into individuals with their own desires and aversions. They defy you, ignore you, and use no in every other sentence. When they start to assert their own little wills, then the real dance of parenthood begins.

• QShould I encourage a child's independent behavior?

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  A Discovery Health answered

  Learn why babies feel the need to exert their independence in this video from Discovery Health.
• QHow will my baby begin walking?

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  A Dr. Louise E. Sivak, MD , Pediatrics, answered

  Most toddlers start to walk around 12-14 months of age. Many pull themselves to a stand along furniture around 9-10 months old and then with your encouragement start to let go and walk a few steps on their own.