Written by Sindhuja Prabhu
Your little one is 20-month-old and achieving many toddler milestones right on track. Did you know your toddler can do better physically and cognitively with a little help from you? Their brain is raw, ready to absorb everything like a sponge and they don’t know fear. This combination enables them to try all physical feats and grasp all the knowledge they come across.
What are the important toddler milestones your 20-month-old should be achieving this month? When should you worry about their development pace? Being a parent can be quite hard and challenging, especially when you are not sure of what to expect. Read on to know what are the various toddler milestones your kid can achieve in the coming weeks.
In This Article
Here are some developmental toddler milestones your 20-month-old can achieve this month-
An average 20-month-old height and weight will be as follows-
Girls
Weight – 8.5 – 13.5 Kg
Height- 77.0 – 88.4 cm
Boys
Weight – 9.2 – 14.0 Kg
Height- 78.9 – 89.5 cm
(This chart is just an indication and these parameters may vary from one toddler to another)
Here are some tips for parents to aid their 20-month-old’s development in attaining their toddler milestones-
If your toddler is having big reactions to small incidents, it could be hunger or tiredness. If you are unable to pacify them, try putting them down for a nap or give them a healthy snack. In many cases, the tantrum is not just about what is happening right then but could be a combination of a few other factors too.
Rather than constantly correcting or criticizing your toddler for their undesirable behaviors, try showing them how to do it. They will follow your actions more than your words.
Toddlers are curious and will try to understand the effect of their actions, like throwing something, banging things, or tearing pages. Patiently explain to your toddler why it is an undesirable delivery, empathize with their feelings, and give them an alternate space or activity to occupy them.
Toddlers at this age will not understand rules and conditions. Let them play the way they want. If they want to use the building blocks for some other game, let them. It will enable them to think out of the box and understand their surroundings more effectively (1).
If you have pets or stray animals around, teach your toddler to not hurt or harm them. It is quite normal for toddlers to try and grab the cat’s tail, and throw their ball or toys at small animals. They are too young to know the consequences of their actions. Be gentle and firmly stop them from hurting animals and their peers.
Toddlers can reject food and just not eat like before. Instead of pressurizing them or punishing them for not eating properly, just let them be. give them options and eat with them. Let them listen to their bodies and eat what their bodies want. This will foster a good relationship with food.
Here are some ways to effectively take care of your growing toddler’s health-
Want to support your toddler in achieving their toddler milestones? Try these tips-
At 20 months, your little one is slowly but steadily reaching new toddler milestones. Sometimes it could be two or three toddler milestones in a short span of time and sometimes, it can take time to achieve just one particular toddler milestone. Just be patient and encouraging, your toddler will ace the toddler milestones in no time.
Your 20-month-old toddler should ideally be saying at least 15 to 20 words. They should be able to make sentences with two words and respond to simple questions. Some toddlers may not speak so much but can understand everything you tell them. These toddlers just need a little more time.
No, it is still too early for your 20-month-old to count. If you count using your fingers to point at the objects, or pictures on the books, they will mimic you and count too. They will copy you and just move their fingers across the page and may say a few numbers in the order you tell them.
A 20-month-old toddler can recognize colors and some can even repeat the name of a few. They are still too young to recognize and name the colors correctly. Some toddlers may name a few colors correctly. If your 20-month-old is unable to name the colors, don’t worry. Just keep teaching it to them and they will learn soon.
If your toddler is able to recognize and name colors, recite the letters of the alphabet, or count numbers in order, your toddler is advanced. If your toddler has a longer than normal attention span for their age, is very alert, and learns very quickly, they are more advanced than their peers.
If your toddler is not yet speaking or even saying a few regularly used words by the time they are 20 months, it could indicate an underlying issue. You should consult your doctor and check your kid’s hearing and speech abilities.
If your toddler is spending a lot of time in front of screens or does not have anyone to converse with regularly, they may find it difficult to respond. They can understand the language but may need a little more help and encouragement to speak up. You can also consult your pediatrician to rule out hearing or speech disabilities.
Yes, research shows too much screen time can cause speech delay as the toddler is not required to converse, respond, or ask anything when it’s the screen. Research shows that every additional hour of screen time every day or on a regular basis can increase the delay in speech development.
References
Sindhuja, a mother of two, is an obsessive mom with a keen interest in psychology, especially child psychology. Her quest for knowledge and way with words led her to become a passionate content writer. She transformed her love for writing into a full-fledged career which incidentally also turned up being the perfect stress buster for the last 5 years.Read more.
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