Toddler Development:Your 34-month-old

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.

Activities to Boost Cognitive Development

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 34 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.

Activities to Boost Socio-Emotional Development

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

34 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!

Activities to Boost Speech and Language Development

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

The average height of your baby will be between 87.5-102.0 cm, while his average weight will be between 11-17.8 kg.

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.

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. While feeding starchy food items, you can look at 1 bread slice/toast, 2-5 spoons of rice or pasta, or 5-8 spoons of porridge or 1-4 table spoons of mashed potato. As far as fruits and vegetables are concerned, a mix of boiled veggies in a small cup amounting to 100-200 gms is sufficient. Try not to feed a lot of salt or added sugars in food.  When it comes to protein, feed them 1-2 tsp of hummus/chickpeas, or one whole egg, 1 tsp of fish or 1 medium sausage/small meat portion (bite sized). Read here for more.

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.