So for don’t sweat the two’s, and when you get to the three’s just smile and think, “Well, it could be worse, she could be a teenager.”

I’m not saying all teens are difficult but I just wanted to illustrate the point that every stage in development can be difficult, be it 2, 3, 13 or 43.

But enough with all the terrible stuff, let’s look at how far your little boy or girl has come along and go over a few developmental milestones that you should be seeing before or around your child’s second birthday.

Please bear in mind my long rant about “range of normalcy” and remember that when we talk about any developmental milestone, we are talking about an average age when that milestone occurs.

• Improved balance and mobility. He should be able to walk by himself without any support. This includes being able to walk backwards and also being able to bend down and pick up toys from floor without falling or stumbling.
• Is able to manipulate objects and use basic puzzles.
• Should be able to label things such as parts of her body (up to 6), and pictures that she sees in books. Cat, car, tree, etc.
• Is more aware of the actions of those around him. This begins with imitation play and also wanting to help out in activities such as cleaning. One activity that I always gave my kids both at home and in my class was to simply wash a table. They loved it and I would have regular arguments in my class over whose turn it was to wash the table.
• Able to feed herself and can use both a spoon and a fork.
• Able to build a tower of blocks that are 3 high.
• Enjoys dancing to music
• Able to walk up and down stairs with support.
• Should be able to throw a ball
• Is able to turn doorknobs

Over the following year you will begin to see many other milestones occurring and will also start to see an interest in potty training, if you don’t already. Remember to look at the two’s, not as something terrible but as something wondrous as your child learns and grows, a journey that you always look back at and wonder, “Why on earth did I want to get through it so quickly.”

Trust me, take the time and splash in a few mud puddles during that journey.

Sirena Van Schaik

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I am always amazed at the leaps and strides in development that children have over the first five years of their life. There is so much going on and before you know it, you have a person with a complex personality that can be almost mind boggling. Not only do they have distinct dislikes and likes, they have separate personalities traits depending on where they are.

One of the funniest experiences I had with this was with one 3 year old that I taught. She was a great child in my classroom and every day she would ask me to do her hair, either a french braid, two french braids or a multitude of other hairstyles that I can do. She would go home almost neater in appearance than when she arrived and I would often sing her praises to her mom at pick up time. “Oh, no, there was no problems with little S today. She helped bring down snack and she went to sleep right away at nap and…”

Her mom would stare at me, slack jawed and answer, “Are you sure your talking about my kid? You’re not confusing her with someone else are you?”

The moral to this long story was that S behaved completely different with me than with her parents right down to the hair battle, which was so bad that her parents would ask me to do her hair if something special was going on that evening or weekend.

And that brings me to four-year-olds because even though I was chatting about a three-year-olds personality, hers were nothing compared to the difference that you see in a four-year-olds.

By the time your child is 4, there are a few developmental milestones that you should be seeing. Remember that this is a range of normalcy so there may be things where your child is advanced and things where they are behind. Don’t worry, all children catch up.

• can feel and express many different feelings verbally.
• Is able to take turns and should begin to play cooperatively.
• plays role playing and other imaginary games
• begins to recognize patterns
• is beginning to have more spacial awareness
• grasps the concept of time but not the actual duration.
• able to manipulate scissors
• can use the pincer grip while holding a pencil
• has more control over stopping when he or she is running
• can stand on one foot
• should be able to jump
• can catch and throw a ball
• should be able to dress and undress by himself. He may need assistance with some items.

And the biggest one that all children seem to share regardless of age or developmental milestone: Continues to amaze you each and every day.

Sirena Van Schaik

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I wasn’t actually nervous but as each person reflected their own opinion on the matter I quickly began to stress about it.  Wait a minute, he’s 7 months old and he hasn’t crawled yet, now he’s 8 months old and he hasn’t crawled yet.  What is going on?  Fear found a nice spot in my stomach and I repeatedly searched through my various resource materials from the books I had in college on Child Development to the countless handouts I had picked up at various workshops and parenting classes.  I’m sure that you have probably been in the same place and maybe you still are.  There is so much stress with having to wait for that developmental milestone where you can say, “Whew, my child is just like all the rest, maybe even better because he or she did this before everyone else.”

If you are worried about your infant’s development, you should sit back and take a deep breath and remember this phrase, “Range of Normalcy.” 

Repeat that over and over to yourself and whenever someone asks if your child is crawling or has accomplished any other developmental milestone, say, “No but he is still in the range of normalcy.”

You will hear me say it often enough in all my developmental articles and all it refers to is the normal range of ages where a milestone takes place.  So with crawling, the range of normalcy is 6 to 10 months.  Yes some children crawl before 6 months and others crawl after 10 but the majority of children crawl between 6 to 10 months.  I knew this when I had my first son and I still stressed over his lack of interest in crawling.  In fact, my son didn’t crawl for the first time until he was just over 10 months old, on Father’s Day of all days!

Now that you know the range of normalcy for crawling, there are a few things that you can do to help promote crawling in your child.

1)  Get down on the floor with him or her.  Nothing encourages play and crawling more than if their mom and dad are sprawled out on their tummies moving around the floor with their child.  Not only does this give you a chance to play with your baby but it gives you the opportunity to see the world from his or her vantage point.  You can find little safety risks and deal with them before your baby gets a chance to pursue them.

2)  Place toys in front of your baby just out of reach so that rocking motions forward will bring the toy into his or her grasp.  Your baby will start reaching and will be encouraged to move forward.  This also helps with other developmental milestones such as hand eye coordination, and grasping.

3)  Limit the amount of time that you place your baby in a walker.  I’m not a big fan of walkers since they are the cause of many infant related injuries and there are some studies that point to walkers causing developmental delays but I have been guilty of using the saucers without the wheels.  They can be a great toy for any infant old enough to hold himself up but they should only be used for very short periods of time.  Even though many studies disagree over the impact, the chance of there being an impact is enough to avoid using them excessively.

4)  Remind yourself that your child will develop at his or her own speed.  If you have concerns and if your child is not crawling by 12 months of age, please speak with your pediatrician.

One last note about crawling:  Some children do not crawl, they go from sitting up to walking while others will scoot on their bottoms instead of crawling.  There is nothing unusual about this and you shouldn’t have any concerns if your child gains his mobility by sitting and scooting.  In the end, every child will find his or her own way in a manner that is uniquely theirs so just enjoy and love every moment of it.

Happy crawling,

 Sirena

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