Skip to main content  Growth and Development  To parents of
infants and toddlers, their children's sexual development may
seem a long way off. But actually, sexual development begins in
a child's very first years. Infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and
even young school-aged kids develop an emotional and physical
foundation for sexuality in many subtle ways as they grow.  Just
as they reach important physical and emotional milestones, like
learning to walk or learning to recognize mom or dad, young kids
hit important milestones in how they recognize, experience, and
feel about their bodies, and how they form attachments to
others. The attachments established in these early years help
set the stage for bonding and intimacy down the line.   Infants
and Toddlers    Gender awareness. By age 2 or 3, a child starts
to develop a sense of being a male or female. This awareness is
called gender identity . A child of this age starts to
understand the difference between boys and girls, and can
identify himself or herself