What is the typical understanding of death for infants and toddlers?

Infants and toddlers have a very limited understanding of death, primarily because their cognitive development is still in the early stages. At this age, they are focused on their immediate sensory experiences and are not capable of grasping abstract concepts such as life and death. They may respond to the emotional cues of caregivers or notice changes in their environment when someone dies, but they do not comprehend death as a permanent state or even as a concept.

The understanding of death develops gradually, with children typically beginning to understand its permanence as they progress into later childhood. At the infant and toddler stage, they may sense the absence of a loved one and react to emotional shifts, but are not able to form a concrete idea of what death means, which is why they are considered to have no true concept of it. This aligns with the developmental theories surrounding this age group, emphasizing their focus on immediate reality rather than abstract constructs.