Things That You Need To Know About Toddler Development

Now your little loved ones have continued to the next stage. In this stage, they start to build themselves up, shaping up and blossoming into their person. There are certain things which you need to keep in mind. Some of them are listed below:

• They started to stand on tiptoes.
• They started to play more physical and outdoor games.
• They started to run as well as try to jump.
• They can easily climb on and off the furniture.
• They started to carry more weight like big toys or several toys at once.

This indicates that they are going in the right direction. As they grow, they will perform more defined movements and coordinated steps. Hence their motor skills will develop gradually. And to build good motor skills you need to maintain a routine physical outdoor activity with your loved one.

Development of your loved one:

Your child will grow and develop themselves. They will improve their motor skills to learn a language, understand problems and eventually take decisions as well.

The development can be categorized as;

• Motor skill development: Motor skill development or limb development is a type of development that includes the development of motion done by hands, fingers, and legs. During this development, your toddler can scribble, he or she can turn over a box or container and pour out the contents from it. Moreover, they can build towers with playing blocks or toys as well. So, it means your child is now able to coordinate the movements more precisely.
• Language acquiring and learning skills: Language acquiring and learning skills will start to develop as well. In this, your child can understand and point out things and pictures when they are called upon. They started to recognize you and their siblings with their names. They started to utter a sentence with two or more two words. And start repeating words that they overheard.
• Social and emotional skill development: Social and emotional development is a period in which they start to interact with other fellow toddlers. And they do not have any idea how to interact with them. But they will develop a quality of socializing with them. And this needs a lot of interaction and proper guidance from your end as well. They will start to copy others; they feel energetic and excited when they meet some other toddlers. They ignore your instructions when they are with them. These are common things that they will do while going through their social skill development.
• Learning and thinking skill development: As soon as your child is acquiring and learning a language, they start to grasp problems and their solutions. These problems are basic in nature, which means according to their level. They also start to understand the time, for example, “I will read you a story after you brush your teeth,” which means that you are giving him or her a situation that is not happening right now but will happen in the future. This learning and solving problems can be regarded as; they can find the hidden things. They start sorting shapes, colors, sizes, etc.

So, he or she will be going through all this development process of their growth. One needs to maintain a proper routine for the better development of one’s loved ones. Sometimes there might be a chance of development delay. Development delay is a term that is used to denote that the child is not developing as it needs to be. You need to consult your child’s doctors if he cannot do any of these even after reaching the age of 2 years:

• If your child is unable to walk properly.
• Says only two words type sentence.
• If your child cannot imitate actions or words.
• If your child cannot follow simple instructions.
• If your child does not remember the skills which he already knows or learns.

Is screen time altering the brains of your loved ones?

Well, many parents believe that screen time is somehow affecting their toddler’s brain. Earlier studies also stated that screen time may impact children’s brains.

We all live in an era in which everyone is diluted in technology. It is not limited to certain age criteria. From children to elders, all know how they can use these smart devices. These electronic devices such as tablets phones, and laptops become the basic amenities of one’s life. And because of this, the abundant availability of these products in your house can be responsible for the indulgence of your loved ones at a young age. And it is not good. The study conducted and reports that among more than 11,000 (eleven thousand), the age criteria from 9-10 years old shows distinctive analysis. The two main points which can be drafted from the research state.

1. MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans of children who tend to use smartphones, tablets, and laptops more than 7 hours a day show a remarkable difference as compared to those children who are not using them.
2. They reported having lower ability and approach to thinking and language tests.

Now the question comes, how Screen time affects the growth of child language skill development?

It is said that:

• Too much exposure to screen time (using smart devices like phones and tablets) directly affects the young child’s language development skills.
• As these smart devices become basic amenities, parents are unable to make sure that their child is not irregularly exposed to them.
• Because of the latest pandemic, the usage of smart devices has seriously increased. As people start to work from home, or they get bored, they simply scroll through feeds and watch videos, and hence they are unable to keep track of their screen time.
• Experts say that parents can be a good example in front of their loved ones. If they limit their screen time and spend their time with their loved ones, it will help both to create a strong bond. Moreover, the parent makes their child’s development more precise and accurate by helping him or her in different activities (physical and mental).

Children and smart devices:

Smart devices have become a part of life. According to Common Sense Media, 42% of children under 8 own smartphones. That is up from 7% just 4 years ago.

Hence this shows how tremendously the smart device is getting into their nerves. And it seems to be a challenge now to remove the disease of smart devices because we do not have any alternative. Since the pandemic hit us all the things turned into online mode. But things are getting back to normal. So, we can hope that it might be better if we go out and do some physical activity with our loved ones. This will not only help you, but it will also help your child to enhance in the field of growth and development.

Moving forward, we come to realize that exposure to screen time for a longer period causes language acquiring problems in children. Hence, we can say that exposing young children to smart devices and technology is not a good idea, it will certainly create problems for you and your loved ones as well.

How and when can you avoid these critical scenarios?

• First of all, you need to be the inspiration for your child. You need to limit your smart device usage so your child will see the importance of reality as compared to virtuality.
• Secondly do not give them phones or tablets when they are young, this will make them habitual and if you will not give them what they need they will create problems for you.
• If you want to make yourself updated and you need to go through the latest feeds, then you can do that once your toddler goes to bed.
• Keep indulging in oral communication with your child. This will help him or her to develop their communication skills.
• It is not only about smart devices like phones, tablets, or PCs. Exposure to TVs can also be very harmful. You need to maintain a limit on it.
• Lastly do not be harsh on them or even on yourself. Get indulged with them, go for an evening walk, and communicate with them. Sing with them and let them know the importance of communication so they can communicate their feelings with you whenever they need to without feeling any type of embarrassment or shame.

New research on screen time:

• New research on screen time states that screen time does not hurt kids. Despite spending too much time on smartphones children become socially active with online platforms.
• The research compared the evaluation with the help of teachers and parents who entered kindergarten in 1998 (years before social media like Facebook) with children who got entered in the year 2010.
• Children of both categories who experienced the heaviest exposure to screens showed similar development in social skills compared to those with little exposure, according to the findings.

Hence with the advancement and development in technology, it might not cause that much damage. But in the case of young children who are merely 24 to 30 months (about 2 and a half years) old, exposure to screen time is not good.