At this age their main bond is with their parents. Change in the home, even desirable change, can be very difficult for a child; they need and crave predictability and a stability. Children want immediate needs met, even if there is tension at home, and they can be very demanding. A child’s world is centered around himself or herself. He or she may not be totally concerned with the tension in the home.

Divorce at this age can be very difficult for the child, but it is possible for parents to overcome this difficult task if they work together. They need to develop a routine that the child can follow with little resistance. If the divorce occurs at this age, the parent must be aware that the child may feel responsible for the break up. Parents must talk about it with the child.

A toddler in a family reeling from divorce may cry more often, demand more attention, become angry and not know why, and have trouble sleeping. Parents should try to keep the child’s routines as normal as possible, give the children more attention than usual and try to spend "quality" time with the child.