24 MONTHS

LEARNING AND PLAY

The majority of a child's social skills come as a result of play. During this stage, through play, your toddler will learn to form relationships and will begin to imitate adult actions and experiment with social activities. Play with your toddler as often as you can, and introduce him to a playmate or two.

Something that surprises many new parents is that babies do not learn steadily, but rather in spurts. They latch onto new ideas or skills quickly and practice them over and over, often seeming to forget much of what they've already learned. When they feel comfortable with the new skills, the old ones will be brought out and employed again. If your child enjoys an activity, don't hesitate to repeat it while also introducing him to new ones.

Between 15 and 18 months, your baby will enjoy language games that ask him to identify things, such as: `Where's your ear?' and 'Where is Mummy?' Vocabulary will grow quickly, but pronunciation likely won't keep pace. Be patient and resist the temptation to correct your baby's pronunciation ; instead, emphasise the correct pronunciation in your response. Soon he'll try to form sentences and questions with a combination of words and gestures.

At this age, your baby will begin symbolic play for the first time - he'll imitate things he sees you do, and he'll use objects for their intended purpose. He'll attempt to brush his own hair with a hairbrush. or he'll use the phone to `Talk' to vou.

Your child may fluctuate between wanting independence and wanting to cling to you. This is absolutely normal - children this age are learning about their separateness from you, but are still very dependent on you for comfort and reassurance. Give your child as much freedom as you safely can, and be there when he needs to be a 'baby' for a while. Learning milestones Although babies develop at different rates, most babies this age :

• Engage in symbolic play.
• Speak at least 15 words by 18months and use two-word sentences by age two.
• Imitate your expressions and actions, and follow your instructions.
• Attempt more independent activity.

SLEEP

A simple bedtime routine, one that has already been established and remains the same night after night, is your best bet for combating the toddler's cry of'I don't want to go to bed!' Of course he doesn't: Mum, Dad, and older siblings are probably still up and active, and the world is an exciting place of endless discovery. He doesn't want to miss a thing!

Since your child is becoming increasingly aware of his world, outside stimuli may begin to disturb him more at night, and his growing imagination may start to interrupt his sleep as well.

You are the best judge of how much sleep your toddler needs. There's a wide range of normal when it comes to sleep, but generally between the ages of one and two, a toddler requires about 10-13 hours of sleep a day. Whether all these hours are slept at night or your child continues to nap during the morning or afternoon is an individual choice.

Some parents find that their child needs that 'down time' during the day, while other parents find that as their child grows, daytime napping interferes with a good night's sleep, and a rest period (quiet playing or reading) works better than actual sleep. Sometime during this period, you'll deal with combining two short naps into one or doing away with the nap altogether.

25 TO 26 MONTHS

Jumping, throwing, mid brushing teetfi Your child is walking well now. His steps are more even and he's got the hang of the smooth heel-to-toe motion that adults use. He's also getting better at jumping, throwing a ball overhand, brushing his teeth without help, and washing and drying his hands.

LEARNING TO MAKE SENTENCES

By now, your child should be able to use at least 50 single words, construct simple two-word sentences, and be able to follow a two-step command, like 'Please get your shoes and bring

them to dad so he can put them on' You can probably understand what he's saying about half the time, but don't expect to make sense of everything he says until he's around four. Young children often confuse pronouns - so you might find him avoiding them completely by saying 'Brother get' or 'Baby throw.'

THINNING OUT

Your toddler will keep slimming down after his second birthday. As his head grows more slowly and his limbs and torso start to lengthen, his body proportions will become more like an adult's. Energy spurt

Between their second and third birthdays, most children have an abundance of energy. Try to give your child a chance to run around outside each day. Moving helps him build strength and increases his coordination.

NEEDS LESS STEEP

Between ages two and three, children need between nine and 13 hours of sleep a night. Most children also take a nap in the early afternoon, but some give up naps entirely. There's no right amount of sleep at this age. Let your child get what he needs to feel alert and rested.

27 TO 28 MONTHS

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Your child can now handle small objects with ease. He can stack blocks, knock over towers, pull off his shoes, turn book pages, and hold a cup with one hand. He might even be able to balance on one foot for a second or take a big jump forward with his feet together.

MAKING RULES MAKE SENSE

Helping your child understand the 'why' of rules will make it easier for him to follow them. Explain that we do some things to stay safe - such as holding hands while crossing the street, and wearing shoes outside. Keep your rules reasonable, clear, and consistent, and be patient while he learns to follow them. Most kids will need a lot of gentle reminders.

INTENSE CONCENTRATION

Your child's attention span is lengthening, and sometimes he'll be so absorbed in his play that he'll resent your interruption. You can make transitions easier by warning him in advance, as in 'You can play with the blocks for five more minutes, but then it's dinnertime.' When you can, be flexible with your timing. And keep in mind that some kids might need a couple of warnings to ease their transition away from play.

29 TO 30 MONTHS

By now your child should be able to put on an article of clothing and name about six body parts. He might also be able to balance on one foot for a couple of seconds or identify one colour.

GREATER CURIOSITY ABOUT OTHERS

At this age, he might be able to identify one friend by name. And as he grows more aware of what others are thinking and feeling, he'll become more interested in playing with other children.

ENCOURAGING CREATIVITY

Messiness is an integral part of children's artistic play, so don't worry about the disorder and clutter that seem to go hand in hand with his creative endeavours. When he's done with a project, you can teach him that cleaning up is part of the game. Even though his artwork might not look like anything but scribbles, admire and respect it and you'll give him the confidence to keep expressing himself.

TALKING TO YOUR TODDLER

You can help build your toddler's verbal skills by expanding on what he says. For instance, if he says 'Car go,' you might say 'Yes, that red car is going down the street very quickly.' Model the bigger vocabulary and more complicated sentence structure he'll grow into shortly.

TOILET TRAINING

If you haven't started yet, that's okay. Many children, especially boys, aren't quite ready for the potty. Keep watching for the signs of readiness.