Toddlerhood is fleeting. It lasts for only two to three years and yet, so much can be learnt from your child’s first few years as a toddler. These precious years are a period of rapid development, in cognition, and social and emotional development as well as physical growth. Here’s a compilation of 15 fascinating facts about toddlers that you’ll be amazed to find out.
1: Toddler comes from the word Toddle: The word “toddler” was first used in 1793 and it came from the Scottish word − toddle[1] which means “to run or walk with short unsteady steps.” This exactly describes a child who is just learning to run and walk.
2: Toddlers have better hearing than adults: Babies and young children have better hearing perception than adults. One of the reasons is because they haven’t tuned out the noise that adults have been hearing all their lives. Also, children have smaller ear canals and thinner skulls which make them ultra-sensitive to loud noises. It has been found in a science project that all young children can hear frequencies of up to 10,000Hz, 96% can hear up to 15,000Hz and 22% can hear 20,000Hz. Only 92% of adults can hear up to 10,000Hz and 34% can hear up to 15,000Hz while none can hear 20,000Hz. (A 10,000Hz frequency sound effect[2] is a high-pitched tone that is upper limit of human hearing such as a shrill whistle or buzzing insect).
3: The toddler stage is sometimes called the ‘Terrible Twos’: Many toddlers go through the “Terrible Twos” because they are at an age where they have a lot of energy and are very active, inquisitive and learning how to communicate their needs and wants. They are also at an age where they are in between being dependent on their parents and yet, wanting to find their own independence. As such they test their boundaries, demand for attention and may throw tantrums when they don’t get their way. It’s all a part and parcel of your baby growing up into his own person.
4: A toddler’s voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant: A child’s voice is louder because it is high-pitched and they don’t know how to control the volume. Actually, there is an anatomical explanation for this. The child is smaller and has a shorter throat and therefore, higher larynx when compared to an adult’s. The child’s larynx sits nearer to the back of the jaw rather than midway down the neck like an adult’s[3]. The tube between the larynx and the lips is also shorter. Because of this, the shorter vocal folds and shorter vocal tract length result in higher pitches. The child’s thinner vocal folds also mean that they have less control over loud and soft but most times they are simply not aware that they are shouting because they are so excited.
5: A toddler has more bones than an adult: Babies are born with 300 bones while you, as an adult have 206 bones[4]. Some of the baby’s 300 bones are actually cartilage – a strong, flexible connective tissue that protects the joints and bones. Other bones are partly cartilage. Around the age of two to three, some of his bones will begin to fuse together to form longer and larger bones. The process of the cartilage growing and slowly being replaced by bone takes place over many years and won’t be complete until the child is an adult. What helps the child grow strong, sturdy bones is the mineral Calcium.
6: Once a toddler masters walking, he or she will make new moves: Toddlers start walking at around 12 months of age, sometimes earlier than that or a little later. By the time they are 18 months old, they can walk backwards, run and climb up furniture or up and down the stairs with help. By age two, they can jump in place and even jump three to four inches forward[5] while maintaining balance with both feet. They can bend their knees with feet together and jump upwards to try to touch something high up. By age three, they can coordinate their limbs to pedal a tricycle and steer, skip, hop on one leg, throw and kick a ball and propel themselves on the swing by age four to five[6].
7: A toddler’s kneecap is made up of cartilage: Before the age of two, a child’s kneecap is entirely made up of cartilage. Only sometime between the ages of two and six will the cartilage patella[7] (cartilage plate situated in front of the knee joint) start to ossify (turn into bone). Very often several pieces of cartilage will begin to harden into bone at the same time, fusing the kneecap into one complete bone. This will take many years.
8: A toddler’s stomach is the size of his fist: Toddlers have very small stomachs which is about the size of their fist[8]. This is why they cannot eat much at one go. It is important to break up their mealtimes into three meals and two to three snacks each day.
9: A child’s brain develops the fastest in the first three years of life: At birth, a baby’s brain is about a quarter the size of the average adult brain. In the first year, it doubles its size and by the time the child reaches three years old, it would have grown to 80% of its adult size[9]. These first three years are therefore, the most important as the brain is growing, learning, taking in experiences and forming the foundation of its organization, development and functioning for the rest of the child’s life.
10: A baby is born with almost all their brain cells: Most of the baby’s brain cells are already created by the time he or she is born. The moment the child is born, these brain cells are already ready to start working. However, the cerebral cortex – the outermost layer of the brain[10] – still needs time to develop fully. In an adult, the cerebral cortex makes up about half of the brain’s total mass. The cerebral cortex is involved in many high-level functions such as reasoning, emotion, thought, memory, language, consciousness and also voluntary movement. All of these skills are not able to be developed until after the child enters the world and the brain starts making synapses (connections). The brain finishes developing and maturing when the child reaches adulthood in the mid to late 20s[11].
11: A toddler has more brain synapses than an adult: A newborn baby has about 100 billion brain cells [12] but very few connections (synapses) between these cells. It is his or her experiences, what he sees and feels, your love and closeness that help the brain to wire up these connections and make the brain work. Brain connections enable us to move, think, communicate and do just about everything. During the child’s early childhood years, at least one million new neural connections are made every second, more than at any other time in life. By the time the child is three, they have 1,000 trillion brain connections[13], which is twice as many as an adult’s[14]. These extra connections make the brain highly receptive to learning and highly vulnerable to neglect and adversity.
