Consult the guide
- Pregnancy section
- Delivery section
- Baby section
- Feeding your child section
- Health section
- Family section
- Useful information section
A word from the minister
Dear Parents,
You’re reading the product of a longstanding Québec tradition, the From Tiny Tot to Toddler guide. It has served as a companion guide for families since 1977, evolving over the decades with changes in society and science. Published by the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) since 2000, it contains everything you need to know to be well prepared to welcome and support your child.
Available both online and in print, From Tiny Tot to Toddler walks you step by step through the journey of parenthood: a “profession” you may be entering for the first time. With each new edition, the guide is updated with the latest knowledge on pregnancy, childbirth, and child health from birth to age two.
The Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux of Québec commends the INSPQ on their diligent work. This guide reflects our commitment to improving the health of Quebecers. We often say that parenting doesn’t come with an instruction manual, but in Québec, parents can count on the From Tiny Tot to Toddler guide for support.
We hope you find this guide useful and wish you good luck in this new chapter as a parent!
Lionel Carmant
Minister Responsible for Social Services
Foreword
The arrival of a baby is a delightful and transformative milestone for all parents. Whether it’s your first child or not, you’ll have many questions and situations to deal with, and lots of decisions to make for the well-being of you and your baby.
From Tiny Tot to Toddler has been an invaluable source of information for over 40 years. It’s provided free of charge in print and online to all new and future parents in Québec.
This guide reflects the reality of families like yours. It will help you develop a sense of competence, independence, and self-confidence. It contains clear, accurate information based on science and the experience of healthcare professionals. And since being a parent isn’t always easy, you’ll also find encouragement, examples, and helpful tips.
It’s a privilege for Institut national de santé publique du Québec to produce this essential guide. We hope it will provide you with answers and reassurance as you embark on your new adventure.
Happy reading!
Pierre-Gerlier Forest
President and CEO
Institut national de santé publique du Québec
Authors of the original text
Nicole Doré,
Danielle Le Hénaff
Nicole Doré and Danielle Le Hénaff, authors of the original text, wrote, updated, and developed Mieux vivre avec son enfant de la naissance à deux ans from 1977 to 2001.
For the 2025 update:
Senior Scientific Advisor
Editor-in-Chief
Emilie Audy
Scientific Advisor
Marie-Ève Bergeron-Gaudin
With the collaboration of
Danielle Landry
Scientific Coordinator
Julie Laforest
Editorial Advisor
Nadine Maltais
Coauthors
Nicole April, Chantale Audet, Emilie Audy, François Beaudoin, Céline Belhumeur, Marie‑Ève Bergeron‑Gaudin, Luce Bordeleau, Marie‑Andrée Bossé, Nicole Boulianne, Amélie Bourret, Lise Brassard, Catherine Chouinard, Aurore Coté, Gabrielle Désilets, Cécile Fortin, Denis Gauvin, Christian Godin, Édith Guilbert, Julie Guimond, Élise Jalbert‑Arsenault, Julie Laforest, Mélissa Lafrenière, Danielle Landry, Josée Laroche, Michel Lavoie, Patrick Levallois, Chantal Levesque, Sylvie Lévesque, Andréane Melançon, Jean‑Claude Mercier, Caroline Morin, Christina Morin, Réal Morin, Laurie Plamondon, Julie Poissant, Faisca Richer, Hélène Rousseau, Marie‑Josée Santerre, Isabel Thibault, Lucie Thibodeau, Diane Tousignant, Josée Trahan, Lucie Tremblay, Jean‑Jacques Turcotte, Mylène Turcotte, Pascale Turcotte, Hélène Valentini, Annie Vallée, Raymond Villeneuve.
Translation
Anglocom
Cover photos
Audrey Lebrasseur: La garçonne culottée photographie (C1),
Mireille Lewis (C2),
Denis Demelin (C3) and
Jérôme-Nicolas LeBel (C4).
Graphic design and computer graphics
Sophie Charest
Florencia Torres
Photo calibration
Atelier Photosynthèse
Printing
Solisco
How to cite this book:
Doré, Nicole; Le Hénaff, Danielle. From Tiny Tot to Toddler: A practical guide for parents from pregnancy to age two. Québec, Institut national de santé publique du Québec, 2025. 816 pages.
