Developmental milestones for your baby - 24 months

How time flies! Your little baby is a 2-year-old already. Your darling will continue to amaze you with his developments this year. Its time to party as well as be prepared for some testing times. 

Here is what to expect at Age 2 years:

Physical: 

• Your child will learn to jump up, throw a ball, walk up the stairs one foot at a time and start balancing on one foot. 

• Under-take small self-care tasks like dressing and undressing, combing his hair, brushing his teeth and using the toilet. 

• His height and weight will grow at the same pace as the last year — that is, not nearly as rapidly as he did as a baby. 

• Develops fine-motor skills using cutlery and crayons with much more control. 

• Teething can cause discomfort as the upper second molars tend to poke through around this time.

• He might start taking shorter naps. Your little munchkin still needs plenty of sleep to grow, so try putting him to bed earlier if he is napping less. 

• As he is growing, his requirement for fat content from food is reducing as compared to the baby days. So switch from full-fat milk to toned milk. Two-year-olds should continue to eat three meals a day and plus two snacks. Offer a variety of foods in all food groups—vegetables, fruits, grains, protein, and dairy.

Cognitive: The brain-building continues as he begins to:

• Grasp concepts such as later/sooner, same/different and more/less. 

• His imagination blossoms, you might see him making up stories or games to play.

• He remembers more of the people and places he encounters and the events he experiences (and can even tell you about them later). 

• Some toddlers get interested in letters and numbers (but there’s no need to push it if yours isn’t one of them).

• He’s also sorting items by shape and color and following more complicated directions that include two steps like, “Pick up your toys and put them in the basket."

Communication:

• His speech becomes much more intelligible (mispronounced words will still be common and totally normal until age 5 or 6); 

• He’ll also begin to string together longer phrases and sentences. 

• With increasing curiosity, the constant ‘Why’ will also increase. So be prepared to be patient. 

• He may be saying 50 words or as many as 100. He may even be saying two-word phrases—but it's not usually worrisome if he isn't. The doctor will probably check for hearing problems if he's not talking as much as expected.

Emotional:

• He gets frustrated as he is trying to do many things but unable to. 

• He will also learn to express himself through ways other than crying. So warm up your hearts to hear ‘I love you, mummy’ several times ☺

• Also, the stage when tantrums are at their highest. Welcome to the terrible twos. 

• Your child may experience separation anxiety when separated from his parents. If you’re planning to put him in a playgroup, keep goodbyes short and sweet, and reassure him you'll be back. 

• Teach your child to use his words to describe how he’s feeling rather than crying. 

Social:

• Your baby is now beginning to play with his playmates in a loosely organized way. That is, he is moving away from the parallel play. 

• He is able to identify his friends by name and may be inclined to interact in a group setting such as a music playgroup.

Your baby will love to do imaginative play using toys like dolls and cars at this stage. Also, involve them in creative activities like coloring with crayons and paint. Large-sized building blocks are excellent for developing motor skills.

Stay Tuned! Stay Relevant!