What age is a child considered a toddler?

A child between one and three years of age is a toddler.

A child between one to three years of age is considered a toddler. This is the time that your child is progressing from being an infant to being able to attend a preschool. You will observe drastic changes in the social, emotional, motor and communication skills of your child.

As the days go by, you will notice many changes in your toddler. Toddlers become more aware of themselves and their surroundings. You need to keep observing and monitoring your child’s progress daily. 

Look for the following developments in your toddler and act accordingly.

• Your toddler will try to be continuously mobile, doing some things or the other; exploring things and people; running; going from room to another and writing on the walls will be a routine for several months.
• The toddler’s attention span becomes shorter than before. They will be doing something and will then turn toward something else that grabs their attention in no time.
• You will see improvements in their running process over time. They will start running smoothly and in a coordinated way unlike how they started out. 
• Toddlers will learn to judge the safety of places while they walk. They can walk backward. They can avoid sharp corners. But you will have to keep an eye on them until you are sure they can do things on their own.
• Toddlers can choose from the many activities that they like. Give them a different activity to do at various times. See what they like and what they do not like. You do not have to force them into doing something that they are the least interested in.
• Send your child to play outside in the open in gardens, parks or yards. Try to take time out of your schedule to go with them or let the nanny accompany them. At home, there are hurdles such as furniture that can hurt them while they run. See which place works better for you.
• Your toddler will like to do things by themselves without anyone’s help. Let them do so while supervising them.
• Toddlers observe other people and try to imitate them. Make sure they are not imitating something that is dangerous. Explain to them in words and with gestures that what they are doing is not right. 
• Look for signs of social interaction at this age. Do they point to objects or look toward objects that you point out? Do they like being cuddled by you? Do they maintain eye contact while talking? Do they smile? Do they turn towards you when called? Absence of these actions may point to autism.

Toilet training is teaching the child how to control their bowel and bladder until they reach the bathroom/toilet to release the urge. 

There is no specific method to train a toddler to go to the toilet and make them urinate or poop on their own. The various methods of toilet training for a toddler usually work by trial and error technique. Remember, what works for one toddler may not work for another. It may happen that you chose a particular method initially which does not work and then you switch to another. 

A few of the methods that can be used to toilet train a toddler include

• Asking the child every few hours about whether they need to go (to the toilet/bathroom)
• Rewarding the child with some gifts for the act of going to the toilet
• Taking dedicated time from your schedule especially for toilet training your child
• Reading a book about potty training and talking it over with your child
• Demonstrating toilet use for your child (the child can imitate you)

Instead of using a single method, you can use several combinations of these methods to toilet train your child. Do not rush the process. Remember that each child is unique. It is normal for your child to take time to learn it and then do it on their own. Gradually, you will understand and accept your child’s unique habits and qualities and learn ways to adjust to their specific behaviors.

It is always wise to consult a childcare specialist with any of your concerns regarding your child’s developmental milestones.