Why Growth Crises Happen Less Frequently
 Category | Growth crises |
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Medically reviewed by pediatrician Alexandra Zglavosiy
After the first year, babies keep developing, but growth leaps become rarer and less noticeable. New skills emerge through practice and repetition. Your little one starts focusing more, copying adults, and trying to follow simple rules. Support them — now is the time to build on what they already know.
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What’s Inside
Quick takeaways
- After the first year of life, development continues, but growth crises become less abrupt and predictable.
- New skills now appear more gradually through practice and repetition, rather than all at once.
- Periods of emotional instability can still occur, but they’re less tied to neurobiological shifts and more to external changes.
- Toddlers begin to concentrate for longer periods, imitate behavior, and form early rules.
- This is a time to support consolidation and refinement of existing skills, rather than expecting sudden breakthroughs.
The brain has built its basic architecture
By their first birthday, a child’s brain has already formed the major neural pathways responsible for vision, hearing, touch, motor skills, and emotional reactions. After that, development enters a stage of fine-tuning.
Speech, attention, social skills, and emotional regulation now build on existing structures. These don’t require the same dramatic leap as during the first year.
Skills develop through repetition
After age one, most new abilities emerge through repeated practice. Walking turns into running, single words into phrases. Instead of a sudden “leap” bringing a new skill, progress now comes from attentive training and reinforcement.
The child practices balance, uses facial expressions, and forms gestures — all based on skills already learned.
Sleep disturbances and mood swings still happen — for different reasons
Parents might notice temporary regressions: the child wants to be held more often, sleeps poorly, or becomes fussy. But these are often linked not to a neurobiological leap, but to:
- a change in environment
- family stress
- changes in routine
- illness or discomfort
These factors still matter — but parents shouldn't expect a crisis every few weeks as they did during infancy.
Why this matters for parents
Fewer growth crises doesn’t mean development has stopped.
Now, the child is forming complex patterns of behavior, speech, and social interaction.
They are capable of longer focus and show motivation toward independence.
Frequently Asked Questions About Growth Spurts After Age One
Why do growth spurts happen less often after the first year?
By age one, the brain has already formed the major neural pathways responsible for movement, sensory processing, and emotional responses. Development then shifts into a stage of fine-tuning, making changes less dramatic and easier to miss.
Does my child keep developing after their first birthday?
Yes. Development continues, but new skills tend to appear more gradually. Speech, attention, social skills, and emotional regulation build on abilities that have already been established.
Why do new skills seem to take longer to appear?
After age one, most abilities develop through repetition and practice. Walking becomes running, and single words become phrases. Progress is usually driven by reinforcement of existing skills rather than sudden spurts.
Is it normal for my toddler to become clingy or sleep poorly sometimes?
Yes. Temporary regressions can still happen after the first year. They are more often linked to changes in routine, environment, family stress, illness, or discomfort than to a developmental spurt.
With care
Our articles are based on evidence-based medicine and reviewed by pediatricians. However, they do not replace a consultation with your doctor. Every child is unique — if you have any concerns, please consult a medical professional.
Sources
- Plooij FX, van de Rijt-Plooij H. The Wonder Weeks: How to Stimulate Your Baby's Mental Development and Help Him Turn His 10 Predictable, Great, Fussy Phases into Magical Leaps Forward. Kiddy World Publishing; 2017. ISBN: 978-9491882166
- National Research Council (US) and Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development. From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development. Shonkoff JP, Phillips DA, editors. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2000. PMID: 25077268. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25077268/. Accessed 7 May 2025.
- Misirliyan SS, Boehning AP, Shah M. Development Milestones. 2023 Mar 16. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan–. PMID: 32491450. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32491450/. Accessed 7 May 2025.
- Johnson MH. Functional brain development in humans. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2001 Jul;2(7):475-83. doi: 10.1038/35081509. PMID: 11433372. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11433372/. Accessed 7 May 2025.