Toddler Development:Your 32-month-old

Social and Emotional Development

At this age, your growing toddler may prefer to play alone or with a playmate. Regardless of her preferred form of play, encourage her sense of collaboration and communication, even if she prefersto only play with mum and dad — for now.

Though she’s starting to become more open in making friends, there will be tense times. She might get in adorable little arguments, while bossing other kids around. She could also be the opposite, shrinking back in the face of a bossy playmate.

Tips:

• To help her through this phase, try to instill good manners and empathy. Talk to her about what being a friend means.
• She might also be easily scared at night, but as soon as she starts to know the difference between what’s real and imagined, with your guidance, she can become braver. 
• Aside from boosting her fine motor skills, arts and crafts can also be a way of gauging their emotions. So let her do this without intervening too much. 

When to Talk to Your Doctor:

• If your child shows anxious behaviour, like head banging, don’t panic. This is usually just out of curiosity, as a way to test her limits. Watch out, though, because if this happens often, she might be dealing with pain that she still can’t communicate. 
• Take note if your little one is extremely aloof, shy, or doesn’t make eye contact.

Speech and Language Development

By this time, your toddler will likely be comfortable to refer to herself by name. They’re also familiar with gender and use prepositions — in, on, over — to indicate locations of objects. Your curious toddler can also comprehend and sometimes engage in simple stories and conversations. 

She might tend to interrupt you when you seem to be busy or while you’re having a conversation. But this is just her way of trying to get your attention. 

Tips: 

• Offering choices helps her regain some form of control. If your toddler starts to cry at this age, it’s just her way of communicating.
• Encourage her to voice out her needs. When this happens, try to maintain neutral ground — neither coddle her nor scold her. Encourage her to use her words. 

When to Talk to Your Doctor:

• When your child struggles to pronounce certain words and syllables, it would be good to consult a paediatrician or a speech pathologist to best know how to enhance her communication skills. 
• If your child is extremely quiet and often unresponsive even to family and friends she should already be familiar with, speak to your doctor.

Health and Nutrition

At this stage, a child’s appetite is proportional to her growth rate. So if she’s eating enough, so too will her growth rate soar. You should offer your toddler a variety of nutritious food with different colours and tastes to boost her appetite.

She should be given a diet based on the four basic food groups: meat (2 ounces), fish, poultry, or eggs (1 piece); milk (1/2 cup), cheese (1 slice), and other dairy products; fruits (1/3 cup) and vegetables (2-3 pieces), and bread (1 slice) potatoes (1/3 cup) , rice (1/3 cup), or cereal (1/2 cup).  

The typical height of toddlers this age is 86.4 to 100.4 cm and their weight is 10.8 to 17.4 kg. 

As for their vaccination schedule at this age, ask your paediatrician if the Hepatitis A series, Meningococcal vaccine, and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV) vaccines are necessary based on the medical history and predisposition of your child.

Tips: 

• It’s important to note that excessive eating at this age might result in obesity later on in life, so it’s best to manage proportions as well as nutritional content.
• As for sleep, they’re now ready to move from crib to bed. But be patient, as sleep interruptions can happen until your little one adjusts to this change.

When to Talk to Your Doctor: 

• If your child is severely underweight for her age or has stunted growth, go see a paediatrician. 
• Though it’s natural for toddlers to have difficulty sleeping away from a crib, consult your doctor if she becomes overly clingy or hysterical. 

Lastly, don’t rush your child. Though these 32 month old milestones are exciting for parents, it’s important to know that each child grows and blossoms at her own pace. Be patient and supportive. Your developing little one needs it!