So your toddler has reached the terrible twos? I hope you will see that they're not so terrible after all. In fact, it's a very exciting year in which you will see your child's personality develop, and your relationship with them become stronger.
By two years old, your child already has lots of abilities that make them more independent. There's also a lot of variation in development at this age, so you may find yourself comparing your child to other kids their age and wondering what's 'normal'. Every child is different, and the most important sign of a developmental delay is when the parents are concerned. That said, there are some more specific guidelines that you can use to keep tabs on your little one's development.
Here are some of the abilities you should see in your 2 year old:
1. Putting two to four words together - e.g. 'mommy up now' or 'daddy juice'
2. Copying others - e.g. waving hands, blowing kisses
3. Showing an interest in other children
4. Following simple instructions - e.g. 'Come here' or 'Get your juice'
5. Pointing to body parts or pictures - e.g. 'Show me your tummy'.
6. Labelling body parts, objects or pictures when asked - e.g. 'What's this?'
7. Building towers with blocks
8. Finding things that are not in sight or are hidden - e.g. finding toys under a blanket
9. Beginning to run, kick a ball, climb and jump
10. Drawing lines, scribbles and shapes
The CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) has a great series of checklists for development. You can find the checklist for your 2 year old here. If you have any concerns about your child's development, or you just want to have a chat about developmental milestones, you can contact me anytime.
Megan
Source: CDC website
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