Your toddler 1-2 years

They are beginning to know what they want and what they don’t want. 

They are also becoming a lot more vocal and will start to express their likes and dislikes. They may wriggle away when you change their nappy or throw their dinner on the floor. This behaviour is normal; your toddler is becoming more independent and is starting to learn how to manage their emotions. 

For every challenging moment, there will be loads of wonderful moments. Try to enjoy and celebrate your toddler's new skills. When you praise your child and give them lots of positive attention, it builds their self-esteem and helps them to learn.

The following provides information about the stages of your toddler’s development and some tips for what you can do to support them. Your toddler may do some things earlier or later than described here. 

There is more detailed information about your toddler’s development in the Every Child - Newborn to Age 2 e-book. This also has information about feeding your toddler, potty training, and tantrums.  

If you are worried about your child’s development, ask your GP or health visitor.

Between 12 to 18 months your toddler may:

• be walking, running and climbing
• start to say words and understand them
• find their feelings hard to handle, which may lead to some tantrums
• begin to feed themselves
• enjoy playing and building with bricks

Between 18 months to 2 years your toddler may:

• understand the word ‘no’ but are unable to control their impulses yet
• start kicking and throwing balls
• be ready to start potty training
• know a range of single words and start putting them together to make sentences
• get cross when they can’t do something for themselves
• begin to enjoy pretend play like talking on a toy telephone

Tips to encourage and support your toddler's development  

• Give your toddler lots of cuddles, attention and praise. Give them individual attention whenever you can and praise them when they are doing something positive. Make sure you give your toddler lots of cuddles and attention when they are crying and upset too. It is important that your child understands that you are still there with them no matter what.
• Keep to the same routine as much as possible. It will help your toddler feel more secure if you have a routine. Feed, bath and put your toddler to bed at similar times each day. Find the routine that works for your family.
• Try to model the behaviour you want to see more of. For example, saying “please” and “thank you” when you talk to them, and praising them when they share or help you. 
• Label your toddler’s feelings when you observe them, for example when you see that they are happy, sad, cross, disappointed or frustrated. It will help them learn the word for that feeling or emotion, so they are able to learn to express how they feel later. 
• Try to stay calm during tantrums. When you are calm, it helps your toddler to calm down too after the tantrum. Praise them for behaving well and reconnect with a cuddle. 
• Reacting. Some toddlers bite or hit when they are angry or frustrated. Be calm and don’t react or bite your toddler back. This will hurt them and give them the wrong message that this behaviour is okay. 
• Learning to use the potty and toilet is something that most toddlers do around this time. They learn at different speeds. Time and patience are key at this point. Don’t rush it. 
• Talk about the things you see and the things you do.  When you’re on the bus, in the car, walking to the shops or in the supermarket point out the things you see. Talk with Me has useful tips on supporting your toddler’s speech, language and communication skills. 
• Encourage your toddler to try lots of different foods. Sit with your toddler at mealtimes and eat the same things. They will see you enjoying it and want to copy you. Don’t worry if they don’t eat everything on their plate.
• Plan Ahead. Put things away which are dangerous or could break. Put up a safety gate on the stairs and latches on drawers and cupboards. This will keep your toddler safe and you won’t have to keep saying “no”. When you go out and about, have a few small toys, a drink and a healthy snack to hand.
• Read to your toddler. There are ideas for talking and playing with your toddler from Book Trust Cymru. 
• Speak some words in Welsh as this can give them the best start to a bilingual life. Cymraeg i Blant can help with words to use. You and your child could also sing along to a range of Welsh nursery rhymes and songs on Book Trust Cymru website. These songs include many simple words making it easy for young children to absorb the Welsh language.   
• Play. Share a cup of pretend tea with a plastic tea set or build a tower with blocks. You don’t need expensive toys; your toddler needs interaction with other people much more than with toys. There are ideas for songs, books and play activities on Playful Childhoods, or Words for Life.
• Avoid too much technology such as television, tablets or smart phones. These can be entertaining for your toddler but limit their use. 
• Sharing. Don’t expect or force your toddler to share with other children as they aren’t developmentally ready. It will take your toddler time to learn to share and this is normal. Encourage them by praising them whenever it does occur or distracting them while they wait their turn. 
• What to do if you think your toddler is unwell. If they have a high temperature, they may have an illness. If you think there's something wrong, call NHS Wales on 111.
• If it is getting too much, make sure your toddler is in a safe place and then leave the room for just a moment until you feel calmer. Or you can ask a friend or family member to care for your child for a while so you can have time to feel better.

Most parents have times when they feel tested to their limits. Nobody is perfect. Everyone loses their cool occasionally and says things they are sorry for. It’s okay to say sorry to your child if you have been cross. Apologising to them helps them to see what they can do to make it right when they lose control of their emotions. 

Do not smack or physically punish your child. This is illegal in Wales. Children need to feel safe and secure in their family and their home in order for them to be at their best.

It’s OK to ask for help. If you are worried about feeling stressed, low or depressed talk to your health visitor or GP. 

In addition, you may find these helplines useful:

• Community Advice and Listening Line (C.A.L.L.): call on 0800 132 737 (24 hour service). This is a confidential helpline which offers emotional support on mental health and related matters.
• Samaritans Cymru: call on 116 123 (confidential 24 hour service). You can get in touch about anything that’s troubling you, no matter how large or small the issue.