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

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally approved by Doctor Nguyen Thai Ngoc Chau - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital
And Master, Doctor Huynh Bao Toan - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital. The doctor has 13 years of experience in the field of Pediatrics.

1. Physical development and movement

28-month-old babies have great growth in weight and height. In the first years, the height of children increases on average 3 - 4 mm per month, about 4-5 cm per year. Specifically:
Boy: height 89.9cm, weight 12.9kg Girl: height 88.8cm, weight 12.8kg What can a 28-month-old baby do? Children at this age are also fully developed with key abilities such as movement, communication, talking, cognitive ability...
Children at this age like to explore their surroundings Children can do some things by themselves personal tasks such as dressing themselves Children proficiently handle spoons and bowls by themselves and also less likely to drop food Children prefer to participate in small chores with their parents Children like to climb stairs despite movements your child is not yet agile and active Some tips:
Encourage your child to participate in physical activities. Let your baby explore, run around the house. Pay attention to the child's sleep, because it is quite important for children at this age. Teaching your 28-month-old baby to sleep properly will help promote growth and development and provide energy for your baby to function on a daily basis.

2. Cognitive development

One of the major milestones that parents notice is that a 28-month-old baby learns to use their own words to describe the world around them. This is the best time to teach them how to describe what they see around them.
At this age babies begin to want to let their parents know what they want to do or where they want to go. Babies can point to the door means they want to go out and play.
Children's symbolic thinking skills at this age begin to develop. Children can make connections between drawings and real images. Even the baby can understand the difference between the drawings.
When your baby is 28 months old, she starts to be able to focus for longer periods of time, maybe 20 minutes or more. Your child may express displeasure when his attention span is interrupted.
Some tips:
Baby still doesn't like organized games so make it possible for your baby to discover toys on his own or find his own toys. Parents create conditions to attract children's imagination by playing pretend with them. Or you can turn into a princess or superman...

3. Emotional development

Children's social and emotional development at this age begins to shape better relationship skills. Children can sometimes become stubborn and even throw tantrums if their parents suddenly have to go out.
The best way to handle this behavior is to explain to your child where you are going and why you have to go. Always reassure your child that you will be back.

Children this age often do not like to play with other children. However, babies are still curious about the world around them and this is also an opportunity for them to start interacting and getting along with people.
Some tips:
You can help your child communicate with other children. Teach your child how to play well with others and how to share toys. Be sure to be with him at all times.

4. Language and speech development

As for speech and language, children at this age will begin to use different words to describe the world around them. Your baby's vocabulary will expand rapidly, but there are still many words that children use sometimes are still unclear.
This is a good time to teach children about colors, shapes and textures so that they understand and know how to use the appropriate language.
In addition, children also use gestures and words to make requests. For example, when children gesture towards the door, they want to go out or only go to the kitchen if they want to eat.
One of the notable milestones of a 28-month-old baby is when he begins to talk and share his experiences. This is the age when children learn to walk and start telling stories about themselves. Ask your child for stories about this content to teach him how to express himself.

Some tips:
You should teach your child new words and how to use adjectives to describe new things around them. That way, your baby can learn to distinguish and determine how to use the words he wants to say and describe. Tell stories to your baby every day to help increase his speech. Engage children in conversation and encourage them to use new words they have just learned. Ask your child questions and wait for them to answer so they can practice their communication skills better. If your 28-month-old is slow to speak or tends to be quiet or only says a few words, maybe you should take your baby to the doctor. At the same time, it also creates an environment for children to develop better language. Because, at this stage, children should talk a lot and constantly expand their vocabulary.

5. Health and nutrition

As your baby approaches this age, he or she may start to become more picky eaters. Some foods won't interest your baby enough to finish his meal. This is also the reason that parents need to care and be patient with their children during mealtimes. Besides, parents should avoid forms of "bribes" to let children eat foods that children do not want. Doing so will create a bad habit for your child.

At this stage, parents begin to reduce milk intake and increase the amount of food in complementary meals for children. Please provide children with nutritious foods, especially rich in iron, because at this time, the iron component in milk does not meet the daily requirement of children. Otherwise, the child may have medical conditions such as iron deficiency anemia, and it will affect the child's development and it can be a risk factor for the disease.
Daily diet needs to be cared for and comprehensively developed by parents. Children eat 3 main meals and 2-3 snacks a day. With children's main meals, parents must ensure that there are enough 4 food groups in the diet to help provide adequate nutrients for children. The remaining 2-3 meals can use milk, products made from milk ... Moreover, parents always remember that it is necessary to add more green vegetables and fruits to their children's daily meals. Giving children 1-2 more meals of ripe fruit or juice will help them digest easier.
In addition to paying attention to the composition of the child's diet, parents should also create a comfortable eating space for the child to enjoy each meal.
28-month-old babies 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; sg.theasianparent.com