Hi everyone and welcome to Month 26 with your baby and Month 26 with my toddler Bracey.  

How Old is a 26-Month-Old Toddler?

Your toddler is now 2 years and 2 months old. 

Average Weight and Height of a 26-Month-Old Toddler?

Average Weight of 26-Month-Old? 

The average weight for a 26-month-old toddler is 28.7 pounds for boys (13 kilos) and 27.4 pounds (12.4 kilos) for girls.

How Tall is the Average 26-Month-Old? 

The average height for a 26-month-old boy is 34.8 inches (88 cm) and for a girl is 34.3 inches (87 cm). 

26-Month-Old Toddler Developmental Milestones  

26-Month-Old Toddler Speech Milestones

How many words should a 26-Month-Old say when it comes to speech and language? By this age, most toddlers can:

• Say close to 100 words 
• Utter 2- to 4-word phrases 
• Articulate the names of family members
• Follow simple instructions
• Point to objects you mention
• Blabber with increasing clarity 
• Imitate the words you utter

If you do not understand what your child is saying or do not notice new words popping up, check with your doctor. Your child might be showing signs of speech delay or a hearing problem. Early intervention in either case is crucial. 

Language Activities for 26-Month-Old Toddler 

Which activities encourage speech and language development in toddlers? In order to help your toddler learn to talk, continue to engage in language-rich activities with your toddler throughout your day, explaining concepts, categories and why you do what you do. Converse, sing, dance, and read, read, read as much as possible. Avoid the TV, iPad and iPhones. One of the best speech activities for toddlers is reading! Books are best. 

Top 10 Nursery Rhymes for Toddlers

Nursery Rhymes are a great learning and language activity for toddlers because they reiterate concepts, words and sounds and you can sing them anywhere: in the car, as you’re cooking or cleaning, and as you go about your day. Sing in an interactive fashion while making eye contact with your toddler and try clapping, dancing and stomping feet for an added bit of rhythm!

• Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes 
• ABC’s
• Old MacDonald Had a Farm
• Frère Jacques
• London Bridge is Falling Down
• The Wheels on the Bus
• Itsy Bitsy Spider  
• Ants go Marching 
• Row, Row, Row your Boat 
• Humpty Dumpty 

[amazonapi title=”nursery rhymes board book”]

Physical Development Milestones for a 26-month-old Toddler

Physical Activities for a 26-Month-Old Toddler 

Try to get your toddler out of the car seat, stroller, and high chair as much as possible and to allow them to roam freely (and safely) around the house and to get outside to the park (or for a simple walk) as much as possible. Here are some fun physical activities for Toddlers in the home: 

• Rolling on the floor 
• Yoga poses including Downward Dog and Warrior 2
• Kicking a light, soft beach ball 
• Hide and Seek with apples and oranges 
• Sweeping 
• Sing London Bridge is Falling Down and fall in a family circle with the ashes 
• Imitate animals: hop like a bunny, gallop like a horse, slither like a snake, and say the animal sounds out loud

[amazonapi title=”toddler dance mat and montessori toys for 2 years old”]

Intellectual Activities for a 26-Month-Old-Toddler 

The best intellectual activities for 2-3 year olds are those that you can incorporate easily into your busy family life. Intellectual development happens for toddlers as they learn from all they observe and start making sense of why things happen and how we communicate about them. To keep your toddlers hands working, while you make your bed, wash dishes, or cook dinner, keep blocks and other manipulatives on the floor and allow your toddler to play with them. 

26-Month-Old Social and Emotional Development 

Experts advise that during early childhood, it is healthy for your child’s social and emotional development to show a normal range of emotions. If by chance your toddler sees you crying, explain your feelings to your child and try to help them understand sadness and how you can come to grapple and work through it. Anger is a totally normal emotion and all parents get angry. Try as much as you can to develop strategies for controlling your anger: try drinking a tall glass of water, counting, or (if this is an option) taking a shower or walk. The years are short but the days are long with toddlers and they can wear you down, both physically and physiologically. Try not to scream, yell or frighten your child into good behavior as you don’t want them to fear you. If you do lose your temper, apologize to your child and explain and excuse yourself. It’s good to get children into the habit of apologizing and taking responsibility for their actions. Real conversations aside, good social and emotional development activities for 2-3 year olds include teaching them to observe how other children are behaving (and encouraging them to help) and reading books on emotions. Basically, in building your toddler’s emotional intelligence, you’re really trying to develop the fundamentals of empathy: what does it feel like to be someone else? 

What do I do when my Toddler Hits or Bites 

Toddler hitting and biting poses a challenge for many parents. In my house, there are some no no’s that have to be addressed immediately.  Hitting, biting and meanness (even though, as a 2-year-old, Bracey might not be aware that he is mean) is addressed immediately. If Bracey hits, he goes right into a 2 minute time out. I actually don’t think he has any idea what is happening because he continues to smile and laugh, but I feel the need to mark the moment. When I attempt to discipline Bracey, my older kids are always two steps behind me, hiding their smiles and laughter. Find a safe place whether it be a chair, a sofa, or a corner, and have your child take a time out. Meanwhile, don’t get upset or create too much drama over the situation as you don’t want your child to seek out being punished in order to get more attention. To me, what matters is interrupting their current activity and taking a moment to say “no, we do not do that.” This strategy has worked for me in terms of my older kids and I’ll be reporting back on Bracey’s case over the coming months.

What Should My 26 Month Old Be Eating?

Continue to give your toddler a wide variety of foods from the four food groups. Opt for unsweetened yogurts and try goat’s milk yogurt, which has a great taste and thick consistency. You can mix in fresh fruit pieces for flavor. For a comprehensive look at great food to give toddlers this age, watch my Month 21, Month 22, and Month 23 videos. 

[amazonapi title=”toddler organic food”]

26-Month-Old Toddler Schedule for Breastfeeding, Milk Feedings and Solid Foods 

Whether you are breastfeeding your 2+ year old or have switched to milk or a milk substitute (and check with your doctor as to whether milk should be low fat) follow the same schedule as during prior months. Your toddler will need about 12.5-14 hours of sleep over a 24 hour period. That means 11-12 hours at night and a 1.5-3 hours nap. Bracey sleeps 13-15 hours a day, 11-12 hours at night with a nap of 2-3 hours.

• 7am feed* & breakfast 
• 10am snack
• 12pm feed & lunch (1-3pm sleep)
• 3pm feed & snack 
• 6pm dinner  
• 7:30 pm final milk feeding 
• 8pm bedtime

*Start the schedule when your toddler wakes up. If you are no longer breastfeeding, give milk or its alternative after the meal. 

Bracey update 

During his 26th month, Bracey began saying three-word phrases like “No book Mommy,” and “no night night.” Most of his phrases start with “NO” – that’s a toddler for you all. He had fun playing games like “find the fruit” and kicking a ball around the house with his siblings. Thanks so much for watching and see you back next month for Month 27!