Quicklinks:
How much changes in the first 3 years?
Developmental milestones for your toddler.
Developmental red flags between 1-3 years old.
At Cameron Family Chiropractic, we are committed to supporting families through every stage of their journey, from pregnancy to motherhood and beyond. It is truly special to witness the growth of our children as they navigate their way through their early years, but if you’re not sure what to expect, it can feel a bit daunting.
The toddler years, roughly ages one to three, are marked by rapid physical growth, emerging independence, and major changes in communication, emotional regulation, and movement. While development during this stage can appear uneven or unpredictable, consistent patterns tend to emerge when viewed over time. Understanding typical developmental milestones helps parents recognize progress, support learning through play, and identify when additional guidance may be helpful.
In a previous blog post, we discussed the significant milestones achieved during the first year of a child's life. Now, let's look to the years after that, where toddlers really start to develop their own unique personalities.
How much changes in the first 3 years?
During your child’s first three years, development accelerates across nearly every system in the body, laying important foundations for movement, communication, emotional regulation, and social interaction that continue into later childhood. These encompass all areas of the body, including motor skills, social skills, language development, cognitive improvement, self-identity and expression, and more. It is awe-inspiring to witness toddlers make their mark on this new world full of wonder, and for parents and caregivers, this can be a magical time of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and memories.
Is it important to track milestones?
As you’re reading, you may wonder if it’s vitally important to track these milestones. Tracking developmental milestones is not about meeting rigid timelines, but about observing trends in how skills emerge, strengthen, and build on one another over time. These milestones act as guideposts, allowing parents to celebrate their child's achievements and identify any potential areas of concern.
With that said, remember that every child is an individual, and there will always be natural variations in timing for these milestones. Nonetheless, they are useful as general "check-in points", and as opportunities for caregivers and toddlers to talk, interact, play, and experience the world together.
Developmental milestones for your toddler
Milestones during toddlerhood often overlap and develop at different rates, but they generally follow a predictable progression across emotional, cognitive, communication, and movement-based skills. The time between 12 and 36 months sees some of the most rapid change of our entire lives. Toddlers are learning to finely control their muscles, how to speak a language, how to interact with others, how to empathize, and so much more that will serve them for decades to come.
Milestones from 13-18 Months
1) Emotional: Toddlers aged 13-18 months experience significant emotional development. They assert independence, recognize and avoid strangers, engage in imaginative play and games, and may develop separation anxiety when away from caregivers.
2) Communication: Around this time, toddlers are absorbing the language that surrounds them. They start using single-word responses more frequently, showing an increasing ability to express themselves. This is an exciting period as their personality begins to solidify in their words and actions, too.
3) Cognition: Toddlers between 13 and 18 months show remarkable progress in their cognitive abilities. They can independently scribble, making bold lines and shapes with crayons or markers. When asked, they can point to 1-2 body parts, showcasing their developing understanding of their own body. They can follow simple one-step instructions, such as "Give me the toy" or "Let go.”
4) Movement: Toddlers here have likely mastered walking independently on flat surfaces, confidently exploring their surroundings. They may attempt to climb stairs with some careful assistance. The desire for more freedom and autonomy becomes clear, as they often try to break out of strollers, cribs, and car seats. They begin to show progress in self-feeding, using utensils like cups and spoons with assistance.
As toddlers move toward their second year, these early skills begin to combine, allowing for more complex movement, communication, and social interaction.
Milestones from 19-24 Months
1) Emotional: Around this age, children truly begin to include other children in their play and games, showcasing their growing social skills and desire for interaction. While still asserting their independence, they show a willingness to engage with their peers and learn through collaborative play.
2) Communication: Most toddlers can now identify familiar body parts by name, showing a growing understanding of their own body. Their sentences tend to be 2-4 words, and they show an improved ability to follow simple instructions, up to two steps.
3) Cognition: Toddlers around two years old are often inventing simple games, displaying their imaginative thinking and creativity. Additionally, they start to show a preference for using one dominant hand over the other. It’s also common for them to develop food preferences and display fussiness towards certain foods or tastes. Generally around this period, toddlers begin to grasp the concept of time and sequences of events that may not have happened yet.
