MONTH 25 - MONTH 27
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.
Your Baby Is Active
Your child is walking well now. She is very active
and is jumping, running and playing all the time.
Her steps are more even and she's got the hang of
the smooth heel-to-toe motion adult's use. She's also
getting better at jumping, throwing a ball overhand,
brushing her teeth without help, and washing and drying
her hands. Thus she is learning to take acre of her
own requirements a
nd
needs without your help. Your child can now handle
small objects with ease. She can stack blocks, knock
over towers, pull off her shoes, turn book pages,
and hold a cup with one hand. She might even be able
to balance on one foot for a second or take a big
jump forward with her feet together.
Learning to make sentences
By now, your child should be able to use at least
50 single words, construct simple two-word sentences,
and be able to follow a two-step command, like "Please
get your shoes and bring them to Dad so he can put
them on." You can probably understand what she's saying
about half the time, but don't expect to make sense
of everything she says until she's around 4. Young
children often confuse pronouns - so you might find
her avoiding them completely by saying "Ball get"
or "Baby throw."
Losing weight
Your toddler will keep slimming down after her second
birthday. Don't worry…this is very normal. As her
head grows more slowly and her limbs and torso start
to lengthen, gradually her body proportions will become
more like an adult's. So don't worry that maybe you
are not feeding her properly and make a fuss if she
doesn't eat properly. This is the basic change that
will take place.
Controlling impulses and negative behaviour
Your child is slowly developing the ability to control
her actions - but at this age, she's still prone to
a fair amount of pushing, shoving, yelling, and tantrums.
You can't expect perfect behaviour from her all the
time. Keep reminding her that talking gets better
results than acting out - and make sure you praise
her when she makes an effort to communicate with words.
Also she might want to know certain things and will
ask you lots of questions. You have to be patient
with her. Helping your child understand the "why"
of rules will make it easier for him to follow them.
Explain that we do some things to stay safe - such
as holding hands while crossing the street, and wearing
shoes outside. Keep your rules reasonable, clear,
and consistent, and be patient while he learns to
follow them. Most kids will need a lot of gentle reminders.
Needs less sleep
Between ages 2 and 3, children need between nine and
13 hours of sleep a night. Most children also take
a nap in the early afternoon, but some give up naps
entirely. There's no right amount of sleep at this
age. Let your child get what she needs to feel alert
and rested.
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