toddler

noun

tod·​dler ˈtä-dᵊl-ər 

ˈtäd-lər

plural toddlers

: a person who toddles

especially : a young child usually between one and three years old

It's no secret that kids need plenty of sleep. For a preschooler (3 to 5 years old), that's as much as 11 to 13 hours, including naps; for a toddler (1 to 3), 12 to 14 hours; for a baby under 1, 14 to 15 hours.

—Stacey Colino

toddlerhood

ˈtä-dᵊl-ər-ˌhu̇d 

ˈtäd-lər-

noun

Examples of toddler in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But once one imagines this giant, disturbing, absurd pest as the size of a toddler, much of his behavior starts to look toddlerlike, from his fumbling to learn gross motor coordination to his pickiness about meals and his desire to hang from the ceiling. —Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026

The old child-proof locks are pretty easy for toddlers to pick. —Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 24 Mar. 2026

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said this is a systemic issue that resulted in a firefighter leaving behind a toddler, his wife, and a baby who will never know their father. —Marissa Sulek, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026

On Tuesday, two days before the bombshell video dropped, Mortensen, 33, had filed a protective order to get sole custody of their toddler. —Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

toddler

noun

tod·​dler ˈtäd-lər 

-ᵊl-ər

: a young child

toddlerhood

-ˌhu̇d 

noun