There Are Three Types of Toddlers, Which Do You Have?

LIFESTYLE

By: Zoe Samuel

5 Min Quiz

Image: Robyn Breen Shinn/Image Source/Getty Images

About This Quiz

While children generally take after their parents in key ways, there are plenty of surprises in store when you raise another person. Children are a combination of their parents' genes and their circumstances — and they're also the heirs to things you may not know about, further back in your family tree. These things can lie dormant for a generation or two and then pop up again. That means that no matter what rules you follow in parenting your children, they are absolutely going to be their own people, and there's nothing you can do about it!

This is both the blessing and the curse of parenting, and nothing makes that dichotomy more salient than the transformation from baby to toddler. After all, if an infant is naughty, sure, they can ruin your sleep, but they can't pull down furniture, set fire to the rug or endanger their siblings. Toddlers can. They have just enough agency to cause a disaster, but not enough to have the self-control to see that it's not going to help their situation. They can also be wildly affectionate and adorable in ways that make your heart do a happy dance inside your chest.

That's why the type of toddler you get makes such a difference to the experience of parenting through those two or three years. The important thing is to remember that however things look, the only thing you can be sure about in the long term is change. Just because your kid is good at age three doesn't mean they won't rebel as a teen; just because they are a little whirlwind of destruction at two doesn't mean they aren't a future honors student. Still, knowing what type of toddler you have will help with short- and medium-term planning! What kind of toddler do you have?

How often does your toddler throw a tantrum?

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What is their favorite word these days?

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How many favorite toys do they have?

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Do people ever think your child is older than they are?

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Can your child dress themselves already?

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Do you worry when your toddler makes a mess while playing?

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Does your child sometimes try to take care of you?

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What is their favorite toy today?

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How much time do you spend just chatting with your toddler?

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How much does your toddler read so far?

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Does your toddler sometimes just initiate a dance party for the heck of it?

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Does your toddler get along with other toddlers?

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What report do you usually get back from Grandma and Grandpa?

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How often do you take your child to the theater and similar places where they have to sit nicely and quietly?

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If your toddler drew on the wall but you didn't spot them doing it, how would you handle it?

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If you tell your toddler not to touch something hot, what are the odds you're about to see a burned finger?

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Does your toddler get along well with dogs?

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How do they do at brushing their own teeth?

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How often do they talk about what they're going to be when they grow up?

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Has your toddler ever made you laugh with an intentional verbal joke?

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What is the sweetest thing your toddler does in a normal day?

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Does your toddler seem pretty chilled out about the idea that when someone leaves for work, they will in fact come back?

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If you ask your toddler to imagine what someone else is thinking, how logical are their guesses?

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Do you ever worry that your child isn't quite ... normal?

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Be honest: might your child be really, really smart?

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If you give your child a puzzle suitable for their age, what do they do with it first?

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What age did they learn to take themselves to the bathroom?

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What irrational fear does your child seem to have?

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If your child is worried, how do they express it?

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What prediction would someone make who spent a normal day with your toddler?

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