Every child grows and develops in their own time. If you are worried about your child's development then speak to your Health Visitor, Family Nurse or GP.
If you are worried your child might be unwell look at the information from the Royal Hospital for Children Concerned your child is unwell? (3 months and older).
Your Health Visitor might visit you when your child is between 27 and 30 months old. You can find out more on Happy Healthy Tots.
NHS Scotland recommends all eligible children should get the flu vaccine between September and December to help protect them from influenza (flu). You can find out more about the child flu vaccine on NHS Inform.
Eating a combination of foods from all the different food groups will give your child all they need to grow and develop.
From 2 years of age, you can start looking at the Eatwell Guide for healthy eating advice. Before the age of 2 babies and toddlers need a full fat diet, which is relatively low in fibre. Between the ages of 2 and 5, children should gradually move to eating the same foods as the rest of the family, in the proportions shown in the Eatwell Guide. Anyone with special dietary requirements or medical needs might want to check with a registered dietitian on how to adapt the Eatwell Guide to meet their individual needs. From 2 you are looking to SLOWLY introduce more fibre and lower the fat content but only if your child is eating well (like swapping to semi–skimmed cow’s milk).
You can find more tips and ideas using the links below:
Your toddler will enjoy making marks with crayons or pencils. They might be able to copy vertical and horizontal lines and circular scribbles. Try some messy play with your child. Draw shapes in different textures like sand, shaving foam, flour, gloop or dried lentils.
You could also play with paper - ripping, tearing and folding. Find out more on CBeebies Parenting Ripping up paper.
Your child can now lift their leg and balance for a second.
They will try to jump with their feet together but might have one foot leave the ground first. With a bit of adult help, they will soon be able to use both feet together.
They will enjoy using a sit and ride toy and push along with their feet but haven't grasped how to pedal yet. They will like to be able to get on and off themselves.
Your child can now run around safely, avoiding objects most of the time.
They are really exploring the world. They are climbing up onto furniture and reaching up high by standing on tiptoes. The enjoy climbing and the world is just a big climbing frame to them. They still don't understand what is dangerous, so keep an eye on them.
They will now be able to go up the stairs like a grown-up. They will use one foot on each step but will still need to hold on for reassurance. Coming down is still scary so they will need to take their time.
Your child will try to kick a large ball but can't always get it where they aim for. They can pick the ball up and throw overarm. Catching a ball is still difficult. You can find activities to help develop ball skills on Physical Activity and Participation page.
Your toddler can pull their trousers up and down and will try to put on a coat. Keep letting your toddler practice getting dressed and undressed. Make it fun - get them to put your clothes on while you try putting theirs on.
Teaching the last step first is a teaching technique, called backward chaining, that can help children learn how to do complicated tasks. Backward chaining is when you break a task down into it's different steps and then teach the last step first. Once the child can do the last step you teach the second last step and so on until they can do every task. It works great for teaching dressing skills.
If we think about a putting on a t-shirt, to start with you would follow these steps:
You repeat this until your child pulls the t-shirt down every time. They might learn this quickly or it might take some time. Keep practicing every time you are changing your child. Next you want them to put their arms into the sleeve and pull the t-shirt down. Once they can do that every time, you hand them the t-shirt ready to put on and get them to put it over their head, put their arms into the sleeves and then pull the t-shirt down. Choose one garment at a time to work on.
Learning to get the clothes the right way round is really hard so this will be the last step they learn and it will take a long time to master this so focus on just putting the clothes on.
You could also start to show them how to undo big buttons and zips.
Your toddler can use a spoon to feed themselves, they might still be a bit messy though. You could now teach your toddler to use a fork. Let them try using a fork at mealtimes but play with forks too. Give your toddler a fork while you are cooking. Involve them in simple food preparation, baking and cooking activities. Toddlers love to copy their care givers. There are ideas about Cooking at Home at different stages on the British Dietetic Associations website. CBeebies Parenting also have some information about cooking with toddlers. Shopping is a great time to explore food too. CBeebies Parenting have some activity ideas for at the supermarket.
Your toddler may be able to tell you they need a pee or a poo. They may also let you know if they have a wet or dirty nappy. It might be time to think about toilet (potty) training. Lots of children find learning this skill challenging. For children with additional support needs the journey might look different and may take longer.
For toilet training typically developing children look at:
If your child has additional support needs look at:
Brushing your teeth is an essential part of looking after your body. You should be brushing your child's teeth at least twice a day. You can find out more from:
Your child can follow a 2 step instruction like "get your coat and put it on". They can point to parts of their body if you name them like head, tummy and nose. They might repeat back parts of what you say to them, to help them make sense of it.
Your child can usually use fifty or more words appropriately. These words aren't always clear. They are starting to put two or more words together to make phrases like 'Mummy go' and 'Daddy car'. Their favourite question is 'what's that?'. When they are talking, they might stumble over words sometimes like 'I.. I.. I want a biscuit'.
Your child sometimes throws tantrums when they are frustrated. You can usually distract them. They will chat away while playing, but you might not understand everything they say. They like to join in nursery rhymes and songs. They can act out familiar routines with dolls or teddies like feeding, bedtime. They don't like to share their toys. They are interested in other children and can play alongside them for a short time.
Find out more from Parent Club Top tips for chatting together with your baby.
Your toddler can point to themselves in the mirror.
They will be testing the boundaries now. They will be trying to get their own way. They might be getting frustrated or angry and they might act out, Parent Club has some behaviour tips.
Your toddler now knows where things belong so should be able to help tidy up after play.
If looking at a picture your child can tell you what is happening such as "the dog is chasing the cat". If they have drawn a picture they will tell you what is happening in it even if to you it looks like a scribble.
We are one of the leading paediatric care centres in the UK, and the largest in Scotland. We provide family centred care to newborns, infants, children and young people both in hospital and in the community.
https://www.glasgowchildrenshospitalcharity.org/
KIDS for Families