Acknowledgements
We would like to warmly thank all of the individuals and organizations who help make the guide possible; your individual contributions are vital to this collective work. Given the challenge of naming our many collaborators, we apologize if we forgot to mention your name, and we thank you all the more!
Individuals
Stephani Arulthas, Emilie Beaulieu, Pascal Bédard, Isabelle Bilodeau, Caroline Bouchard, Isabelle Boucoiran, Annick Boulais, Mélanie Boulet, Nicholas Brousseau, Guillaume Burigusa, Évelyne Cambron‑Goulet, Catherine Caron, Christiane Charette, Elisabeth Codsi, Valérie Cortin, Dominique Cousineau, Gaston De Serres, Réjean Dion, Audrey Dion‑Forest, Jean‑Philippe Drolet, Mylène Francoeur, Léa Gamache, Anne Gosselin‑Brisson, Catherine Gravel, Marie‑Hélène Guay, Caroline Huot, Yun Jen, Yolaine Labbé, Caroline Laberge, Jessica Lara‑Carrasco, Andréanne Lefort, Julie Maheu, Linda Massé, Manon Méthot, Annie Montreuil, Sébastien Morency, Anne‑Sophie Morisset, Lina Perron, Nancy Pilote, Marie‑Claude Quintal, Ghislaine Reid, Marie‑Claude Roberge, Elizabeth Robinson, Élody Ross‑Lévesque, Anne‑Marie Rouillier, Claudia Savard, Stéphanie Thibault, Michèle Tremblay, Mylène Trottier, Nathalie Trottier, Gisèle Trudeau, Mathieu Valcke, Louise Valiquette, Isabelle Veilleux, Gäelle Vekemans, Nancy Wassef.
Groups
The regional coordinators in charge of distributing From Tiny Tot to Toddler at the Directions de santé publique of the CISSS and the CIUSSS: Thank you for your unconditional support; without you the guide would not make its way into the hands of Québec parents.
Organizations
Professionals from the following organizations contribute significantly to updating the content of the guide: Alima, Health Canada, Info-Santé, Lifesaving Society, Ministère de la Santé et des services sociaux, Ministère du Travail, de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale, Québec Poison Control Centre, Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec.
Parents
Throughout the year, we get feedback from parents who take the time to write to us. Parents reread and comment on our texts and participate in our working groups. We’d like to thank each and every one of them for helping us improve the guide, meet the needs of parents, and stay up to date with their concerns.
Parents-photographers
We also wish to thank all the other parent-photographers whose pictures appear in the guide. Thank you for letting us into your day-to-day life by sending us your colourful pictures. We greatly appreciate your generosity.
This publication is made possible through the financial contribution of the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux.
Contact us!
If you have a few minutes, tells us what you think of the guide: [email protected]
Your comments are invaluable and help us improve!
Happy reading!
Using the guide
The content of the guide is not intended as medical advice
The content of the guide is for information purposes only. The information is not necessarily adapted to your specific situation. This guide is not intended in any way to replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, or a recommendation of preventive or curative treatment. If you are unsure, consult your health professional or Info-Santé (8-1-1). For emergencies, call 9-1-1.
Integrity of the information
The information in this guide is based on the knowledge available at the time of printing. Since knowledge is constantly evolving, it is possible that certain sections of the guide do not reflect the latest changes.
This guide is only intended for parents residing in Québec
The instructions in this guide may not be suitable for situations outside Québec.
Liability disclaimer
The From Tiny Tot to Toddler guide is a collective work to which many professionals have contributed. The Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), its managers, administrators, employees, physicians, and the contributors to the guide are not responsible for how the information in the guide is consulted or used. Therefore, they cannot be held liable for the texts or any other information conveyed through the guide.
Links to other websites
Several websites are suggested in the guide as additional resources on the subjects discussed. The sites are managed by third parties, and the INSPQ is not responsible for their content.
Conditions of use
Brand names of products described in this document are given as examples only.
Reproduction for private study or research purposes is authorized under section 29 of the Copyright Act. Any other use must be authorized by the Government of Québec, which holds the exclusive intellectual property rights for this document. Authorization may be obtained by submitting a request to the following address: [email protected]..
Information contained in the document may be cited provided that the source is mentioned.
Update
The information published on the website is identical to the information published in the printed guide.
The information in this guide is based on the knowledge available at the time of printing. Since knowledge is constantly evolving, it is possible that certain sections of the guide do not reflect the latest changes.