Two Years -

Your child will begin to be more independent and assertive.
She may help in dressing and undressing.
She may jump in place, run well, and kick a ball.
She may walk up and down stairs well, open doors and climb on furniture.
Children of this age enjoy rituals and routines that they can depend on during the day.
Your child will begin to speak in short sentences, and will likely have a vocabulary of at least 20 words.

Milk intake should decrease to about 16-24 ounces a day. The bottle should be long since gone.
Fruits and vegetables are healthy snacks.
Your child may become a picky eater, and have two or three favorite foods. Provide small portions so your child is not overwhelmed. Children may unpredictably eat better at some meals than others.
Provide healthy choices.

Brush her teeth twice each day. The first dental visit is usually at 3 years of age. Do not let children eat the toothpaste because too much fluoride may stain their teeth.
Curiosity about personal anatomy is normal – start calling parts by their correct names.

Toddlers should not decide when it is time for bed. That is a decision to be made by parents.
Bedtime routines help (but not if you allow them to prolong bedtime)
Consistency is essential. Think about issues, decide before hand how you will handle them.
It is important to set limits for your child-consistent, realistic, and positive.
Develop routines that your toddler can count on; bedtime, morning, mealtime
Be sure to note good behavior; children thrive on positive reinforcement.
Praise for desired behaviors and consistency are essential. “Time out” is a good method of changing behavior. (We will be happy to discuss this technique with you).

Continue to use a car seat at all times.
Keep Ipecac on hand at all times. Always call Poison Control before using Ipecac (Poison Control 528-6048).
Keep small or plastic or foreign objects out of your child’s reach (balloons, band-aids, plastic bags, etc.).
Do not keep goodies in cupboards over the stove-your child may climb on the stove to get to them.
Supervise activities such as: Water play, riding toys, playground activities. Children should not be allowed to play near driveways, streets, lawnmowers, or running machinery. (Children should never ride on tractors or lawnmowers, even with adults). Children should wear an approved helmet whenever on a bicycle.

It is important to spend at least 10-20 minutes a day in a special activity with your child. Read to your child, play ball with him, sand play, color, play with clay, dress-up games, etc.
Your child enjoys and learns from repetition.
Your child will parallel play with other children; interactive play is limited.
It is best to watch children’s programs with them and to generally limit television viewing. Many meal time problems can be averted by keeping the TV off during meals.

Clay, musical toys, riding toys, wagons, rocking-horse, sand and bath toys, balls, dolls, baby buggies, books, blocks and crayons.