15.1: What Infants and Toddlers are Like

During the infant/toddler years, all children depend on responsive, secure relationships to develop and learn. Let’s explore what infants and toddlers are like in terms of their progression through developmental milestones, so that we can connect it to what they need from adults. Here are some representations of what children are like as infants and toddlers. You can find other ages and more developmental milestones in Appendix C.^[1]

	Two-month-old, Joy can hold her head up. She hold her hands in fists. She loves faces and has begun to follow objects with her eyes. She coos and turns her head towards sounds. She smiles at people.
	Valentina is four months old. She holds her head steady unsupported and rolls from her tummy to her back. She brings her hands to her mouth and hold toys with a palmer grasp. She lets you know if she is happy or sad. She now babbles and likes to play with people.
	6-month-old Jose rolls in both directions and is starting to sit with support and bounces when stood. He reaches with his arms and brings things to his mouth. He looks for toys that have been partially hidden or dropped. He babbles. He enjoys looking at himself in a mirror.
	Amir is 9-months-old. He pulls himself to stand and now crawls. He can use a pincer grip to pick objects up and smoothly move them between his hands. He plays peek-a-boo and copies other gestures and sounds. He understands “no”. He is clingy with his parents and afraid of strangers.
	12-month-old Jae Hwa walks holding on to furniture and stands alone. She enjoys banging objects together and explores by poking with her index finger. She finds hidden things easily and responds to simple spoken requests. Her favorite words are “mama” and “uh-oh!” She cries when her mom leaves and has a favorite toy.
	18-month-old Tiara walks alone and is beginning to run. She climbs onto and down from furniture. She scribbles and can stack up to 4 blocks. She points to and names a few names body parts and speaks two-word sentences. She has temper tantrums. She loves to explore with her family nearby.
	Connor just turned two years old. He runs and walks up and down stairs holding on. He is left-handed and loves to play in the water and pour and dump sand. He is skilled with the shape-sorting toy and can make items in picture books. He speaks in 2 to 4 word sentences and follows simple instructions. He gets excited by other children, but still mostly plays near them (rather than with them). He doesn’t always do as he is told (showing defiance).

Figure 15.1: What infants and toddlers are like at different ages. ^[2]