21 Informative & Interesting Facts About Toddlers You May Not Know

When you are pregnant your baby can smell everything that you smell–in fact they likely smell with more clarity than you. The amniotic fluid surrounding a fetus actually enhances their sense of smell. Babies in the womb can also hear, research has found they react to sounds just as vivaciously as they do pressure and internal sensation. Your child is a fascinating creature long before they come out of the womb, but once they finally arrive in this world the surprises don’t cease. Here are 21 interesting and rather amazing facts about your adorable toddler—enjoy!

1. Ever heard of the terrible twos? The nickname may have something to do with the fact 2-year olds tend to be more active now than they will ever be again.

2. Not only are 2-year olds quick moving but also they are fast learning. The average 2-year old will add 5 new words to their list of vocabulary every day.

3. Before age 2 or 3, your child is ambidextrous; it isn’t until around 2 or 3 that they start to favor their left or right hand. This leaves many to question why 90% of kids are right-handed? The answer to this question is still largely unknown. Kids with left-handed parents are more likely to be left handed, but science thinks it might also have something to do with social norms. In cultures where left-handed is seen as “unacceptable” there are even fewer left-handed individuals.

4. Toddlers can hear everything with their shiny new ears; in fact toddlers have far better hearing than adults. Due to ageing and noise pollution, your ears naturally decrease in sharpness over the years. Plus, adults tune out certain high frequencies that children have not learned to block out yet.

5. Babies can count before they learn to talk. One study found 1-year olds are able to identify larger and smaller quantities as well as conduct simple subtraction, all without any math lessons or terminology.

6. The moment your child is born their basic brain functions are all ready to go. It’s the cerebral cortex that still needs to develop; this part of the brain is responsible for stories, memories, thoughts, and voluntary muscle movement. All of these skills are not able to develop until after your child enters the world.

According to the nonprofit educational organization, Zero to Three, between the ages of 1 and 2 toddlers develop a new connection between brain cells EVERY SECOND! By 2 your toddler will have over 100 trillion synapses, more than they will ever have again throughout life. This is why young children can learn so much so quickly. By the time a child reaches adulthood, 50% of these neural pathways adamant for learning new things will be closed off.

7. Between 12 and 24 months your toddler’s cognitive development really starts to blossom, this is when they will start to develop memories, as well as understand symbols, imitate, and play imaginatively.

8. The average toddler takes around 176 steps each minute.

9. Toddlers sometimes behave better than usual for perfect strangers, such as a new babysitter. This is because toddlers are smart enough not to test limits of people they don’t fully trust yet.

10. A child stops growing when they develop a common cold.

11. Little babies are already able to distinguish beauty traits; research from the University of Texas found babies prefer pretty faces to plain faces. Don’t forget to put on some makeup mom; apparently your baby appreciates it!

12. Let your little one teach you a thing or two about comedy. Kids laugh on average 300 times each day while adults only laugh 60 times a day on average.

13. Until your child turns 6 or 7-months old they are capable of breathing and swallowing at the same time. If you’re like 75% of the population you are trying to do it yourself right not, good luck but you’ve outgrown the chance.

14. Toddlers have absolutely no care about what you think of their outfit. They don’t care if they match or if they have a full wedgie in plain sight. Which is why if you try and fix up their appearance you may likely be met with screams of protest.

15. The average child learns to use the microwave when they are 7-years old.

16. The average 4-year old will ask a total of 437 questions each day. Many of which are simply, “why?”

17. Your child’s kneecaps are made of cartilage until they turn 3-years old, at which point they finally turn to bone.

18. It’s not just genetics that determine how your child turns out as an adult; environmental variables also play a large role. For instance, a child’s genes can put them at a predisposition to be very tall, but if they do not get the proper nutrients as a small child they will not reach their full height potential.

19. Your child will develop language following 4 basic stages, starting with babbling, then using a single word, followed by two words, and finally multi-words. Your child’s development is fairly predictable in more than just language, this is why developmental milestones can be used to identify if your child is on track for proper growth and development.

http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/qt/child-development-facts.htm

20. 40% of McDonald’s overall profits come from the sale of Happy Meals, be aware of what you feed your growing toddler. Little ones need plenty of nutrients to reach their full potential, mentally and physically. Happy Meals are okay, but only occasionally.

21. As a parent you may want to be with their child at all times of the day and night, but research proves high quality child care is beneficial to a child’s overall development and future success.

ABC Learning provides the highest quality care for daycare and preschool students; we take care of your child today for a brighter future tomorrow!