Hi everyone and welcome to Month 24 with your baby and Month 24 with my toddler Bracey. 

How Old is a 24-Month-Old Toddler?

If you’re math-challenged as I am, you might be asking yourself how old a 24-month-old toddler actually is. Well, your toddler is now 2 years old. Happy Birthday!

Average Weight and Height of a 2-Year-Old?

Wondering how much a 2-year-old should weigh? The average weight for a 24-month-old toddler is 27.5 pounds for boys (12.5 kilos) and 26.5 pounds (12 kilos) for girls.

How tall is the average 2-year-old? The average height for a 24-month-old boy is 34.2 inches (86.9 cm) and for a girl is 33.5 inches (85 cm). 

The 2-Year (24-Month) Checkup

Your toddler will have a routine doctor’s visit at 24 months of age. Your doctor will check your toddler’s height, weight, and head circumference (and plot their growth on a growth chart comparing them to other children), their lungs and breathing, their reflexes and walking skills, and answer general questions and concerns. 

What Vaccines will my Child Need at 24 Months of Age 

At 2 years old, your child will need the influenza or flu vaccine. According to the CDC’s schedule, if your child is up to date on their vaccines, other vaccines are not called for until your child is 4 years old. 

Developmental Milestones at 24 Months 

2-Year-Old Speech Milestones 

What’s typical for a 2-year-old when it comes to speech and language? By the age of 2, most toddlers can:

• Use simple phrases like “come Mom”
• Follow simple two-step directions
• Ask one-to-two word questions such as “go out”
• Speak between 20-50 words (although there is a huge range of normal) (Some sources say that toddlers this age will speak about 50 words or more.)
• Be understood approximately half the time (I would say I understand Bracey 20 percent of the time based on his words alone.)

How do I know if my Toddler has Speech Delay 

Children talk at drastically different times and in very different ways. Look for changes, developments, in your child’s speech. Also take close note of the way your child responds to you, how much they seem to understand, and how much they appear to be wanting to communicate with you. Blabbering is not a bad thing, but you should at this point be hearing increasing arrays of words and some two-word statements or questions. If you are worried that your 24-month-old is not talking enough, check with your doctor immediately and have your child evaluated. The best way to handle speech delay is to engage in early intervention. Experts counsel that when treated early, speech and language delays and disorders generally improve over time. 

How Can I Encourage my 24-Month-Old Toddler to Talk?

In addition to reading, singing, describing what you do, narrating what your child is doing, and engaging in a panoply of language-rich activities, continue to help your child articulate their own activities and responses and try to mention what category of food, activity or object they are interacting with. Say things like: “Would you like a fruit? Oh, I see you prefer a banana.” You can do this with toys, furniture, clothing, food, and even family members. This is a good way to get your child thinking about concepts. Incorporate language into everything you do and make talking and learning fun!

Physical Development Milestones for a 24-month-old Toddler 

What should a 2-year-old be doing? Most 24-month-olds are walking backwards and forwards, running with or without objects, getting increasingly adept at climbing and descending the stairs, and throwing a ball (and other objects, hopefully soft ones) overhand. Some are pedaling a tricycle with training wheels, and others are able to propel themselves forward on infant bicycles using their legs. 

Physical Activities for a 24-Month-Old Toddler 

Practice running forwards and backwards, throwing balls, hopping, balancing, and keep dancing and playing outside. Have fun on the swings, play gym, slide and climbing onto anything safe. 

Intellectual Activities for a 24-Month-Old-Toddler 

Encourage your toddler to use their hands as much as possible in big (gross motor) and small (fine motor) ways. Without even realizing it, your toddler will be practicing a lot of this on their own. Here are some activities to try and encourage:

• Block stacking 
• Building towers of four or more blocks 
• Turning the pages of book one at a time
• Scribbling, drawing lines up, down, and across a page, and drawing circles
• Clapping hands
• Waving bye bye 
• Putting on shoes
• Cleaning teeth (you might have to be a backup cleaning person)

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What Should my 24-Month-Old be Eating?

Continue to give your toddler a wide variety of foods from the four food groups. For an in-depth look at great food to give toddlers this age, watch my Month 21, Month 22, and Month 23 videos. 

Schedule for Breastfeeding or Milk Feeding Babies at 24 Months of Age

You’re pretty much on the same schedule as during prior months. Your toddler will need about 12.5-14 hours of sleep over a 24 hour period. Hopefully 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 and takes a 2-3 hour nap, so we are lucky. Start this schedule when your child wakes up and use it as a loose framework to ensure your child has regular naps and healthy meals to keep energy levels consistent. 

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

*If no longer breastfeeding, give milk or its alternative after the meal. 

Bracey update 

The big highpoint of the month was Bracey’s 2nd birthday! He had fun opening presents and playing with balloons and his siblings. Pedaling around the house with his feet on his tricycle, playing piano, and manipulating his stroller were other fun activities. Thanks so much for watching and see you guys back again soon!