What to Expect the Toddler Years (101 page)

speak and be understood half the time

identify 1 item in a picture by naming

identify 4 items in a picture by pointing

. . . may possibly be able to:

jump up

put on an article of clothing (by 23½ months)

. . . may even be able to:

draw a vertical line in imitation

build a tower of 8 cubes

carry on a conversation of 2 or 3 sentences

Emotional development.
Two-year-olds display a wide range of emotions and behaviors, such as love, pleasure, joy, and anger. Their behavior can be assertive and they tend to protest a lot. They talk, play, and interact with parents and others, can explore new activities, want to do things for themselves.

Intellectual development.
Two-year-olds are intellectually light years ahead of where they were a year ago. Now they can form images in their minds, make judgments, categorize (dogs and cats are animals, cups and plates are dishes), and arrange things in order (lining up blocks in size order). Their memories are much more sophisticated and they are beginning to understand more abstract concepts, such as “more” vs. “less” (though they’re not likely to be using numbers yet), “later” and “sooner” (but not “next week”), “the same” and “different.” Their imaginations are more fertile, their play is creative, not just imitative of what they’ve seen or heard.

You can’t always get what you want—but, to a toddler’s way of thinking, you have a better shot if you demand it loudly in public.

Preparing for the checkup.
Keep a list of concerns (about eating, sleeping, behavior, comfort habits, or anything else) that have come up since the last visit. Be sure to bring the questions with you to this visit so you will be ready when the doctor asks, “Any concerns?” Also jot down new skills your toddler is displaying (climbing stairs alone, using a cup and spoon well, stacking five or six blocks, responding to two-part commands, imitating horizontal or circular strokes with a crayon, washing hands, toilet learning) so you won’t be at a loss when you’re asked, “What’s your child been doing?” Bring along your child’s home health history record, too, so that height, weight, immunizations, and any other information gleaned from the visit can be recorded.

What the checkup will be like.
Procedures will vary a bit depending on your child’s doctor or the nurse-practitioner who conducts health supervision exams, but in most cases, the two-year checkup will include:

Questions about your child’s development, behavior, eating habits, and health since the last visit. There may also be questions about how the family is doing in general, whether there have been any major stresses or changes, how siblings (if any) are getting along with your toddler, about how you are coping, about child-care arrangements (if any). The doctor will also want to know whether you have any other questions or concerns.

An assessment of growth (height, weight, head circumference) since the last visit. These findings may be plotted on growth charts (see pages 862 to 865) and the child’s weight for height evaluated and compared to pre vious measurements.

An informal assessment of physical and intellectual development.