23-month-old: Physical, motor, cognitive and emotional development

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Phan Ngoc Hai - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.

1. Physical and motor development in 23-month-old children

You need to ensure the child's adequate nutrition because the child's bones are constantly developing during this period. If you see that your child is 23 months old and his legs are still a bit bent, you should not be too worried. Your baby's legs will gradually straighten out by the time he reaches 2 years old. However, it is not until the age of 7 that the child fully stabilizes.
Now, the child's facial expression is still very immature. How can parents completely not soften their heart to indulge their baby in front of that cute and lovely face, don't resist the urge to cuddle and kiss your baby passionately when picking up your baby at the nursery, the child will feel very happy and cheerful. Although sometimes children also give you a lot of headaches, but that passionate affection is very natural, this also helps you relieve stress and pressure of life.
Children's motor skills are becoming more and more skillful, especially hand movements. Children can use objects such as spoons, forks or other utensils with their hands skillfully. Children's balance ability has greatly improved, many children can even move on their toes for long distances. Children also do not need a mother to hold hands and can already jump up and down the last step when taking the stairs. Children's ability to coordinate organs has become more flexible and better. Children's favorite activities at this stage are games related to ball, basketball...

In addition, you need to check that the shoes still fit the child's feet. Should choose to use shoes with straps for easy adjustment. You should not choose hard soles when buying new shoes for children because soft sole shoes will help children's feet more comfortable. In addition, choose shoes with adjustable straps that cover the heel and are made of natural and breathable materials. You can buy shoes with the toe of the shoe about 1-2cm longer than the tip of your child's toe. However, this can make the child prone to tripping if the toe is too long.
Your 23-month-old is beginning to show how she can build cube towers, copy horizontal lines, make train blocks....or use a spoon without spilling too much.

2. Cognitive and emotional development of 23-month-old babies

At this stage, children's cognitive ability also has markedly improved. Many mothers often feel restless when estimating when to take their children to the potty to avoid dirty clothes. However, children can tell if a diaper is dirty or not or when they need to go to the toilet at this age. Some babies even signal to their mother that they are upset or need to pee. You can teach your child the habit of using the potty when peeing or pooping.
The 23-month-old's speech and communication ability has improved a lot. Children can already remember and say 50 simple words, they can also say polite words if their parents teach them regularly such as "Thank you", "yes", "yes", "yes"... at this age. Parents should encourage children to greet and talk more by setting an example for children to learn. This is the right time. For example, when your child helps you with something, you need to say thank you. Children can already hum a few simple tunes. Therefore, parents can show children children's songs for children to practice singing.

Children can repeat words and phrases they hear because they still love to imitate you. As a result, children can begin to follow simple instructions. Children can also express their own simple needs such as going to the bathroom, asking for food, or simple emotions.
Children's memory is also thriving at this stage beyond a budding vocabulary. Children are showing signs of understanding the concepts of objects. Children can also grasp the concept of time, solve simple problems and visualize objects in their mind.
At this time, the child is like a small sponge, he absorbs what he sees, he hears....so let him absorb the good.
23-month-old babies often find it difficult to control their anger and often have sudden emotional changes. She begins to show a bit of resistance, often getting angry as if testing her parents' patience. Your baby is prone to sudden distress, but immediately returns to normal.
When you see other kids around, your 23-month-old becomes super excited. However, because children are learning to assert their individuality and independence, they may display some bold behaviors.
Separation anxiety is part of a child's development at this stage. This is a reality throughout the toddler years and becomes even more apparent by the time a baby is 23 months old.
Children often attract the attention, focus and concern of their parents because they are very afraid of being separated from their parents. Children want to know that they really get their parents' attention. Therefore, children often have the act of hugging, or tugging on your sleeve when they want something, show something or ask for something to play.

3. Nutrition of 23-month-old children

In addition to maintaining the same as last month, the child's nutrition during this period needs to be supplemented with more nutrients, creating momentum for the child to develop faster. Besides 3 main meals and 1-2 snacks, 23-month-old babies still need 500ml of milk per day.
Carbohydrates and fats need to make up a large proportion of the child's diet. This is a point to note about the nutritional composition of children's meals. You need to balance the ratio of protein, animal protein should be more than vegetable protein to ensure enough energy for children's activities.
In order to help children digest better, mothers still need to regularly add fresh fruits and vegetables. Children 23 months old also need to be supplemented with fruit juice, yogurt, fresh milk or biscuits with enough nutrients for this age.
In addition, mothers should learn more delicious and nutritious new dishes and regularly change the menu for their children. This will help your child eat better and eat more.
To encourage children's all-round development, parents should note:
Baby's ability to recognize similar features will increase with time and level of practice so let your baby play demanding games grouping similar objects Children are often more concerned with whether you are happy and excited when they are around, not about whether the house is neat and clean. So always spend a lot of time talking, singing and laughing with your baby. such as preparing clothes for the baby the night before, buying a slow cooker or convenient equipment and tools for the baby's needs.

At this age, children are very interested in being involved in your and other's stories so just let them be if they want to. Remember to write it down and save it when your child says funny things. You will feel so warm and happy if one day you read these lines again. Children should be encouraged to move and talk a lot, to create interesting moments together with children such as playing with toys, going for a walk in the park, etc. In order to help children avoid some infections, You need to regularly pay attention to your child's health, especially body hygiene and eating. The 23-month-old child has basically developed comprehensively physically, physically, emotionally, and cognitively, this is also an important time to form the baby's character, so parents should pay attention to training their child. Good habits such as: cleaning up toys after playing, brushing teeth, greetings, thank you, sorry... Especially good oral hygiene habits, helping to protect children's healthy teeth . You should also pay attention to your baby's teething problem, detect early signs of delayed teething to find the cause and handle it promptly.
23-month-old children need 5mg of elemental zinc/day to eat well, reach the correct height and weight and exceed the standard. Zinc plays a role in affecting most biological processes taking place in the body, especially the breakdown of nucleic acids, proteins... Organs in the body when zinc deficiency can lead to a There are a number of diseases such as neurological disorders, irritability, etc. Therefore, parents need to learn about the role of zinc and guide them to appropriate zinc supplements for their children.
In addition to zinc, parents also need to supplement their children with other important vitamins and minerals such as lysine, chromium, B vitamins,... errands.
Please regularly visit Vinmec.com website and update useful information to take care of your baby and family.

Reference source: whattoexpect.com