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Advice from Dr. Sears
Dr. William Sears, America's leading pediatrician and author of more than 30 books on child care, gives you the lowdown on what to expect from your little one in her second year.
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While each child is unique and may reach milestones at different times, Dr. William Sears, M.D., America's leading pediatrician, gives a sneak peek at what to expect from your 2-year-old.
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2 Years
A big girl one minute, a baby the next; happy and content, or angry and frustrated. A 2-year-old is all of these. Terrible 2s? Or terrific 2s? The label you choose depends on your understanding of your child's developing personality. It's true that 2-year-olds want their own way in everything. They're discovering their own ability to make things happen. Conflicts flare up frequently, often because adults' expectations are beyond 2-year-olds' abilities. They simply can't hold still, be quiet, or wait for very long, especially if they're tired or hungry. Even though they are experimenting with independence, 2-year-olds still depend on parents for almost everything: food, love, fun, and protection from things that go bump in the night. A 2-year-old's growing awareness of the world shows itself in new fears and worries. The good news is that at 2, children are learning to understand other people. While your 2-year-old may not readily surrender her will to yours, she will seek your approval and generously return your love.
2 Years, 3 Months
Two-year-olds can talk! Vocabulary expands quickly during the third year, and words are no sooner learned than they are combined in two- and three- and five-word sentences. A 2-year-old can carry on a conversation and describe what he did "yesterday" (even though he really means last week). Growing language abilities make it easier to get through the day with a 2-year-old. He can keep a plan in mind (first the store, then the park) and even displays a silly sense of humor. He's also learning to argue. Don't shut him down when he "talks back." Keep the discussion going and your child will learn the fine art of negotiation and compromise. How do children master the complexities of language? By listening and practicing. It's not necessary for you to correct your child's language. Just talk with him and enjoy his unique way of expressing himself. His grammar makes sense to him--and probably is a lot more logical than standard English.
2 Years, 6 Months
Two-year-olds love to imitate their parents. Parents will recognize their own words and tone of voice when a child puts a teddy bear to bed or talks on the pretend cellular phone. Play tools or kitchen items, a toy phone, and dolls to take care of will stimulate increasingly elaborate pretend play, and you'll see exactly what the adult world looks like from a child's perspective. Children this age enjoy other pretending toys, too--a barn with farm animals or a parking garage or construction site with toy vehicles and workers. When these toy sets help a child recall real-life experiences, her play will help her remember and expand on her trip to the zoo or her walk to the playground. On the artistic front, 2-year-olds are ready to experiment with markers, crayons, and paper. Their pictures will look like scribble drawings, but it's the process of putting ink on paper that matters. Be sure to display the finished product on the refrigerator door.
2 Years, 9 Months
Sometime between the second and third birthday, a child ceases to be a toddler and becomes a more grown-up kid, someone in search of fun and adventure. It's time to zoom around on a tricycle with pedals or go on a pretend camping trip in a kid-size tent in the family room. As language skills grow and children begin to feel more confident, it becomes easier to play cooperatively with a parent or an older sibling. Simple games offer chances to practice taking turns or counting. (Games are less frustrating if the rules are designed--or redesigned by you--so that everybody works together and everybody wins.) With more sophisticated thinking skills, children approaching their third birthday are interested in mechanical toys, things that wind up and do something. They will also enjoy a variety of soft dolls and stuffed animals that come alive in their own imaginations.
3 Years
Fantasy play grows more complex as children get older. Preschoolers may spend much of their time pretending to be someone else, and dress-up clothes make this more fun. Twirly skirts, capes for superheroes, hats, vests, and props for police officers, firefighters, and medical personnel add details to a child's play scenario. Three-year-olds like to be in charge of their own play, so stand back and let your child create his own imaginative world--even if that means the living room sofa becomes an airplane for a half-hour or you have a superhero swooping through the house while you're making lunch. In pretend play a child has power and control that he doesn't have in real life. He wants to be the parent, the protector--and the driver! If you join his play for a while, honor his wishes and respect his logic. Play is children's work. It's how they learn about the world and about themselves.
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