Daily routine of a child from one and a half to two years old

• Physical parameters of a two-year-old child

As already mentioned, a child's body weight usually increases by 2.5-3 kg during this year. But if your child is "late", do not rush to panic: sometimes height and weight at this age change as if by leaps and bounds. The main thing is that your child is healthy, cheerful and eats well, and the weight will increase! And in general, much more problems arise in children with excess body weight, and not in thin ones.

During the second year of life, growth increases by 12 cm, and its intensity gradually slows down. Like weight, growth can remain unchanged for several months, and only in the prepubertal and pubertal period (from 12 to 17 years) is a sharp jump observed.

By the age of two, the canines should already be erupting. But the order of teeth eruption can vary.

The increase in head circumference, which was quite intense in the first year (from 33-35 cm to 45-46 cm), slows down and is about 2 cm.

Compared to one and a half year olds, two year olds do not experience any significant changes in the spine, since ossification and the formation of the main physiological curves of the spine are completed.

• What is the preferred daily routine for a two-year-old child?

Many children by the age of one and a half years begin to fall asleep later when they are put to bed for the first time during the day, and sometimes do not fall asleep at all the second time. This means that they can already be transferred to a single daytime nap. Of course, it is possible that the conditions may change, and you will have to switch to two daytime naps again. This is usually due to a change in the weather: after warm summer days comes a cold snap, or with the onset of summer you go to the country or the sea. Fresh air, an abundance of new impressions lead to the fact that the child again needs to sleep twice during the day. Naturally, a sick child must sleep at least twice during the day.

Two naps a day are simply necessary at this age for children who are weak or overly active and emotionally excitable, since they expend much more energy while awake than calm children.

The transition to a single daytime nap should be done gradually. You cannot change the daily routine abruptly. Such a sudden change in the routine can cause the child to become overtired, which will manifest itself as excessive excitement, capriciousness, irritation, and loss of appetite.

The daily routine during the transition period may look something like this: feeding at 7:00, 11:00, 15:00, 19:00, and daytime sleep may begin at 11:00-12:00 and continue until 14:30-15:30. The child should be put to bed starting at 20:00. Then, if he gets up at 6:00-7:00, the period of wakefulness will be about 10 hours.

Starting from 1 year 8 months, this regime changes slightly: feedings at 8:00, 12:00, 16:00 and 20:00, and sleep from 12:00-13:00 to 15:00-15:30. In the evening, you should try to put the child to bed between 20:00 and 21:00.

By the age of two, a child is able to go six hours without sleeping. And from this age, the daily routine approaches that of preschoolers.

• Putting to bed

Sometimes a child has trouble falling asleep and sleeps restlessly. This is usually due to the fact that parents do not follow a daily routine. This applies to both bedtime and behavior before bed. You already know that if a child was actively playing (either alone or with your participation), running, or frolicking before bed, then he needs time to calm down. And you do not need to "shove" him into the crib at exactly 8 p.m. and force him to fall asleep, and even faster (so that you can watch your favorite TV series yourself). If you were unable to provide your child with a quiet game or reading a book before bed, then move the time of putting him to bed by 30-40 minutes. This will not significantly disrupt the child's daily routine, but his nervous system will calm down during this time. In general, you should always put your child to bed at the same time. The same applies to food. Then the child (gradually) develops a conditioned reflex and by a certain time he begins to fall asleep on his own.

My youngest daughter (a "lark" by nature) is used to going to bed at 9 p.m. One day, a children's program, which usually aired at the same time, was delayed by about 40-50 minutes. (One of the then leaders of the USSR was speaking). We were busy with our own affairs, knowing that the child was watching a cartoon. When the program ended, we discovered that the little one was fast asleep. That is, she fell asleep exactly at the time she usually fell asleep.

Very often, parents, worried that the child will be cold, put the crib near the radiator or heater. Meanwhile, the only surefire way to help the child fall asleep quickly and ensure a good night's sleep is fresh, cool air. If the child is too hot, he will sleep poorly. If you want to check whether the child is cold during sleep or not, feel his nose, just like you did during a walk. To keep the child from being cold, it is better to dress him in pajamas while sleeping, and put socks on his feet. You can cover him with a down blanket, and if you don't have one, then just cover him with a second blanket. You can use a sleeping bag (especially for children), which prevents children from uncovering themselves during sleep.

In summer, it is good to put your baby to sleep in the fresh air. If you are at the dacha or at the sea, then choose a quiet shady place for this (for example, in the garden). After the baby falls asleep, you can cover him with a light, breathable fabric (gauze, tulle, etc.) so that the baby is not bothered by insects.

Many parents, wanting their child to fall asleep faster, carry him in their arms, rock him in a stroller, crib, sing songs to him, give him a pacifier. These methods may be effective, but they contribute to the formation of a stereotype when the child cannot fall asleep without these methods. If you cannot support this stereotype in the future, it is better not to form it. For example, when I was still young, I pushed my eldest daughter in a stroller on a bumpy road so that she would fall asleep faster. She really did fall asleep almost instantly - as soon as the wheels of the stroller began to beat a "beat", rolling on the gravel. But when autumn came, and then winter, pushing the stroller became difficult, we began to have problems with falling asleep. As for singing before bed, this is a good way to calm the child after fun, active games. In addition, it is also an element of aesthetic education. Singing before bed is especially good if the performer (dad or mom) has a good ear. As for motion sickness, it is definitely not necessary.

[ 1 ], [ 2 ], [ 3 ], [ 4 ], [ 5 ]