Toddler Well Checks at 2 ½ Years Old – What You Need to Know

Checkups for infants and toddlers in Cumming, especially at two-and-a-half years, are vital to ensure your child’s healthy development. As your child grows and becomes more social, parents want to know their child is meeting the expected milestones. This visit covers everything from safety tips and nutrition to disciplinary approaches and overall health. Here’s a more detailed look at what you can expect.

Top Tips for Well-Child Visits at Two-and-a-Half Years Old

If you have any questions about your child’s behavior, nutrition, communication abilities or general health, now’s the time to discuss these issues with your pediatrician. The toddler checkup at two-and-a-half years old will ensure the expected milestones have been reached, and identify whether there are areas of concern. Let’s look further at the developmental and nutritional guidelines for children at this age.

Developmental Goals for a 2 ½-Year-Old Toddler

• Increasing vocabulary and more complex sentence structure is noted at 30 months. Many of the child’s words are still difficult to understand at this age. Encourage verbal growth by expanding on what kids say. Talk about colors, name body parts, discuss shapes, sing the ABCs and count often. At this age, they should know 6 body parts.
• Encourage running, kicking, throwing, and climbing – with supervision!
• Expect curiosity about genitals – teach the correct terms.
• A 30-month-old should be able to follow a 2-step command, such as “pick up your shoes and give them to me.”
• Kids develop at various stages. Let them take the lead on when to start potty training. They are ready when they show interest. If you push, they will resist. Show excitement and give praise for interest and any steps in the right direction. You can put the idea in their head by saying, “I’m going to the potty. Boy, do I feel good!” Don’t tell them directly to go. They resist being told to do anything!
• Limit television time to less than ½ – 1 hour daily. Excess television is linked to many behavior problems! The majority of what they watch should be educational.
• Messiness is common. Allow kids to get messy with food as they build on their coordination of eating with utensils. They also appreciate and learn from working with different textures: play dough, finger paints, sand, etc.
• Separation anxiety is common at this age. Try to arrive at your destination a bit early to let them adjust, then give a hug or high five and leave. A teacher or sitter might need to hold them for you to leave. Typically, they soon start having fun and don’t want to leave when you come to pick them up, but then they cry at drop off again the next day. Don’t worry – this is normal!

Disciplining Your Toddler

• Use time-outs – usually 1 min per year of age (so 2-3 minutes at this age). Children learn by example. Never hit them to teach them that hitting is wrong.
• Ask your 30-month-old to help with tasks around the house such as picking up toys or putting clothes in the laundry basket. Make it fun by singing songs or making it into a game. Praise good behavior, be consistent and reinforce limits.
• Be sure to keep a routine for eating and sleeping times. When kids are tired, sick or hungry, they tend to become whiney and throw tantrums!

Nutritional Guidelines for a Toddler

• Kids can eat unrestricted types of foods at this age, but keep it well balanced. A parent should decide what kids eat, but they decide how much! If they favor one type of food, offer it after other healthy foods have been eaten to ensure a good balance.
• Toddlers graze – offer healthy snacks. Be sure to balance all the food groups over the course of the week.
• Limit juice to 4-6 oz. daily (or none at all).
• Don’t force-feed. Toddlers don’t need many calories, just be sure what they eat is good for them. Encouraging a variety of healthy foods in small portions can help meet your toddler’s nutritional needs. As part of our Cumming pediatric well-child care services, we can discuss dietary options during this visit.
• Low-fat milks (1 to 2% fat) are appropriate. Limit to no more than 24 oz. daily. Too much milk is dangerous because it fills kids up and they don’t eat other nutrient-rich foods, leading to deficiencies in other vitamins and iron. Additionally, a high milk diet often causes constipation and chronic abdominal pain.
• Make sure your child is receiving sufficient calcium, vitamin D and iron in their diet.
• Sippy cups, straw cups or regular cups may be used. No bottles at this age unless the child has developmental issues!

Your 2 ½-Year-Old Child’s Health

• Kids get 8-12 viral infections per year at this age. Smoke exposure and daycare increase the risk of viral infections.
• Fever (temperature more than 100.5° F) is the body’s response to illness. It is a good thing because it helps your body to eliminate infection. Treat only if uncomfortable or if over 102.0° F as higher fevers do not have greater benefits than low-grade fevers in fighting infection and they add to general achiness, headaches and irritability.
• Continue to wipe or brush the child’s teeth daily. Do not use fluoridated toothpaste until your child can spit it out. Dentists recommend dental visits at this age.
• Smoking in enclosed spaces allows smoke dust to settle on clothes and hair. When held, the child inhales the smoke dust and can develop allergies, asthma and ear infections. Never smoke around your child or in the home or car – even if the child is not present at the time.
• If you choose to stop the pacifier, there are many methods. Some parents choose the cold turkey method. Others keep it in the crib for a few weeks, and then stop it. Some will cut off the tip, so the child loses interest.

A Toddler’s Safety Tips

• Continue a car seat with a harness until at least 4 years of age, regardless of weight. Never use thick clothing in the car seat. Refer to the American Academy of Pediatrics Parenting Website for further car seat recommendations.
• Teach toddlers to stay out of the street and hold hands if possible in parking lots and when crossing the street.
• Lock up poisons, knives and guns. Keep ammunition locked separately.
• Use sunscreen whenever outdoors, PABA-free and SPF 30 or higher. Apply 30 minutes before going out and re-apply every 2 hours. Remember to use sunscreen on cloudy days too.
• Use a helmet whenever on wheels: trikes, big wheels, scooters, etc.
• Change smoke alarm batteries yearly. Write the date of change on the alarm so you remember. Consider putting an alert in your calendar to remind you when to change it again. Install new smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors every 5 years.
• We recommend reducing the temperature of your hot tap water to less than 120° F to prevent burns.
• All parents should learn CPR and refresh their skills every 2 years.

Schedule a Well-Child Examination in Cumming

At Vickery Pediatrics, we’re committed to monitoring and promoting your toddler’s health. Our friendly team offers regular well checks, sick care treatment – and a range of additional pediatric services. If you are in the Cumming, Buford, Dawsonville, Gainesville, Johns Creek, Sugar Hill, Suwanee or Forsyth County areas, contact us today. Call (678) 990-2501 or request an appointment now.