During the first few years of life, our children go through a lot of changes. They go from scooting to crawling to walking. They go from cooing to babbling to saying words. Today, you will read a story about language and cognitive milestones toddlers reach between 1 and 3 years old.

At age 1, children will begin calling their parents by their names--likely "mama" or "dada." At 1 1/2 or 18 months, a child should have a vocabulary of 3 or more words, not including mama and dada.

Mama!!

Doggie!

At age 2, toddlers should combine two words to communicate their needs or wants. 

More milk.

Okay, sweetie, I can get you more milk.

At age 3, children should be well-understood by most people, and they should engage in simple back-and-forth conversations.

What did you do at the park today?

I play on slide!

Wow, it sounds like you had a lot of fun!

I did have fun!

Now that we have covered language milestones let's talk about cognitive milestones. 

At age 1, children should look for things they see someone hide. At 1.5, children should copy chores they see, like wiping tables.

Can you find the teddy?

At age 2, children should start playing with two toys at the same time. An example of this is feeding a baby doll. 

Your baby was really hungry!

At age 3, after showing a child how to draw a circle, they should be able to draw one. 

Can you draw a circle like mine?

Yes!

We have finished learning about the cognitive and language milestones of toddlers. Now, we will talk about a typical day for a toddler.

After waking up, toddlers should have a healthy breakfast.