12: A toddler is ambidextrous: Before the age of two or three, children are ambidextrous – that is, they are able to use their right and left hands equally well. Only at around the age of two or three do they start favoring their left or right hand. Some children are lefties or righties by the age of 18 months and some children remain ambidextrous until they are five or six. Hand dominance is influenced by genetics. If both parents are left-handed, there is a 45% to 50% chance the child would be left-handed[15] as well. About 10% of people are left-handed.
13: Toddlers can count even before they can say one, two, three: Young children, sometimes as young as 14 to 18 months, know how to identify large and small quantities and conduct simple subtraction long before they even know how to count or understand what one, two, three, and four mean. According to a study from John Hopkins University[16], children understand the fundamental aspect of counting long before they can say the numbers out loud.
14: Toddlers learn language in four basic stages: They start with babbling, then they say a single word like “mama” or “dada”. Then they say two words to make a sentence, and then they finally say multiple words. Every child will develop at his or her own pace, but generally speaking, babies may start babbling at age four to seven months. By the time they reach close to age one, they may say their first word[17]. And by two years of age, they may be able to put two or three words together to form a sentence. By the time they reach four years old, they would be asking you 437 questions a day, most of them consisting of − “why”?
15: Nature Vs Nurture? Both play equal roles: Your child is endowed with the genes of both parents but although genetics play a big role in determining how your child will turn out to be, environmental factors play an equally big role. For example, a child’s genes may predispose him or her to be tall but if they do not get the nutrition they need during their early childhood years, they will not reach their full height potential.
Toddlers are at an age where growth is exponential. This is a period where they will need your interaction, attention, care and love as a parent and very importantly – proper nutrition. There are many important nutrients such as Calcium to build strong teeth and bones, Iron to give haemoglobin the strength to “carry” oxygen to the various organs, or DHA, ARA and the various Omega 3&6 to bolster brain development that children need to support each area of their physical growth. But toddlers also go through a phase called Picky Eating where they may refuse to eat the foods they should. Despite your best efforts, they may not want to try the meals you serve and thereby miss out on the nutrients that their bodies need to grow efficiently. What should you do?
Morinaga Chil-kid
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Just two servings of Morinaga Chil-kid a day will help your child meet his or her daily Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) when taken to supplement their meals. The formula milk is fully produced in the Netherlands, according to Japanese specifications and testing.
[1]Toddler - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms. (n.d.). In Vocabulary.com. https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/toddler
[2]Freesound - 10000 Hz Rife frequency by mVitalie. (n.d.). https://freesound.org/people/mVitalie/sounds/705699/
[3]Is there an evolutionary psychology explanation why children have high pitched voices? (n.d.). Psychology & Neuroscience Stack Exchange. https://psychology.stackexchange.com/questions/21455/is-there-an-evolutionary-psychology-explanation-why-children-have-high-pitched-v
[4]De Bellefonds, C., & De Bellefonds, C. (2022, February 2). Your baby’s bones and skeleton. What to Expect. https://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/fetal-development/fetal-bones-skeletal-system/
[5]Important gross motor milestone: Jumping - North Shore Pediatric therapy. (n.d.). https://www.nspt4kids.com/parenting/important-gross-motor-milestone-jumping-north-shore-pediatric-therapy
[6]Marks, H. (2024, September 23). 4- to 5-Year-Olds: Developmental Milestones. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/parenting/4-to-5-year-old-milestones
[7]Bones develop in distinctive ways depending on gender | Rady Children’s Hospital. (n.d.). RCHSD. https://www.rchsd.org/health-safety/growing-up-columns/bones-develop-in-distinctive-ways-depending-on-gender/
[8]Understanding why your child’s brain is so amazing | GOV.WALES. (n.d.). GOV.WALES. https://www.gov.wales/parenting-give-it-time/your-childs-development/understanding-why-your-childs-brain-is-so-amazing
[9]First Things First. (2024, December 8). Brain development - first things first. https://www.firstthingsfirst.org/early-childhood-matters/brain-development/
[10]Professional, C. C. M. (2024, December 19). Cerebral cortex. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/23073-cerebral-cortex
[11]The Teen Brain: 7 Things to Know. (n.d.). National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-teen-brain-7-things-to-know
[12]Understanding why your child’s brain is so amazing | GOV.WALES. (n.d.). GOV.WALES. https://www.gov.wales/parenting-give-it-time/your-childs-development/understanding-why-your-childs-brain-is-so-amazing
[13]Chauhan, M. (2024, July 4). 10 Fascinating Facts You Didn’t know about Toddlers. HorlickIn. https://www.horlicks.in/blogs/articles/10-fascinating-facts-you-didnt-know-about-toddlers
[14]Brain development - SC first steps. (n.d.). https://www.scfirststeps.org/why-it-matters/brain-development/
[15]Jana, L. (2023, May 4). When will I know whether my child is a righty or a lefty? BabyCenter. https://www.babycenter.com/child/development/when-will-i-know-whether-my-child-is-a-righty-or-a-lefty_70388
[16]Wang, J., & Feigenson, L. (2019). Infants recognize counting as numerically relevant. Developmental Science, 22(6). https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12805
[17]Pampers. (2024, January 21). When do babies start talking? Web-Pampers-US-EN. https://www.pampers.com/en-us/toddler/development/article/when-do-babies-start-talking