By now, it must be sinking in that this month will be power packed, not only for your almost three-year-old toddler, but also for you. By knowing what 2 year and 10 month old toddler development and milestones to expect, you can be better prepared for this age without a doubt!
Before we examine this age period in details, a few quick tips. You may want to enroll him in a play-school and start with his regular dental visits. He may already have all his 20 teeth up! Brush time is more important now than ever.
2 Year and 10 Month Old Development and Milestones: Is Your Toddler on Track?
Physical Development
By 2 years and 10 months, the apple of your eye will be able to jump, run, balance and ride a bike and climb stairs without falling! Such a relief to see him less bruised, right? His eye and hand coordination will also improve, while his flexibility starts decreasing. On an average, boys will grow to 53% of their total height in the future, and girls will grow to 57% percent.
Make sure that he doesn’t get too confident in his new physical achievements and follows strict rules for traffic, opening doors, running, and climbing stairs.
Tips
It is best to make him exercise so that his muscles don’t lose all their flexibility. Even other forms of physical activity like cycling, football, dance and swimming may prove to be helpful.
When to Talk to a Doctor
- If your child is still not able to climb stairs, jump, run or pick up things without dropping, then it might be a good decision to visit a doctor soon.
Cognitive Development
As your not-so-tiny tot is getting ready to take on the world, you will notice that his cognitive skills are developing at lightning speed.
He might start resisting afternoon naps. Rather than put up a fight to get him to sleep, weaning him off his nap time might be a good idea this month. Try and bring forward his bedtime at night to compensate for the lost nap.
He wants to constantly run, dance, explore and play. Let him discover a new world of his own, but make sure to keep him safe. Getting his fingers pinched and his head banged may be a common occurrence. Make sure you set children’s boundaries so that they don’t injure themselves.
Beyond the rough and tumble, your toddler is now discovering a new part of himself — his imagination. He will start dreaming, visualising and playing with his thoughts and ideas.
Tips
Whenever you feel tired of your child’s constant questions, give him flash cards. You will be amazed to see just how good his memory skills are. He will also be able to count a little bit and recognise letters better. Also, your tot will be able to match similar objects and think creatively.
When to Talk to a Doctor
- If you do happen to notice that your child drools often, it is necessary to visit a good paediatrician.
Social and Emotional Development
Who is this social butterfly? Your toddler! At 2 years and 10 months, he is certainly more social than he was a few months ago. He has also developed a sense of likes and dislikes. But at the same time, he is also developing empathy. Comforting someone in distress might come more naturally to him than you thought.
As his imagination develops further, his sense of fear might shoot up. You may feel like laughing at his little fears. But stop yourself from doing so.The more you give in to the tantrums, the more children might continue with them. Everything seems big and unmanageable to your little one. It will only make his fears worse. Be more patient, assertive and empathetic towards his fears. And assure him that you are always there to protect him, no matter what.
Teaching them how to share their feelings, thoughts — and for that matter even their prized toys — may be a good idea during this month. They will be more open to this than you thought.
Around this time, your tot will start to identify his own personality while trying to imitate the elders around in the house. Be very careful of how you speak, behave and talk about others in front of him. He will pick up everything and give it back to the world outside.
Tips
As your little one is nearing his third birthday, you can also start involving him in little household chores like keeping the house clean. It will not only build a sense of discipline, but also make him more responsible.
Engraving values and your culture is also crucial during this stage. So visiting places of cultural and historic importance will also widen their perspectives.
When to Talk to a Doctor
- Your child should be wanting to go out and play and mingle with other kids. But if he doesn’t, it’s best to visit a doctor.
Speech and Language Development
2 year and 10 month old toddler development and milestones also include a distinctive improvement in speech and language. At this stage, you can encourage bilingualism in your child.
You will find them forming and talking in complete sentences more often than not. Enjoy listening to the nursery rhymes or songs they love singing (non-stop!) too!
Tips
There are two ways your child can learn more languages and express himself better. The first is to introduce him to more people who speak different languages. The other is videos. Whenever he does demand to watch online videos, make him watch the ones in different languages.
When to Talk to a Doctor
- If your child still prefers to talk in actions, or struggles to express himself, kindly visit your doctor.
Health and Nutrition
Kids of this age like to be independent and will assert themselves at the dinner table too. Encourage them to use cutlery and chopsticks. Eating together as a family might also be a good idea.
A 34 month old toddler is still building his or her capacity to eat, but they all need variety in small portions.
Typically, the calorie intake for boys and girls of this age are as follows:
- Boys: 1,166 Kcal/day
- Girls: 1,133.96 Kcal/day
Their nutrition should be composed of the following:
Your child needs around 24g of protein each day, which he/she can get from a wide variety of sources. This is roughly equal to two cups of plain low fat yoghurt, 3 oz of chicken breast or four mozzarella cheese sticks.
Your child needs about three (100g) cups of fruits everyday. One cup of fruit equals one cup of fresh, frozen, or canned fruit, half (1/2) cup dried fruit, half (1/2) of a large apple, one eight- or nine-inch banana, or one medium grapefruit. You can end every meal with a small serving of fruit to make sure he/she gets enough fruits every day.
Vegetables can be fun and yummy too! Give your child a variety of vegetables, including dark green, red and orange ones, beans and peas, starchy veggies and others, each week. When selecting canned or frozen vegetables, look for options with less sodium.
At this stage, your child requires 1.5 cups (150g) of vegetables every day. One cup of vegetables equals one cup of cooked or raw vegetables, two cups of raw leafy greens, one large tomato, or two medium carrots.
Grains are an important part of your child’s diet. When you can, choose whole grains, such as whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, popcorn, quinoa, or brown or wild rice. Limit refined grains such as white bread, pasta and rice.
Introduce a minimum of three ounces of grains in your child’s meals. One ounce of grains equals one slice of bread, one cup of ready-to-eat cereal, or half (1/2) cup of cooked pasta or cooked cereal.
Your child should drink a minimum of 16 to 17 ounces of milk a day. You may also substitute one cup of milk with one cup of yogurt or soy milk , 1½ ounces of natural cheese (around the size of four stacked dice), or two ounces of processed cheese (around the size of five stacked dice).
Here’s what you child needs every day (refer above for what the amounts look like):
- Fruits: 3 cups for boys and girls
- Vegetables: 1.5 cups for boys and girls
- Grains: 3 ounces for boys and girls
- Proteins: 24g for boys and girls
- Milk: 16-19 ounces for boys and girls
- Water: 1,200mL for boys and girls
Of course, your child’s preferences and appetites may vary, so be sure to keep that in mind when preparing his food.
Tips
- While your little one might tend to fuss about certain meals or even fruits and veg, don’t get discouraged. The more you make veggies and meat exciting to them, the more they will love it.
- They may also develop a strong preference towards a certain food item, but while you respect their likes, make sure they eat a balanced nutritious meal. You can find more tips here.
When To Talk To A Doctor
- If your baby is not ready to eat and wants only milk or vomits everything he eats, do visit a doctor.
Vaccinations and Common Illnesses
It’s a good idea to give him influenza shots if you haven’t given those already. Apart from Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease being the most common infection that your child may pick up from daycare or play school, the common cold, cough along with fever, sore throat, croup and chicken pox are other common illnesses.