4) Movement: Toddlers at this stage experience significant advancements in their gross motor skills. They can run independently, and possibly kick a ball as they approach two years old. Stairs aren’t the obstacle they once were, as toddlers here will move up and down them while holding on with their hands. It’s also a period of generally fast growth, physically and mentally.
Between ages two and three, toddlers continue refining these abilities while gaining greater independence and emotional awareness.
Milestones Between 2-3 Years
1) Emotional: They’re called the “terrible twos” for a reason! Toddlers here often experience intense emotions and start to comprehend that others also have feelings. It will be a while before they can communicate their emotions effectively, so expect some tantrums and frustration. With that said, they are beginning to grasp the impact of their actions on the emotions of others.
2) Communication: By this point, toddlers can identify familiar body parts and their functions, use sentences of 3-5 words, and understand the concept of taking turns in conversations. They will continue to acquire new words and you’ll likely hear them testing out incorrect grammar rule combinations, as they work to internalize the basics of the language they are learning.
3) Cognition: Between 2 and 3, toddlers continue to invent imaginary scenarios and games. They actively play and interact with other children, developing important social skills such as sharing, taking turns, and cooperation. They also show an understanding of colours and shapes, using these qualities to sort items, as well as the concept of opposites. Toddlers will grasp the concept of "I" and other referential pronouns, combining language with overall cognition. It’s also a period of increasing independence with daily tasks like washing hands, getting dressed, and eating (even if it’s not always done with great efficiency).
4) Movement: Toddlers between 2 and 3 years of age demonstrate much greater control of both gross and fine motor skills. They can usually jump with both feet, pedal a tricycle, walk backward, and climb stairs while holding an adult's hand. On a smaller scale, they will hold crayons between their thumb and fingers, stack 1” blocks up on each other, use safety scissors, and copy shapes like circles and lines on a page.
These milestones vary from child to child, and it is important to remember that every toddler follows their unique developmental trajectory. However, if there are concerns about significant delays or regression in any of these areas, consulting with healthcare professionals is your first step in getting an accurate picture.
developmental red flags between 1-3 years old
Developmental red flags are not diagnoses, but indicators that a child may benefit from closer observation or additional support. What are some potential developmental concerns in toddlers under age two? Here are some of the most common ones to watch for:
Lack of walking by 18 months
No proper heel-toe walking pattern, or walking exclusively on toes, even after a few months
A lack of language development, with fewer than 15 words by 18 months
Absence of two-word sentences by age two
An inability to grasp the function of common household objects (utensils, pens, hairbrushes, etc.) by 15 months
Limited imitation of adult actions or speech by 24 months
Difficulty following simple one-step instructions by 24 months
By age three, you may be concerned if your toddler exhibits any of these red flags as well:
• Unable to copy a circle shape
• Challenges in handling small objects
• Consistent drooling or difficulty speaking clearly
• Frequently falls or struggles with stairs
• Difficulty comprehending simple instructions
• Unable to construct a tower using more than 4 blocks
• Limited ability to construct short phrases
• Experiences extreme anxiety when separated from the primary caregiver
• Shows minimal engagement in pretend play, or playing with other kids
Remember, these are guidelines only. Every child is unique in their development, and it’s impossible to tell from an online summary whether your toddler’s development is proceeding as normal. We always recommend bringing your concerns to a trained healthcare professional for an accurate diagnosis.
Keeping Up With Your Toddler’s Development
Understanding developmental milestones is crucial for parents and caregivers – it allows them to ensure their toddlers get the best possible start in life. By being aware of what to expect at each stage of early life, they can support and encourage their child's growth and development in appropriate ways. These early years form a bridge between infancy and the more structured developmental stages that follow in preschool developmental milestones and school-age children. Supporting healthy movement, communication, and emotional development during this time can make later transitions smoother for both children and caregivers.
At Cameron Family Chiropractic, we want to do everything we can to support pregnant women and mothers on this exciting life journey. We’re proud to offer a range of prenatal, post-natal, and pediatric chiropractic services, which aim to address the root causes of pain and promote better lifelong outcomes for both mother and child.
This is our fourth entry into this blog series that began with our Comprehensive Guide to Baby Development Milestones where we had quickly touched on all of the major stages of development from birth all the way up until the expected milestones by 5 years old.
For more information on our holistic services and how we can help, reach out to Cameron Family Chiropractic today!