The pleasant experience of seeing a newborn grow in stature from birth is Godly. The natural development of body parts and behaviour is relished.
The parental care of the baby till the age of 5 years is significant for any kid. Right from its birth, you can find many changes over the months, especially in the formative years of growth.
There are terms involved in addressing babies differently depending on their age and growth. Infant and Toddler are the ones that we use interchangeably, but there are crucial differences between them.
Key Takeaways
- Infants aged 0 to 12 months rely more on caregivers for support in various developmental aspects than toddlers aged 1 to 3 years, who exhibit increased independence.
- Infants experience rapid growth, including physical, cognitive, and emotional development, while toddlers begin refining skills like walking, talking, and problem-solving.
- Toddlers display greater curiosity and exploration abilities, engaging in more social interactions and displaying a wider emotional range than infants.
Infant vs Toddler
The difference between Infant and Toddler lies in the age of the newborn baby. An infant is a baby who is anywhere between 0 to 12 months. As one year is attained, the infant turns into a Toddler. Though we see a difference in calling them, there are several differences between an infant and a toddler in terms of growth and development of stature.
An infant is a baby and, ideally, can be called from the second month of birth. As we call them, newborns in the first two months.
Yet, the term infant holds good for kids who are one or two months old too. The infant develops a massive growth structure in its body from its birth.
It can distinguish colours and respond to loud noises too.
A toddler is a kid who is one year or more. A kid can be called a toddler till the age of 3 years.
However, the term toddler refers to the age when the kid starts to crawl, walk and also speak. The development in the kid turns out to call them toddlers.
The toddler will start developing good motor skills and also starts communicating better than an infant.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Communication | Infant | Toddler |
|---|---|---|
| Movement | The infant starts to crawl in 9 months. | The toddler crawls faster and begins to walk with or without support. |
| Communication | Crying is the only mode of communication. | The toddler begins to talk and also identifies things to point out and ask. |
| Growth of Bones | The bones do not diffuse during the infancy period. | The bones start to diffuse and start becoming stronger. |
| Sitting Position | An infant cannot sit. | A toddler begins to sit on its own. |
| Face recognition | Infant recognizes the ones who were close to the kid during its growth. | The toddler can easily identify different faces and relate them too. |
What is an Infant?
An infant is a newborn baby and can be called the same till 12 months from its birth. A normal infant starts reacting to the surroundings.
The organs of the body will function appropriately, and an infant can involuntarily do the below-mentioned tasks without the need to teach them.
- Yawn
- Blink
- Swallow
- Gag
- Cough
And an infant knows to suck and eliminates waste too. The vision of an infant might not be as clear as the adult.
It can recognize dark colours, especially red. At the same time, it can recognize face shapes easily.
An infant mostly recognizes and gets attached to the ones who are closely associated during its growth. One of the primary reasons why it is attached to the mother.
Similarly, as the infant reaches 8 or 9 months, it has difficulty getting separated from the mother too.
The infant requires to be hugged near the heart, and it always prefers that. The nasal senses also develop during the infant period.
It can sense pleasant and unpleasant odour too. The average weight of infants is anywhere between 2.5 kilograms to 4.5 kilograms.
This is the weight that is considered normal for an infant.
A few infants begin to crawl by 6 to 8 months, and a few from the ninth month. The infants will alert their parents by crying; thus, that is the only mode of communication.
It cannot speak during this period, but medical sciences have evidence of male kids speaking one or two words by 9 or 10 months. Though the scenario is rare, it is possible.
What is a Toddler?
A Toddler is a baby who is one year or more. A kid can be called a toddler till it’s 3 years of birth.
One must understand that during this phase, the growth slows down. But the toddler picks up motor skills.
They start speaking at this age. They also start walking.
Though with the support of furniture or the wall, it can start walking with less dependency in 3 years.
One must not worry if a toddler falls when it hurries while walking. It is quite natural.
The mode of communication develops during this period. The toddler seems to identify the faces and also recognize them well.
The weight of the toddler develops by 4 times that of the infant period. The height of the toddler also increases by two times that of the infant period.
The toddler can feel and sense its fingers at the toes. The curiosity level of toddlers multiplies, and they can see experimenting with a lot of things.
It is always suggested to keep a toddler under adult supervision. You may find them getting out of the room without any support.
Caution to be taken while visiting public places as well. A toddler begins to play with fellow children.
Though they may not be an ardent follower of the rules of the game, they like being with kids of the same age or more.
Main Differences Between an Infant and a Toddler
- The main difference between Infants and Toddlers is the period when we call them. A newborn baby from its birth to 12 months can be called an Infant, while the same baby will be called a toddler till 3 years from the first year of its birth.
- The Infant does not have its motor skills developed as massively as it develops in the toddler age.
- The growth during the infant phase is faster when compared to the toddler age.
- The bones start to diffuse during infancy but complete their diffusion to the maximum extent while being a toddler.
- The infant weighs a maximum of 4 kilograms, while a toddler will be at least 4 times the weight while it was an infant.
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389945710000377
- https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1996-01761-002
Last Updated : 10 July, 2023
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
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