A toddler is generally considered a child between 1 and 3 years old.

What age is a toddler?

Most pediatric and parenting sources define the toddler years as:

  • Starting around the first birthday (12 months).
  • Ending around age 3, when children are then usually called preschoolers (about 3 to 5 years).

So in everyday use, “toddler” usually means from about 1 year (12 months) up to the 3rd birthday.

Why that age range?

The word “toddler” comes from “to toddle,” describing those first unsteady steps many children start taking around their first birthday. This stage is marked by big jumps in movement, language, and independence, which is why many experts group 1–3 years together as the toddler period.

Quick view

Term| Typical age range
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Newborn| Birth to about 1–3 months (varies by source)3
Infant/baby| Birth to about 12 months3
Toddler| About 1 year to 3 years1358
Preschooler| About 3 to 5 years15

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.