Health Tips
- Encourage your child not to put objects in his/her mouth.
- Never leave your child unattended near water.
- See your health care provider for well-child exams when your child is two and three years old. Refer to the Parent Resources section for information on Well-Child Exams.
- Teach your child to wash hands before meals and after using the bathroom.
- All 20 primary teeth usually appear by age 3. Primary teeth play an important role and help your child with chewing, speech, and the development of jaw bones and facial muscles. Healthy primary teeth guide permanent teeth into position.
- Use a pea-size amount of fluoridated toothpaste after age 2.
- Thumb sucking is not usually considered a problem until age 4.
- Involve the whole family in brushing teeth together at the same time each day to create good habits.
- Continue dental visits every 6 months.

Nutrition Tips
- As children become more independent, they will want to feed themselves. It will be messy, but it is how they learn.
- Provide 2 -3 healthy snacks each day. Offer healthy foods consistently, but never force feed your child.
- Consider switching to 2% milk if your child is within
appropriate height and weight ranges.
- Use mealtime as an opportunity to talk with your child and create a pleasant social time.

Behavioral Tips
Between 2 and 3 years, children begin to play more interactively with other children, which can potentially cause behavioral issues. “That is mine!” is a healthy response in establishing their sense of self. Parents can reduce potential problems by not letting their children become overly tired, hungry, or frustrated. Continue with consistent routines throughout a child’s day. A calm voice, a gentle hand, and offering other reasonable options can all help diffuse frustrations. Changing tantrums to more positive responses takes time and a consistent, positive response from you.

Read with your child everyday and try asking questions about what he or she sees in the books. Young children may enjoy reading the same book over and over. This helps them with language development and instills a love of reading.

Supporting your eighteen to twenty-four month old

Your child is gaining independence in movement, speech, playtime, and trying new things.  Two year olds jump, climb, dance, and move in a variety of ways.  It is an interesting balance between allowing them to explore and yet keeping a close eye on them to ensure their safety.  They are also developing language skills rapidly and using more words to meet their needs.  They may get easily frustrated when you don’t understand what they are saying.  Be sure to listen closely and acknowledge words that you do understand.  You will notice your child is more interested in playing with other children. This is how they begin to understand themselves and others.  Older two year olds will begin more imaginative play; they will pretend and even mimic adults.

Independence also means that they are eager to try new things.  Provide opportunities for your child to learn new skills, but be nearby to provide assistance when needed.  Be aware that their need to do things their own way often creates challenging situations.  Calmly communicate clear and reasonable expectations as well as a few simple choices.  It helps to consistently provide choices such as “Would you rather pick up your bear or your truck first?” or “Do you want to wear your red shoes or your blue shoes today?”  Making decisions not only helps them feel independent, but gives them confidence as well.

Most two year olds:
- link two or more words together such as “mommy bye bye”
- enjoy playing with other children
- show a basic understanding of their feelings and the feelings of others
- love books and stories
- often say “me do it” as they attempt to try things on their own
- begin using pronouns such as “he” and “she”
- can say about 50 words – although you may understand only half of those words