MONTH 22 - MONTH 24
Please
keep in mind that all children are unique.
Whether your child reaches milestones early or late,
she has her own developmental path to follow.
The dividing lines between these months are very
fuzzy. If you have any concerns or questions
about your child’s development, please check with
her health care provider.
No Longer a Baby
Before
your eyes, your cuddly baby has blossomed into an
active, opinionated, independent toddler.
She wavers
back and forth between desires to separate from you
and wanting to be cuddled. At times she wants to
be held and other times, she’ll say ‘NO’ to your advances.
For these reasons, we have all heard this dynamic
period unfortunately referred to as the “terrible twos.
Accepting the challenges of this age is
the first step toward maintaining your sanity – patience
and a good sense of humor also help. Understanding what is happening
inside the minds and bodies of these little people
will also give you the support not only to survive
this part of child development but also to enjoy life
as a parent of a two year old.
What’s
Happening With Physical Growth?
Have
the lovely folds on your child’s legs and arms just
about disappeared? Is her head starting to look
more in proportion to the rest of her body? During this year, her legs
and trunk will start to lengthen. That pudgy belly that seemed
to always hang over her waistband will flatten – helping
her develop a straighter looking back.
Overall, she’ll look more like a preschooler
with a leaner, longer body appearance.
But despite these changes in appearance, she
may appear to be eating relatively less than when
a baby. Relative to body size, her
caloric needs are fewer.
Some days she’ll devour her meals and other
days – she’ll push it away.
Don’t worry -- her growth will be well maintained
by your consistent offering of nutritious meals and
snacks.
To
support the changes in physical appearance, make sure
she has plenty of time to stretch her legs.
Besides releasing bound-up energy, she’ll be
practicing her motor skills – learning to run smoother,
turn corners easier, go up and down stairs and jump.
Put her in a room or better yet outside and
she’ll find things to do that are challenging and
interesting.
Language
– The Big Leap
During
the previous year, gross motor accomplishments, sitting,
crawling, standing, walking, were the obvious developmental
milestones. This year, her language development
will astound you. There are two different
language skills at play – receptive and expressive. By now, she can understand
just about everything you say to her. She can follow commands and
understand your questions (though she may at times
pretend to not hear you).
Expressive
language skills though vary according to the individual
child. It is very hard not to compare
with other kids her age – but try once again to respect
her individual path of development. With most kids, all of a sudden
in this year, there is an explosion of language. You may hear her practicing
to say some of her favorite words – words that are
based on her individual interests -- when she is by
herself. And soon she’ll start
putting two words and simple sentences together.
What
you can do to support language development is continue
the routine of daily reading.
Have her select the books that she wants to
be read. Talk about what is happening
on each page.
This sort of loving interaction cannot be replaced
by any educational videos or flashcards.
Most of all she wants to share her discoveries,
including learning words, with you.
Even 5 or 10 minutes a day of lap-time reading
will be an enormous support to her development of
language.
What’s
Happening Cognitively?
The
best way to understand what is ticking in your toddler’s
mind is by watching her play.
You may have noticed that her play has become
more complex. She also may be able to stick
with one activity that interests her for a longer
period of time.
Her thought process has shifted from learning
about the world through physical and sensory manipulation
to mental concepts, thoughts and ideas.
Her job
this year is centered on independence.
She probably displays behaviors characteristic
of this age that may at times push your buttons but
demonstrate her “exercising” of new mental skills.
Some of these behaviors include:
-
Rituals
and repeating actions or words – This is
important for her to master a new skill.
Even when it seems quite obvious that she
has learned the skill, she’ll still enjoy and
take great pride in repeating a particular action
for you to watch
-
Testing
limits
– As an independent little
girl, it may seem that she will do anything not
to hold your hand when walking down a busy sidewalk.
But she really wants to know that she is safe.
Her feelings of security come from established
limits and rules that cannot be broken – even
with her continual challenging
-
NO! Me do it!
--
She needs to challenge to establish herself
as separate from you. Her achievements give her
great confidence and set the stage for positive
self-esteem.
-
Exploration
and then Clinginess
– Her goal is to become a separate individual
but every now and then she needs to refuel in
the warm arms of a loving caregiver. Also, she may revisit feelings
of separation anxiety as her abilities to remember
you and hold a picture of you in her mind sharpen.
Puzzles
and manipulates are perfect activities to hone fine
motor skills, eye hand coordination and challenge
young minds with new ideas. Check out our selection of
these and more toys for toddlers.
What’s
Happening Socially?
At
this age, your child is able to remember peers and
show preferences for other children.
But she is still what the child development
experts refer to as ‘ego-centric.’ The world revolves
around her. For this reason, she still
may not understand concepts about sharing. When there are conflicts over
toys, describe to her what is happening.
This will be a big year for her to learn about
the feelings of others, develop the important skill
of impulse control and use language to communicate
with her peers.
If she is not in childcare or around other
kids her age, some tips for starting a playgroup for
your toddler.
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