Your 2-Year-Old: The "Ouch" Years
The "Ouch" Years
If you feel like you're doling out bandages (and make-it-better kisses) more than you used to, congratulations. You have a full-steam-ahead preschooler now. Two- and 3-year-olds get more scrapes and bumps because they're moving faster and in new ways. She's ready to ride a tricycle, for example, as well as "drive" plastic vehicles, chase after balls, and climb in more accurate ways. Tumbles tend to accompany all that speed because stopping is still harder than starting.
如果你時常給小孩使用繃帶或是"呼呼不痛了"，表示你的孩子往前更進一步！沒錯！小馨受傷幾乎雖然不多，偶爾擦傷或淤青，她都會很高興自己可以拿OK繃貼，彷彿受傷是一件每好得事情。生活在都會中，小馨的確不像兩個表姊這樣跌跌撞狀這麼嚴重，因為大部分時間都在室內活動，衣服也可以保持很乾淨，頂多有食物污漬，我已經很慶幸了！
Your 2-year-old now
Most children master a tricycle between ages 2 and 3. It takes large-muscle power and coordination to manage this feat. 對啊！小馨還沒開始學騎腳踏車，都怪我們不常帶她到戶外，這種需要腿部肌肉運動的活動，的確比較少訓練她。Starting with a low-slung model made of plastic can help your child feel secure (it's less likely to tip) and get the hang of moving his legs. Then you can move up to a taller trike if you like. Your child won't have the necessary balance and coordination for a two-wheeler until closer to the elementary-school years (some kids can handle training wheels before that, but rarely before the late threes).
Safety tips: Realize that low-to-the-ground vehicles can't be seen easily by motorists backing up, so always supervise your little rider. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a child wear an approved safety bicycle helmet even in the preschooler years, and even when she's a passenger on your bike — it protects her brain as well as gets her in the helmet habit right from the start.
Your life now
Your child is very attuned to the rhythms of the household now and has a better sense of time, and she's discovering that after she goes to bed, hey, everybody else is still having fun! Procrastinating at her bedtime can be the result: "I need water." "I need a backrub." "I forgot to tell you I love you." It's as exasperating as it is cute.
If it becomes a problem, remind your child of the nightly routine as you tuck him in: We did this and this and this, now it's time for sleep. Before you leave the room, ask him if he needs anything else from you. Some parents allow one or two callbacks before refusing to respond to any more (make sure your child knows this rule). Be sure to keep your response quiet and calm. If you're exasperated and show it, your child might be getting a little power rush from being the cause. For the same reason, avoid getting into a back-and-forth discussion about staying in bed — no lengthy explanations necessary.
