Child development at 24 months postpartum

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Doan Ngoc Quynh Tram - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital.
2-year-olds are usually full of energy and change. Here are the developmental milestones of a 24-month-old baby that parents need to know to take better care of their baby.

1. Sleep in a 24-month-old baby

A 24-month-old should take a nap of about 1 hour during the day and an 11 and a half hour nap at night.

2. Nutritional care for children 24 months old

According to the standards of the World Health Organization, the average height and weight of a 24-month-old baby is:
24 month old girls: The average height needs to be 86.4cm. Average weight reached 11.5 kg. 24 month old boys: The average height should reach 87.8 cm. Average weight reached 12.2 kg. Now that your child is almost at the end of his second year, you should feed him three meals a day and a few healthy snacks. In general, children can eat the same foods as other family members.
The child's food portion will increase every day, but you should divide it into many small meals for your child and give them more if they want, do not force them to eat all the food in the bowl.
From 2 years old, if the child eats well and develops well, you can add skimmed milk to the child's diet. But you should not use skim milk when the child is 5 years old, because at this time skimmed milk will not provide enough fat for the child. You can also add bread, pasta, and brown rice to your child's diet, as they are high in fiber.

3. Development in 24-month-old babies

3.1. Move

2-year-olds are usually full of energy and they will run, jump and climb everywhere. Therefore, you need to prepare children for a lot of activities during the day (such as dancing, singing, soccer, cycling...) to help them develop both physically and mentally and always encourage them to perform. those activities.

3.2. Senses, communication, and emotions in a 24-month-old baby

2-year-olds have a good sense of size and how to interact with objects around the house. For example, if he knows he can fit in a cupboard or under a table, he'll enjoy and try it. There will be falls, bruises on the child's forehead, so you should always pay attention and supervise the child.
At this stage the child will become more sociable with people around, so this is a good time to take your child out and socialize with other children.

3.3. Activities and games to help your 24-month-old baby develop

You should arouse children's imagination by playing with them, jigsaw puzzles, tower building, drawing, coloring, collage... are suitable for children of this age.
Show your child how to use the toilet by showing it and explaining what it is and what it is used for. You should encourage your child to sit on the toilet on a regular basis every day, ideally after breakfast, and guide him or her to try going there. But don't force them if they don't like it. Babies are still small and it will take some time before they get used to going to the toilet like this, so give them time.

In general, the milestones for a 24-month-old baby are:
Can say short words 2 to 3, e.g. “I drink milk” or “I see cats”. You can encourage your child to speak by responding with a full sentence, for example, “Great, you're drinking freshly brewed breast milk, well done honey!”. Can imitate the sounds of familiar animals. Ask a lot about what you are doing and what is happening around the child. Can point and understand parts of the human body. Greater awareness of day and night. Understand simple quantities, such as "a little" or "a lot" of something. When a child has abnormal signs of health, parents can take the child to Vinmec Health system for timely examination and treatment.
In addition, 24-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: emmasdiary.co.uk