23 months Old Baby (89 to 92 weeks)

Congratulation! Your baby is 23 Month old!
There is no question that most children enjoy television. Many parents are however concerned over the effect of television on young minds. As this second year draws to a close, your toddler continues to express her desire for autonomy by taking a larger role in dressing herself. She looks forward to real stories in real books and has outgrown the board books favored by babies and younger toddlers. She is playing more and more with friends.

• kick a small ball forward

• combine words
• identify 6 body parts by naming
• use 50+ single words

• put an article of clothing

• identify 4 items in a picture by naming
• use prepositions

The importance of Fitness


Today, activities keep children inactive - playing video and computer games and watching television - predominate. Many children view physical activity as a formal scheduled activity (e.g. gym class) rather than a natural part of life. When a class is not on schedule, they prefer to stay rooted indoors watching TV. You can help your toddler by helping them enjoy exercise now; this will increase the odds of exercising for a lifetime.

Unplug the TV:

Don't let cartoons or video games glue your child to the sofa during their formative years. Using the TV as a time filler or mood-distracter sabotages your chances of engaging your child in activities like reading, play or building their physical health. TV abuse is found to be the reason for decline in physical fitness among children because it discourages activity and encourages snacking.

Fit in Fitness:

Ensure your child spends physical time outside each day at the playground, in your garden or park or anywhere where running, climbing and jumping are safe. Provide balls, tricycle or other riding toys as a variation.

Go with your toddler:

If your toddler is hesitant at first, get physical together. Alternate sedentary pastimes (reading, doing puzzles, and drawing) with active ones.

Set an example:

Your child's future fitness depends on how you pass your free time rather than on how many classes of gym or dancing you sign her up for (although this is good in itself); active parents produce active kids. Studies show that when both parents exercise their child is 6 times more likely to be active. Walk wherever you can: to the library, supermarket rather than using the car. Avoid complaining when you have to use the stairs or walk a long distance. Take your toddler for your morning walks. Go out as a family for some outing that involves some activity such as swimming instead of sitting in front of the TV.

Teach respect for the body:

When children learn to respect their body, they learn to take care of them. Demonstrate that by the eating habits you practice at home, by the way you avoid cigarettes, drugs and the abuse of alcohol and by seeing the family exercise or enjoy some physical activity together. Talk about the importance of taking care of our bodies; if we neglect our bodies, our bodies won't take care of us.

Building Self-Esteem



Toddlers may be sure of what they want, but they are unsure of who they are. Studies show that children who learn self worth in the early days grow up believing in those values about themselves; they don't need to rely on others opinion or approval; they have rewarding relationships; are able to handle peer pressure; are able to reject self-destructive habits. For your child to attain self-esteem, you need to build the developmental bricks one at a time and this phase will go smoothly with your help and support.

Unconditional love and attention:

The no-strings kind of love that says 'I love you no matter what' is very necessary and a basic requirement for a child to receive from his parents, so lay on the love. Your toddler needs your regular attention in order to thrive. Talk to your child; really listen when your toddler talks. Don't ignore their needs although you cannot fulfill them; avoid constantly using 'I am busy, later...'excuse.

Provide the space:

Constantly hovering, always advising or assisting your child can squash self-motivation. Your toddler will grow dependant on you for answers to questions and solutions to problems rather than trying to self-discover. Along with that, the satisfaction and confidence that comes with meeting challenges are compromised as well. By playing by themselves they will learn that they can be independent and don't have to look to others for entertainment.

Hold your toddler in high esteem:

Your toddler's self-esteem depends on the esteem you and others show for him; make your child feel valued, one whose thoughts, feelings, desires are given importance and never ridiculed. Show your child respect by being there for him instead of putting your social life, work, religious life, household chores before his needs. This is especially difficult for single parents but necessary.


Hold yourself in high esteem:

Avoid degrading yourself, doubting your judgment, and indulging in self-destructive activities. Toddlers get inspired to think likewise by parents who think well of themselves.

Don't compare:

Your toddler is unique; drawing comparisons in behavior, development, temperament, eating habits or anything else to playmates, siblings, the child next door is unfair. Negative comparisons (why can't you be more like your sister?) and positive comparisons (you are simply the smartest boy around!) can prove to be detrimental in different ways. You are either raising low self-esteemed kids or unbearable, arrogant brats. In the case of the latter, the child can become unpopular with his arrogant ways with their peers, which ultimately weakens his inner core of self-esteem. Accept your toddler for who he is and he will be more likely to accept himself.

Watch your lingo:

Be careful to not use derogatory terms or labels even in jest. Such taunts can be taken seriously by the sensitive toddler. Avoid reprimanding with, "you always.." or "you never.." as this is not a fair way to deal with toddlers wrongdoings. Avoid stirring up guilt with lines that cut, "if it weren't for your illness, we could have gone for that holiday".

