As children enter toddlerhood and begin walking and talking, parents often prompt their toddlers to be more aware of other people (including siblings!) and their feelings and possessions. Indeed, toddler social and emotional development involves learning how to respond to others—spontaneously giving a hug to a parent, sharing a toy with a playmate, showing empathy to others when they hurt, and learning the do's and don'ts of family and neighbors. At this age though, toddlers often become upset if their wants are not immediately met or if their social communications are not understood. The challenge for parents is to help their child learn the boundaries of social exchanges and to learn to control his emotions, particularly the angry ones. Although there's much testing of limits at this age, the deeper the emotional bond between parents and toddler the more likely the toddler gradually moves toward effective social and emotional skills.


You don't just feed your child. You love and nurture her at the same time. The act of loving and feeding a child creates a bond that sets the stage for the child's development. Forming that parent-child bond begins the process of fostering selfhood in your toddler, which is important for social and emotional growth.

Your toddler still depends on you to meet many of her needs. By meeting her basic needs for food, sleep, and nurturance, you help her grow and also strengthen her social and emotional bonds with you.

As your toddler grows, good nutrition helps her develop properly. Like many toddlers, your child may become a very picky eater during the early years. She might prefer carrot cake to carrots. It may be a real challenge for parents to find foods their toddler likes, while also providing the vitamins, protein, and other nutrients necessary to sustain her rapid growth and development.

The maker of Enfamil offers you a solution to provide assurance your child is receiving the recommended nutrition your toddler needs. Enfamil® NEXT STEP® LIPIL® and NEXT STEP ProSobee® LIPIL are toddler formulas that can complement your picky eater's diet. NEXT STEP will provide the protein, calcium, and other nutrients your growing toddler needs.

To learn more, visit the Mead Johnson Nutritionals Web site. Discover why we are a world leader in infant and toddler nutrition.


Remember, you are your child's first and favorite role model. You can send a positive message to her — that she is capable of doing many things. Continue being supportive. Take pleasure in your child's accomplishments and let her know it.

Love your child and show your affection for her. Hug her, cuddle with her, read to her, talk to her throughout the day.

Encourage your child to try new things and to believe in her abilities. As she grows, give her opportunities to play with other children her age. She will watch and imitate these new friends to learn new skills.

Establish daily routines so your child will feel secure within a schedule. Don't be afraid to alter the schedule occasionally for special activities.

Emotional Needs
1.	All children need to be comforted when they are upset. Hold your child. Speak soothingly and calmly. She will let you know when she is feeling okay again.
2.	Spend time with your child and help her explore her world and get to know the people in it.
3.	Young children need consistent routines. Have a few routines and stick to them. This helps your child make sense of the world and become confident that events happen in an orderly fashion.
4.	Be attuned to your child. Let her see you happy or sad when she is. She will learn that you can share the same emotions she has. This will help her learn to have empathy for others.
5.	Children pass through many stages in social and emotional development. Their progress depends on nature (genetics) and nurture (the many loving and supportive things we do to help our children develop). During the toddler and early preschool years, children sometimes slide back into a previous 'stage'. This tends to be short term and you will probably know of a recent upsetting event that caused this regression. For instance, your two-year-old starts asking for a bottle again. Maybe she has seen the attention a new baby nephew with a bottle is receiving from the family. With patience and love, your child will soon resume her more mature behaviors.
Toddlers usually progress socially and emotionally in the following areas. They...
1.	Develop a sense of self and of belonging to a family.
2.	Develop a language-based communication system with their parents.
3.	Learn to separate from their parents.
4.	Learn words to label their emotions.
5.	Engage in pretend (make-believe) play.
6.	Play near other children but not with them — often imitating the actions of others.
7.	Play with other children, which often involves lots of physical activity.
8.	State their desires and wants.
9.	Share and take turns.
10.	Use words to solve conflicts and develop control of their emotions.
11.	Learn that it is okay to make a mistake.
12.	Develop self-confidence and self-respect.
13.	Develop respect for others and feelings of empathy.
Children display a certain temperament, too. Our Insight on Temperament explains a lot.

Activities that promote Physical Development
Resources for Children
Resources for Parents and Care Givers