Growth
A toddler grows more slowly than a new baby. Most girls at 18 months
have acquired about half of their adult height. Boys at age 2 are about
halfway there. Body length increases in the second year by 3 to 4 inches
(7.5 to 10 centimeters), and in the third year by 2 to 3 inches (5 to
7.5 centimeters). (See [Growth,] page 132.)
Toddlers’ appetites usually diminish. At 2 years, children eat to live.
At 2 months old, the infants were living only to eat. This appetite loss
upsets most parents. They feel
that their toddlers must be sick if they do not eat. The real reason for
the toddlers’ loss of appetite is that they are so busy exploring that
food becomes less important. By the time children are 18 to 24 months
old, motor skills have developed enough to allow them to feed themselves
as much as they need.
