Approaching two: two-word phrases and "no!"

Typical range; your paediatrician tracks your child on a growth chart. By two years most children have roughly quadrupled their birth weight and reached about half their adult height. Head circumference is still recorded.

• Two-word phrases are emerging ("more milk", "daddy go"); many children have 50 or more words by 24 months and are understood by the family about half the time.
• Many children kick a ball, run without falling often, walk up steps holding your hand or the rail, and jump with both feet soon after two.
• Sorting shapes and colours, building a tower of 4–6 blocks, turning pages one at a time, fitting simple jigsaw pieces.
• Parallel play: playing beside other children with the same kind of toys, watching and copying them, though sharing is still hard.
• Saying their own name, pointing to themselves in photos, naming a few body parts and pictures.
• Showing independence: "no!", "me do it", choosing clothes, wanting to wash hands alone. Tantrums are at their peak and ease as language grows.

• Prepare for the 2-year review at the polyclinic: weight, length and head circumference, speech (words and two-word phrases), hearing and vision, behaviour, teeth, and a check of the vaccination card. No vaccines are due in this quarter; MMR-2 comes much later, at 6 years.
• Brush teeth twice a day with a smear of fluoride toothpaste and help your child until school age; see the dentist once a year. Ask the paediatrician about iron and vitamin D if your child is pale, tired or eats little.
• Colds run 6–10 times a year at this age, especially with older siblings or nursery. Most are mild; call the polyclinic if a fever lasts more than three days, breathing is laboured or your child drinks poorly.

• Balls to kick and catch, tricycles and ride-on toys, running and climbing outdoors every day; family walks build stamina and language.
• Pretend play with dolls, toy animals and dishes, dressing up, "cooking" plov in a toy pot. Follow your child's lead and add new words as you play.
• Shape sorters, simple puzzles, big beads to thread, crayons and finger paints; play dough made of flour, salt and water.
• Books every day, rhymes and songs, counting steps and naming colours; talk about what you are doing throughout the day. In bilingual families keep both languages going.
• Playing with other children at the playground or with cousins builds social skills, even when sharing fails; stay close to help.
• Safety: medicines and chemicals locked, hot tea and the kettle out of reach, window and balcony guards, supervision near water including pools and canals, a car seat on every trip and a hand held near roads. No screens before 2, and then only a little, together.