1.
infants and toddlers; babies and small children
A collective term for very young children, typically from birth to around age 5 or 6. Combines 乳児 (infant, roughly 0-1) and 幼児 (toddler, roughly 1-6).
乳幼児は入場無料です。
Infants and toddlers get in free.
乳幼児を連れての旅行は大変だ。
Traveling with young children is tough.
この薬は乳幼児の手の届かない場所に保管してください。
Please keep this medicine out of reach of young children.
乳幼児 is a compound of 乳児 (nursing infant, roughly 0-1 years old) and 幼児 (young child, roughly 1-6 years old). It is commonly used in official, medical, and public contexts.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 乳幼児健診 (infant health checkup)
- 乳幼児突然死症候群 (sudden infant death syndrome / SIDS)
- 乳幼児向け (for infants and toddlers)
USAGE NOTES:
This word is frequently seen on signs, product labels, and in health-related materials. It is more formal and specific than 子供 or 赤ちゃん. You will encounter it at hospitals, on medicine packaging, and in public facility rules.