The child of 2 years and 8 months

It still fits in your arms, but it is difficult to remain in your lap for a long time. In search of relative independence, the child thinks that he already knows everything about the world and wants to have his own choices.

The last months of terrible two, to the mothers’ despair, are interconnected with the terrible three or tantrum trees, the 3 years of tantrum. As they understand the world around them better, they want to impose their wills and will stomp their feet and fight over it.

As for speech, at this point, loose words join articulated phrases and it is possible to understand well, with some pronunciation errors, complete expressions like “I want the ball”, hence the tendency to demand more.

As always, it is necessary to be patient, but firm, to teach your child to understand the reason for some actions and to discipline about limits and behaviors. However, in certain cases, you can let her try. After all, exploring is learning that has a good effect on development.

 

Stimuli and Games

As you approach 3 years of age, you will find that your child tries to do everything himself. The rush that the day demands, coupled with a mother’s eternal instinct, makes you want to take the lead and do it for her. Resist as much as possible and let it go through this learning process.

A really fun game that will stimulate creativity, help move your body and create even more bonds between you is Follow the Master. Take turns to be the Master and ask to imitate animals, make movements, as he knows the body parts, speak each one of them and, in the middle of the game, include a new name.

Dancing and singing are activities that hardly lose their grace in our lives. For your child, it is a very fun time and you take the opportunity to do some exercises while jumping and rolling with him.

Teach him some ball game. Maybe you already have a rising football player, or a great pitcher, who just needs the right incentive. If the space where you live is small, schedule times or some day of the week to go to a park and practice.

Memory games train attention and agility. Now, there are more pieces. You can look for more complex figures like country flags or English names, for example. It is a way of learning while playing.

Of course, these activities should be done without demanding beyond your child’s development rate. They all need to be fun and build bonds. Alternate with him about choosing the activity and join in the fun together. If you notice something that needs to be better evaluated, talk to the pediatrician or a specialized professional.

 

Food

One day, he eats everything on his plate, the next, he no longer wants it. The child’s appetite between 2 and 3 years is very irregular, which causes some confusion about which food to offer.

The important thing is that throughout the day, his diet is varied enough to supply the nutrient needs for growth. In a food pyramid, inserted in the Revista de Nutrição of Jan / March 2003, published by the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas, that the distribution of these nutrients must be 15% for proteins, 59% for carbohydrates and 26% for lipids.

To have, more or less, an idea of ​​how much it is, the researchers indicated 5 portions of carbohydrates, among rice, potatoes, pasta, for example; 3 servings of vegetables; 3 servings of fruit; 2 portions of meat and eggs; 3 portions of milk and dairy products; 1 portion of beans; 1 portion of fat and oils and 1 portion of sugars.

All, divided into 6 meals, including breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and evening snack.

 

Sleep

In many families, bedtime can be a time when the child wants to spend a little more time with the parents, or with one of them. Many bravely resist the order, because they want to take advantage, others will ask to tell the same story several times.

Before changing and fighting with your child, include in your normal sleep routine, extra time for an extra request. Talk to him about the importance of sleeping at that hour.

Certain adaptations in the routine must be made according to the child. Some need to spill a little, so play a game or let them jump for a while. Make a deal, say she can jump or run for a little while before bath time.

In the bedroom, after going through all the routine to calm down, talk to your child about him sleeping alone in his own bed. If the transition from the crib still does not happen, it is good to start, it is important for him to go through it.

Maybe he still wakes up a few times and calls your name, or gets up and goes to your room. Calmly and patiently, talk about bedtime, possible fears, and put him back to bed.