Is my dd doing ok for an almost 2 year old?

[tammybear]

My dd turns 2, 3 weeks tomorrow, and I was wondering if there are any "milestones" all 2 year olds should have passed by now? Im asking as I don't know what dd should know/dp. I have a nursery nurse who comes once a week, who just comes to play with dd for an hour to try and get dd to concentrate more on one particular thing, as dd changes quickly from one thing to another. dd colours in (well scribbles), looks through books, can say certain words, recognises the number 2, sleeps through the night, she has gone off milk though which worries me, she only has it if it's in her cereal or in something like yoghuts.

Although one concern i have is that when i tell her no, she always laughs at me and carries on I try not to use the word no as they say you should say something in a positive manner like "play on the pavement" not "dont play in the road" but sometimes i just cant think of a positive thing to say, and now when i say no, she is trying to copy me. I know dd understands me most of the time, and Im teaching her colours, numbers, letters, shapes, parts of the face, nursery rhymes (of course not all at once ) She can feed herself, either with her hands or a fork, but she is a nightmare changing her nappy. she just wont let me. she twists and turns, and at the moment, she has just been ill, so does very VERY messy nappies so i need her to lie still so i can clean her up properly. She has also gotten very clingy to me since being ill so everytime i leave the room she starts screaming even if someone else is with her. And usually when i put her to bed, she cries and tries to climb out of the cot. Usually i can leave her alone as she tries to climb out but usually cant and ends up falling asleep, but when Im at mums, she sleeps in a travel cot which is shorter, so she can climb out of that. I was there last night, and I had to sit with her til she had gone to sleep.

Anyway, is there anything I need to worry/think about? Thanks. xxx

[Gobbledigook]

TB - I don't think you need to worry about anything from what you've said.

Don't worry about her going off her milk - ds2 (2 early Nov) just has it on his cereal, in yogs and perhaps a cup after tea but not always.

Development wise, she sounds normal to me. DS2 looks through books (he loves them) and just in the last few weeks has become addicted to jigsaws! At first he was hopeless, obviously, but now he's really quite good at it and loves being praised for it! He can say quite a lot of words but I'd say there are still quite a lot that I know but that others would not recognise. He is hit and miss on colour though he is taking an interest in them. He tries to count too but can't - often he'll point and count but say '3, 4, 3!'. So he kind of understands what he's doing but hasn't learned the relevant numbers yet!

I'm sure there will be lots of 2 year olds more advanced than this - my friends 2 yr old dd has amazing language you would not believe but don't worry about. Same friends ds had great language too at that age while my ds1 hardly said anything. Now they are both 3.5 ds1 def has better language than friends ds in terms of his diction etc.

Anyway, upshot is, nothing to worry about imo!

[ponygirl]

She sounds fine to me Tammybear. My ds2 is 2 in February and both he and my other two I would say were comparable with your dd at this age in terms of development. 2 is of course that delightful age where they often start to "test boundaries", which is the polite and positive way to put it! She's pushing you, and it's completely normal, though it will drive you off your rocker!

She should have a 2 year check with your HV which looks at a few things. It's not black-and-white: things like how many bricks they can stack, names for animals. They weigh and measure too. That would put your mind at rest, but I really don't think you have anything to worry about. Just enjoy her - she sounds lovely.

[handlemecarefully]

Sounds very normal indeed (the mimicry and ignoring your instructions is totally normal unfortunately!). However I think that an almost 2 year old is old enough to understand that she shouldn't squirm, and be awkward during nappy changes, and if I was you I would get tough on this. The clingy thing is probably a transient phase because she has just been ill as you say, but it might be worth getting dad to do more for her to reduce her dependency on you.

She is also old enough to recognise that bed time is bed time. My dd went through a phase of strongly resisting bed time when aged 22 months. She had a toddler bed so could certainly get out of it. I would repeatedly lift her up and put her back into to bed without making eye contact or saying a word to her (rationale is that you make the whole thing very boring for them), she gave in after a couple of weeks and hasn't given me trouble since.

Btw, personally don't think there is anything wrong with the 'No' word - it most certainly has its place; its clear, unequivocal and assertive which is just what you need with a spirited 2 year old at times!

P.S. my 2.4 year old probably has less than 6 fl oz milk per day..... I try and make it up through calcium rich foods but its tricky isn't it. A lot of nearly 2's drop their milk intake.

[Aimsmum]

Message withdrawn

[tammybear]

thanks girls, i hate comparing dd to other mums as i believe that they should just learn in their own time (of course with the helping hand from their parents) but i don't want her "falling behind" sort of speak.

aimsmum - is that those easy pull up pants or something like that they keep going on about on tv?

[Aimsmum]

Message withdrawn

[tammybear]

thanks aimsmum, i know which ones u mean. i think theyre by huggies, i think. thanks

[enid]

tammybear, she might be ready to start potty training...you never know

[tammybear]

lol, hope not enid. dont think i could handle that just yet!

[Wallace]

The pampers easy-up pants are the ones you want - or Tesco etc do there own brand versions which are cheaper

[crunchie]

tammybear if it is any consolation, my first dd couldn't do half what you describe by 2. Now at 5 (nearly 6) she has completely caught up. She was bron prem so we expected it, but what I am trying to say, please don't be caught up in what can she do, and comparisons as they will not help you. I know of kids who barely walked at 2, but could talk in full sentances, and others who could barely talk who would be able to run and climb.