Balance your expectations:

Pushing your child to achieve early - to speak in clear sentences or to be nappy-free or recognize numbers doesn't imply he will accomplish the desired goal any earlier. In fact not meeting your expectations can make your child feel like a failure. Expecting too little can also affect adversely as it gives your toddler no incentive to do his best. Having expectations that meet your child's age and ability and at the same time are realistically challenging will aid in building self-esteem.

Avoid confusion:

Different rules can create confusion; allowing your child to roam free while eating one day and restricting the child to a high chair the next day can be confusing. A child feels confident and secure when he knows what to expect. In other words, staying consistent with a toddler is important.

Making decisions:

It is not realistic to offer your child a choice on everything; if you did, bedtime would be anytime; dinner would be chocolates and fries. It is feasible to give your toddlers choices when it makes sense as this would give your child an early practice in decision making. Not only is it necessary for your toddler to be prepared to make decisions, it is also a necessary ingredient in the construction of his self-esteem. When offering choices, don't give too many options (four choices for dinner) as this can confuse and even frustrate your toddler, causing indecision.

Make room for mistakes:

Making decisions can mean making mistakes sometimes; it is a part of the learning process. By removing opportunities for making mistakes, you are taking away her opportunity to learn from them. If your toddler's decision wasn't the right one, don't criticize. Instead remind your child and yourself that everyone makes mistakes and it is okay.

Validate your toddler's feelings:

Accept his feelings as you have accepted his personality, talents and abilities. Difficult emotions like anger and jealousy should also be accepted as being part of his nature. Teach your toddler to express these emotions in socially acceptable ways rather than criticizing him; this will make your child more comfortable with his feelings of all kinds and hence with himself.

Criticize the action not the child:

Children need to know that parents won't love them less if they make mistakes or misbehave. Show disapproval of what your child has done rather than of her. Instead of saying "you are so naughty", say "it is wrong to hit". Constantly taunting your child can undermine her self-esteem. Avoid cruel and inhuman physical punishment including smacking and punishments that embarrass (scolding her in front of her friends), intimidate (threats to call the police) or belittle your child.

Put your toddler to work:

Make your little one your little helper; assign her chores to feel useful. You are showing her that you have confidence in her abilities and this in turn increases her self worth. Once she is confident don't erode her confidence by criticizing her if she is slow or clumsy. Don't overload her with tasks she cannot handle; offer her your help when she needs it.

Go slow:

Since they are new at it, toddlers seem to take forever when getting jobs done. What you can get done in a jiffy, takes your child a long time. Don't barrage your struggling child with "hurry-up" comments. Taking over the job shows you don't have confidence in your child and that is only going to affect his esteem. When you find yourself pressed for time, skip the nagging and speed up the process with a challenge to see who can finish first, be it brushing teeth or undressing.

Nourish the body:

Hungry kids, tired kids become frustrated kids when they don't get things right. They have a hard time working and playing and such feelings damage their esteem. To compound matters, negative reactions to their tantrums can worsen the situation.

Make success easy:

Make your house toddler-friendly; put your toddler's things within reach. His book-shelf, the shoe rack, toy cupboard should be at his level so he can reach for them when he has to or wants to. Clothes that are easy to wear and take off; toys that are challenging but within your toddler's grasp help bolster his self-worth.

Birth Order in a gist

Studies have shown there is a correlation between birth order and personality. If your toddler is your firstborn, you would have had spent more time with him than you are going to spend with your subsequent children. Childrearing being a first time thing for you, you are likely to not know much and everything will be a novelty for you; childrearing becomes second nature with later children. First born children tend to be more achievement orientated and are often more strong- willed than their younger siblings. They often have a strong sense of responsibility. Their nature could be partly due to never having to share their parents' attention at least for a while. Second and subsequent children often have better social skills because they almost always have to share time and attention with another child; they also have to deal with living with an older kid who will always be more competent than them. However this competition allows them to develop other ways to survive unequal competition. Only children are often more successful in later life because they have had their parents' sole attention and been able to focus on their successes without having to share with siblings.

Shopping with your Toddler

Shopping for essentials can be an experience most parents rather give a miss. Since it cannot be avoided there are strategies to prevent hassles with your bored or overactive toddler.

• Try to go to the supermarket when it is quiet and not too crowded

• Try to make it a learning experience by involving your child in choosing food that you are going to buy, for example in the fruit section, check if he wants green or red apples; what flavor yoghurt or milk he would prefer. If he picks up something you don't wish to buy, decide if you rather explain your reasons or find the right time to put it back without him looking. If he is old enough let him look for items on the list.

• Try to shop when neither of you are tired or hungry; carry a suitable snack such as raisins or banana.

• If you have lots of shopping to do, try and break up the time with a visit to a bakery or cafe.

• If you are against buying sweets or chips, stick to your rule.