18-24 Months

Development

Most children will have started to walk by now, and your child will be probably be doing some or all of the following: 

• Climbing on furniture
• Running
• Increasing her vocabulary and sometimes putting two words together (‘new shoes’ or ‘teddy gone’)
• Talking to her toys in imaginative play
• Copying things that you do, such as using a dustpan and brush
• Turning pages in a book
• Trying to do things for herself, such as brush her teeth or put her clothes on

Children develop at very different rates, so it isn’t necessarily a cause for worry if she isn’t doing these things.

Feeding

By this stage, your child will probably have grown out of baby food altogether and will eat smaller portions of adult foods. She may learn to use a spoon or fork herself, though she will probably make a mess! You still need to avoid giving her foods she could choke on though, such as grapes, nuts or raisins.

Some parents, concerned that their child needs to follow a healthy diet, make the mistake of giving children low-fat products to eat and drink. Children need fat in their diet, so give her full-cream milk rather than skimmed milk. There is no need to avoid products like butter or yoghurt, and oil-rich foods such as avocado are very nutritious.

Your child will be drinking a lot less milk at this stage, and will probably be using a cup rather than a bottle. At mealtimes, offer water rather than fruit juice.

Health

Normally your health visitor will carry out a series of developmental checks at this age to make sure your child is developing. These will include:

• Hearing and speech tests.
• Dexterity tests (such as whether she can build a tower of bricks).
• An assessment of her social development (the health visitor will probably watch her play and ask you questions about how she is progressing).

Make sure you ask your health visitor if you have any concerns or questions about your child’s behaviour or development.

Sleeping

Most babies still need a daily nap at this stage, but some stop when they get to about 24 months. At night-time, they still sleep for about 10-12 hours. Keep to a bedtime routine, including brushing teeth, nursery rhymes or songs and a story. At this age, many children love having a bedtime story, and there are plenty of books aimed at this age group. If bedtime is enjoyable, your child is less likely to resist going to bed. This is also often a nice time for dad or other family members to be involved.

By the time she gets to two or a little bit older; you may consider moving her from a cot to a bed.  

Baby care

Most parents think about potty training their child as they approach their second birthday. That’s not to say that age is a good indication of readiness: it’s recommended that you aim for a fairly stable time in your toddler’s life. It’s also about whether you are ready to start this process. You need to be feeling fairly relaxed about the inevitable accidents that are likely to happen as you embark on potty training together.

Playing

Your child will probably start to enjoy more imaginative and creative games than previously. She might enjoy: 

• Toys she can ride on, such as a pretend horse with wheels, or a toy car. 
• Crayons – children’s fine motor skills are improving at this age, so she can scribble on a piece of paper. 
• Dolls or small figures that she can put in imaginary situations, such as pushing them in a pushchair or giving them pretend food.
• Lego. 
• Children’s versions of adult household appliance, such as microwaves or washing machines. 
• Soft balls to throw or kick around.

Taking care of yourself

Toddlers can be very exhausting. Your child may seem to spend all her time running around, tipping over the wastepaper bin, climbing onto tables, throwing her toys on the floor and generally causing disruption and chaos. Because children this age have no clear understanding of the difference between right and wrong, there is no point in getting angry with them for misdemeanours, such as throwing their food on the floor. You can reprimand her gently, but don’t expect her to remember from one mealtime to the next the difference between ‘good’ behaviour and ‘bad’ behaviour. Children learn best from example, so you can show her the way to behave by, for example, demonstrating the kind of behaviour you’d like to see from her, such as saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’.