2-Year-Old Child

Are you ready to bid bye-bye to the crib? While there’s no one right time to transition to a big-kid bed, toddlers should ideally stay in their cribs until as close to age 3 as possible. If, on the other hand, your child is 35 inches tall or is trying to climb out of the crib, it may be time to make the move.

To help your toddler feel more comfortable with the change, try to put the bed in the same place where the crib was, and let her nap in it a few times before sleeping there at night. Keep the bedtime routine the same too — mixing it up now might make the transition even more overwhelming.

Crooked teeth. A gap-toothed grin. Even at their most imperfect, baby teeth can be pretty darn cute. What looks adorable on a toddler, though, might not be as cute on an adult. Luckily, there’s no need to start saving up for braces just now — there’s no direct link between crooked baby teeth and crooked permanent ones.

If, however, your tot’s pearly whites are looking a little less-than-white, she could be showing signs of tooth decay. Baby tooth enamel is thinner than the permanent kind, which makes them easier targets for plaque.

Try to limit sugary foods and drinks and brush your toddler’s teeth twice a day with a child-size toothbrush, using a smear of fluoride toothpaste about the size of a grain of rice.

Some toddlers find comfort in a portable security object, like a toy or a blanket, but others never take to one — and that’s just fine. Look on the bright side: There’s no need for you to drag around a blanket or lovey all time, no fear of losing it during a trip to Grandma’s, and no trying to persuade your child to leave it at home every time she goes to day care.

Around the age of 2, toddlers start jumping. First, your child will leap in place on one foot, then take flight on both feet. Does she need a hand getting off the ground? Have your toddler lean on you during those first attempts. As your tot gets better, have her stretch out her arms to the sides or put her hands on her hips when she jumps, both of which will help with balance.

Thinking about switching your 2-year-old to a toddler bed? Tots who are taller than 35 inches should be moved to a big-kid bed (at that height, they can topple over the bars), but with great freedom may come … lots of nighttime wanderings (“Can I have a drink of water?”).

Here are a few safety precautions to take:

• Childproof your toddler’s bedroom. Cover any radiators or electric fans that aren’t childproofed, and move tripping hazards, like furniture and cords, out of the way. Make sure there are guards on the windows and that window blind cords are secured out of reach. 

• Block off the door. To prevent your toddler from leaving the bedroom (and heading straight for the stairs or bathroom), either close the door or install a gate across the open doorway.

• Set up a nighttime policy. Do your little one’s nighttime wanderings take her straight to your bed? Tempting as it is to invite your tot in, you might want to take her back to her own room. Sit by her bed for a bit if she needs some reassurance, and remind your child that at nighttime, she sleeps in her own bed.

What brings on a fear of the vacuum cleaner or the toilet? Growing up, actually. Your toddler knows more now than she did six months ago, and her mind has plenty of fodder for frightening scenarios.

Your child is able to understand cause and effect, but can’t yet sort out the realistic from the unrealistic. If the vacuum cleaner sucks up dirt, can it also suck up me? If water gets flushed down the toilet, could I also get flushed down?

Given your toddler’s growing imagination and newfound sense of vulnerability, try to steer clear of what scares her — within reason. You can’t avoid every loud noise, but you can avoid the neighbor with the barking dog. And when you have to run the vacuum? Let your little one play with it while it’s turned off, which may allow her to see that it’s not so scary after all.

Some tots are out of diapers by the age of 2. Others aren’t potty trained until preschool. As with most other milestones, every child is one-of-a-kind. 

Up until the age of 20 months, toddlers pee so frequently that potty training is probably unrealistic. Older toddlers may be ready to start potty training if they show the following signs:

1. You’re changing fewer wet diapers. If your little one is staying dry for an hour or two at a time, and occasionally wakes up without a wet diaper, she may be physically ready for potty training.

2. Bowel movements are becoming predictable. Does she go number two right after dinner? Just before she goes to bed? A regular schedule will help you anticipate when to pull out the potty.

3. Your tot is aware that she’s going. If your child announces that she’s going to pee — whether she shouts it out loud (“I go pee-pee!”) or hides in a corner and tugs at her diaper — she’s aware enough of her bodily functions to start potty training.