Toddlers at Two

How he behaves: He'll be behaving increasingly like adults do, wanting to make demands on you, and becoming self-centred in the genuine belief that the world revolves around him. Along with this newly discovered sense of identity, he will be fiercely possessive about his things and negative about anything he doesn't want to do. This is very true. Some of his birthday presents he loved and some made him cry! But if you make him wait for anything he can tun on the sobs… Temper tantrums become works of dramatic art, with screaming and sometimes biting and kicking. He may be angry, sad and happy again within a short space of time. About one in five children of this age have at least one tantrum a day. Aggression is also common from now until three - don't blame the television, it's human development and will be phased out when he's better equipped to express himself. Best not to be aggressive in return, it's not a concept he can relate to - other people don't have feelings that are nearly so important as his. Not too bad so far. We have had the occasional tantrum; which I am afraid can be quite amusing. Not too much aggression so far. The sulks are terrible though!! If you insensitively choose this time to have another baby, he may be completely furious and insist it go back to the hospital straight away. Jealousy is normal for a child who is suddenly displaced as top small banana. Do not leave them alone in a room together because your two year old's natural inclination is to torture his rival. He is not evil or mean-spirited, he's a poor little two-year-old whose heart is momentarily broken. Make a fuss of him, downplay the baby and leave cooing until after your two year old's in bed. No baby here…. Still worry whether this is a good or a bad decision. Along with emotions such as jealousy, comes fear of noises like fireworks, and unfamiliar animals and objects. Bedtime may become a battle of wills because he has enough sense now to object to being shunted off to bed while everyone else is having a fine old time downstairs. This battle lasts until adulthood. It was the noise of the Peppa Car along with the movement of the remote controlled car that frightened him on his birthday. He got a bit upset this week with the noise of a helicopter when we were outside but I told him it was just Miss Rabbit – the same as one of his presents he liked!! We don’t have too much trouble with tantrums at bedtime but that’s because he is still coming to bed with us before we move him into his bed. Must try harder this week!! How he thinks: He'll have a short attention span but more complex thoughts. If he feels secure he will widen his social attachments to like other children and adults and realise that although his mother goes away she will come back and exists even if he can't see her. At the Diddy Disco this week it was great to see him with other children. He actually approached other children who were playing and joined in (if they let him). He even found a new mummy at one stage! Taking his drink to her and wanting to sit on her knee before he realised I was stood behind him! He finds it hard to make decisions and can seem paralysed by what's the best option (who isn't?). He will also be attached to his routine; try dressing him before breakfast and he'll be most offended if that's not what you normally do. He will be aware of rules and rehearse them out loud, so you will see him saying "no" seriously to himself before doing something that's life threatening. When he achieves something he will feel proud of himself, and he will try for longer to do things, like pedal a tricycle. That's not to say he won't hurl himself off it and howl in frustration if it's not going well. Your child is learning by imitation, so be on your best behaviour. He will follow you around, sweeping with a broom (does anyone still do that?), picking up the paper and looking very serious. He can now remember things over 2 to 3 weeks. Yes! Sweeping with a broom and using the sponge to help clean up after he has made a mess! He copies most things at the moment. He will start getting his toys to do things, like feed another toy or whack it. He starts to enjoy make believe play and you will hear him giving orders to his dolls and teddies. Sometimes he may sound as bossy as you do. He'll now be able to run well, walk up and down stairs one step at a time, and jump off steps. He may be able to ride a tricycle. He'll increasingly try to dress himself and will turn pages in a book one at a time. Yes! He loves the park and loves stairs. Thank god the summer has arrived and we can play in the garden again! How he speaks: He understands longer sentences and you in turn will understand more of what he says. You will still be his interpreter but his vocabulary is up to and maybe more than 200 words. He'll follow simple stories and enjoy them. Best of all he will start saying "Love Mummy". With a big kiss – long may this continue! Thanks to http://www.mumsnet.com/ for this