In this episode of Season Two, Dr. Carole Keim discusses two year olds. Dr. Keim explains exactly what developmental and behavioral milestones to expect, offers potty training and safety advice, and touches on preschool and checkups for your two year old.

This age is often called “the terrible twos” largely because children have learned the word ‘no’ and have started advocating for themselves. They’re exploring their environments with increased motor skills and speech but not as many words as they’d like to express things. They’re also exploring boundaries. Dr. Keim explains how to navigate their frustrations and tantrums from a place of understanding where they’re at.

In this episode….

• Social development
• Motor skills
• Behavior
• Potty training
• Safety
• Preschool
• 2 year checkup

Social 00:33

• Parallel play 
• 50+ words
• Combines 2 words
• Follows 2-step command
• Speech 50% intelligible to strangers
• Names at least 5 body parts
• Likes familiarity - might want the same book every night
• Many children start preschool around age 2-3
  • Types of preschools - Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia 
  • Preschool vs daycare 

Motor 05:31

• Scoop with a spoon
• Kick a ball
• Hop with 2 feet
• Runs well
• Climb a ladder at a playground
• Removes clothing - esp socks
• stacks objects
• turns pages in book
• draw a line

Behavior 06:31

• exploring boundaries 
• Starting to advocate for themselves
• Praise/notice good behavior 
• Help them express joy, anger, sadness, frustration
• You’ll start to notice their personality around people/situations
• Encourage free play up to 1 hour per day
• Make time for learning through reading, talking, singing, exploring together
• Limit TV to 1 hour of high quality programming that you watch together
• Avoid TV during meal times and in bedrooms
• Be aware of your own screen use around child

Potty training 09:19

• plan for frequent potty breaks (up to 10x per day)
• Teach them to wash hands
• For independence, must be able to remove/replace clothing, get on/off toilet

Safety 11:12

• Car seat - can change to forward facing
• Use helmet for anything with wheels
• Remove firearms from home

Preschool 12:45

• Can help with social interactions, sharing

2-year checkup 13:13

• No vaccines other than flu/covid until age 4
• Ok to allow child to answer questions, but be ready to jump in if they feel nervous or give wrong answers (which they often do at this age)
• They typically feel comfortable during the physical exam 
• Ask your doctor if you have any specific questions about behavior, tantrums, nutrition, vitamins, potty training, constipation, and sleep routines 

Hopefully this helps you enjoy time with your two year old with less worry. For additional tips and advice on babies and toddlers, follow Dr. Keim on her TikTok and YouTube channels. Her book, “The Baby Manual”, covers the first year of baby life and is the subject of Season One of this podcast. Remember it is always okay to call your doctor or emergency services if you have concerns about your baby’s health.   

Resources discussed in this episode:

• The Baby Manual - Available on Amazon

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Dr. Carole Keim MD: linktree | tiktok | instagram