What should a baby be able to do between 21 and 24 months?
[mme_highlight] Toddlers at this age also perceive differences between the colors, shapes and sizes of objects. They begin to express their likes and dislikes. Between the 21st and 24th months, the child becomes a confident walker and a reliable runner. Children can also ride the tricycle. Toddler can say a sentence consisting of 2 to 4 words. [mme_highlight]
Each child develops at his/her own pace. During this period, children become increasingly aware of their capabilities. The toddler is still dependent on parental care and he/she believes that he/she is the center of the world. Nevertheless, children gradually begin to become more independent and improve their motor, cognitive, communicative and social skills every day.
Cognitive development
Children are now able to find the hidden object under several layers of blankets. Also, they like to hide the objects and then to ask parents to find them. They know to identify about 10 parts of body. Although they cannot name the colors, they definitely understand the difference between them. Toddlers at this age also perceive differences between the shapes and sizes of objects.
93% of children recognize the image in the mirror as their own body. In addition, they begin to express their likes and dislikes.
Motor development
Between the 21st and 24th months, the child becomes a confident walker and a reliable runner.
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- 97 % of children between 21 and 24 months can run;
- 50% of children between 21 and 24 months can stand on one leg longer than 6 seconds (for instance, children can stand on one leg while the other is used to kick the ball) ;
- 90% of children between 21 and 24 months can stand on their tiptoes.
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Children can also ride the tricycle. During the previous months, he/she has mastered in climbing up the stairs and now the child overpowers climbing down the stairs.
A toddler of this age likes to play with a ball: she/he can throw the ball and catch it in a sitting position. Fine motor control is improved, so your child can grab small objects. You should expect your child to begin opening doors and closets, because she/he may now reach for door handle. In addition, children learn to undress themselves.
Children can walk backwards and they can pull the toy at the same time.
Regarding feeding at this age, researchers have found the data below:
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- 80% of the children were self-feeding until the end of 24 months;
- 54% of children were using adult spoons by 24 months.
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Social / Emotional
He/she loves to play with older children and adults. On the other hand, toddlers still behave as they are the center of world, so they do not want to share toys with others and begin to show shyness in contact with strangers. During this period, approximately 25 to 50% of children still suck their thumbs.
Now, child knows to show a wide variety of emotions (e.g. sympathy, joy, anger, modesty, guilt, fear etc.). According to a study from the University of Minnesota, 91 % of two year old children have temper tantrums once a week.
Language / communication
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Average lexicon length by age
– 270 words by 22 months;
– 320 words by 23 months;
– 300 words by 24 months.
25 to 50% of speech is intelligible to unfamiliar adults. Children begin to use pronouns like “my” and “me”.
Toddler can say a sentence consisting of 2 to 4 words. The average age when child begins to say the sentence is 22.1 months and at the age of 24 months 60% of children have ability to combine the words.
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Representation of words in toddler’s vocabulary
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- about 50% of words are nouns
- 50% of words are verbs or action words.
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What are the alarm signs parents should be aware of?
- If the child does not point to objects when parents ask to identify an object;
- If the child is silent during the play and there is no babbling;
- If the child does not respond when his/her parents ask a question;
- If the child does not use 2 word sentences (e.g. “no more”)
- If the child does not imitate the behavior of adults;
- If the child does not identify objects of daily routine (e.g. phone, hair brush etc.).
What are the risk factors that can impair development?
The child becomes more independent, which is directly related to the increased freedom to move. Therefore, you should protect the child from injury and keep the windows closed.
Make sure that the child does not play with toys that are not appropriate for the child’s age (e.g. too small toys). Parents should pay attention to what children put in the mouth, because choking is a common occurrence.
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Choking in children
- 60% of choking incidents were food-related;
- 13% of choking incidents were caused by swallowing coins;
- 19% of choking incidents were caused by swallowing gum or candy.
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Keep away from children medicines, cleaning products and chemicals. All of these can cause fatal poisoning.
What should parents do to encourage the development of baby at this age?
Encourage your child to play with a ball. You can kick the ball and encourage him/her to kick the ball back. You can also take the child to the park and watch him/her climbing on the equipment.
You should support all children’s attempts to communicate with you. Ask your child questions such as “What is this?”, “How can I use this?” Give your child a bunch of small toys to play in order to practice fine motor skills. When child completes simple tasks you entrusted to him/her, you should reward him/her.
Summary and Recommendations
- Almost completing the second year of life, your child will continue showing developmental progresses every day. Knowing what to expect makes it easier for you to recognize the progresses and help the child to achieve them.
- Cognitive Development: The child identifies about 10 parts of the body, distinguishes different shapes, colors and sizes and expresses likes and dislikes.
- Motor Development: Most children at this period are confident walkers and reliable runners. They can stand on only one leg and they can ride a tricycle.
- Social/Emotional Development: Children like to play with older children but still do not like to share toys. They express emotions and sometimes have temper tantrums.
- Language Development: The lexicon incredibly enlarges and a good part of what a child says can be understood by an adult. They can build 4 words sentences.
- Each child has her/his own pace, but if you think your child is not developing adequately, seek for medical advice.
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References
- American Academy of Pediatrics. (1999) Steven P. Shelov, S.P. & Hannemann, R.E. (eds.)Caring for Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5. New York: Bantam.
- Rossetti, L.M. (2005) The Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale: A Measure of Communication and Interaction. East Moline: LinguiSystems, Inc.
- http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-2yr.html
- Bates et al. Individual differences and their implications for theories of language development. Chapter 4 for Paul Fletcher & Brian MacWhinney (Eds.), Handbook of Child Language. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1995.
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