Toddler Development

[Freshberry]

I am a first time mum to a boy, who will be 2 in December.

We moved to a new area before he was born so I don't know any other mums apart from the odd chat at toddler groups and none of my friends/family have children or children of a similar age. I read a lot about developmental stages etc and try to make sure he has the right support and encouragement from my husband and I but nothing quite like real life experience from other parents!

He is big, over 90th percentile for height and weight. When I see other children at the park, a lot of them of his size seem much more developed. Some, I can tell are older, but smaller, but others seem to be able to climb/jump much more confidently than my son. I don't know if I am being cautious in what I let him do just yet but I want to help him spread his wings, but safely!

For example, I watched a mum climb some very high small metal steps with her son who was about the same size as mine and he then went down the very high slide while she climbed down (he seemed a bit unsure but smiled as he got going) I wouldn't do that with mine yet but maybe I should?

If you could share your wisdom about 21 months olds it would be much appreciated!

Honestly, you should be letting him test the limits of his capabilities. Stand close but don't hover. Don't say things like "be careful", ask "do your feet feel steady?" "Do you feel wobbly?" "Do you know where to move next?" Etc etc.

Guarding your kid's every move isn't protecting them, it's stopping them from learning how to do things. Have a search for "risky play" on insta, there's a lot of Montessori content around it which is really good.

I didn't say I do any of that in my OP but thank you anyway.

Hi there, kids are soooo different and each of them develop differently.
My girl was really cautious at that age, didn't want to go down slides, took aggggeeees to jump and never wanted to do anything without mum! Now she runs and jumps and goes down the slides etc.
They all go at different times.
I think it's an excellent age to go with their lead, see what they want to do, encourage but don't force and you'll see his little personality grow!
You can speak to your health visitor if worried but I would just try and enjoy and not compare for now.

I let my 15 month old climb the metal stairs and go down the slide at our local park by himself. There’s a giant fireman’s pole (above my head height) next to the slide. I position myself there in case my DC gets any funny ideas about jumping off something that high (though he’s always seemed pretty cautious about it). I don’t stand behind him on the stairs, or wait for him at the bottom of the slide. He’s always so proud of himself when he does the circuit and it’s lovely to see!

Nearing 2, I think you can definitely encourage your DC to be a bit more adventurous.

This is my son and he's a few months older. He didn't start walking until 18 months so physically he's appears to be behind others who were walking before him. He's naturally very cautious in nature and doesn't care much for slides etc. I'm just going to go with his flow, and I tell myself that as long as he can walk I'm sure everything else will follow with time.

My DD is 2 in a couple of weeks, I let her climb the steps to the slide and go down the slide but I always hover near to offer a hand if needed. It really depends on the park and the equipment though, some have gaps to fall through and she could easily misjudge a step when tired. I think I'm overprotective but she's really brave and loves big slides and throwing herself about so my attitude has had no effect on her whatsoever

Thank you all - it seems what he is doing is very similar to most.

Just realised it sounded from my OP as if he doesn't go on a slide at all. He absolutely does and climbs the steps himself etc. Just not this particular slide as its huge and the tiny metal steps have gaps in between. Think I'll keep doing as I'm doing and checking myself as we go!