Your Two & a Half-Year Old Toddler
Diet:
- Offer a variety of healthy table foods diced into small pieces.
Let your child feed himself with a utensil or fingers. He should
be exclusively using a cup.
- Avoid giving any large pieces of food, raw carrots or celery,
chips, popcorn, nuts, seeds, whole grapes, or hot-dogs that your
toddler may choke on.
- Your job as parent is to choose the best foods for your child.
Offer 3 regular meals &healthy snacks. It is your child’s
job to decide how much to eat and even if to eat at all. Make
feeding time happy.
- Growth in toddlers is sporadic and their appetites follow. Expect
appetite slumps and food jags (preference for the same foods at
every meal). Do not force your toddler to eat. Offer healthy choices.
Limit fatty foods, sweets and juice intake.
- During an appetite slump, do not play short order cook &
prepare another meal in hopes your toddler will eat it. Wait until
the next scheduled meal to feed him again.
- Your toddler should drink 16-20 oz. of 2% milk each day. Too
much milk can lead to picky eating.
- Multivitamins may be used if your toddler’s diet is consistently
inadequate.
- If you are a vegetarian or vegan, it may be necessary to consult
a nutritionist to ensure your toddler gets enough protein.
- If you have a family history of food allergies, please consult
our office before introducing foods that contain peanuts, nuts,
or fish.
Sleep:
- A regular bedtime routine is very important to toddlers. The
average toddler sleeps 13 hours per day. It is normal for your
toddler to sleep more or less than the average.
- Most toddlers take 1 nap a day. If your toddler is resistant
to the nap, have a quiet period of rest at a scheduled time each
day.
- If you have any sleep issues, read “Solve Your Child’s
Sleep Problems”.
Development: (30-36 months):
- Runs, jumps in place, walks up & down stairs, may pedal,
kicks a ball, may dress
- Uses short sentences, speech 75% intelligible, asks “What’s
that?”, counts, knows a few ABC’s, colors and shapes
- Uses spoon/fork, copies circle, stacks 8 blocks, brushes teeth
with help
- Enjoys interactive play, knows name and age, plays pretend
games
Safety:
- Remember toddlers are very curious and can get into anything!
Use locks on the toilets, cabinets, & appliances.
- Burns, falls, choking, drowning and poisonings are the biggest
hazards in your toddler’s environment.
- Guns are dangerous! Keep guns and ammunition locked in separate
places.
- Never leave your toddler unattended in the house, car, or yard.
- In case of accidental ingestion or poisoning or for free poison
prevention information, call the Illinois Poison Center at (800)
222-1222.
- Use a properly fitted bicycle helmet if you take your toddler
on a bike ride.
- Use an age/weight appropriate “Type 1 or 2” life
jacket whenever around any water.
Other Things to Keep in Mind:
- Schedule dental visits every 6 months.
- Use a small soft toothbrush and a dab of fluoridated toothpaste
to clean your toddler’s teeth everyday.
- Limit the amount of TV and monitor the types of shows your
child watches.
- Read books to your toddler everyday.
- Use PABA-free sunscreen with SPF >15.
Potty Training:
- Signs of readiness to use the potty or toilet usually are seen
by 30 months of age. Mastery of the potty may not come until 3
years of age.
- Your toddler needs to be aware of impending urination or defecation,
have periods of prolonged dryness, able to pull loose fitting
clothing on and off, able to climb on and off the potty chair,
imitate simple tasks, and communicate the need to use the potty
chair.
- Have a potty-chair available to your toddler, but do not push
your toddler into training. Praise your toddler for any effort.
Behavior/Discipline:
- Encourage your toddler’s independence; offer acceptable
choices when possible while retaining your parental authority
and rules
- Be consistent. Praise good behavior. Avoid too many rules.
Say “No” then physically move your child from a dangerous
situation. Do not yell or spank. Be a good role model.
- All children have tantrums at some time. It is their way of
expressing anger and frustration. Tantrums increase when your
toddler is tired, sick, or hungry.
- Ignore attention-seeking tantrums – do not try to reason
with your toddler.
- Use time-outs for disruptive tantrums or unacceptable behavior.
A minute per year of age is a good guideline.
- A good reference for toddler discipline is “One, Two,
Three, Magic”.
Tests/Immunizations for Today:
- In most cases, none are needed.
At the 3 year check-up:
- Your toddler will have a physical examination. Your questions
and concerns will be answered.
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