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Signs & concerns
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Signs & concerns
My child struggles with school readiness — what can help?
School readiness is a bundle of everyday skills — communication, attention, social-emotional ability, fine motor control and self-care — not one test. If your child struggles in one or two areas, that is common and workable through warm, playful practice at home: short attention games, narrating routines, playdates for sharing, and rehearsing the school day. When several areas feel hard together or your child is distressed, a gentle developmental check helps you understand why and start support early, when it works best. This is reassurance and direction, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerHelping Your Child Build Self-Sufficiency Readiness
Self-sufficiency — dressing, feeding, washing, toileting and daily routines — is a learned skill built step by step. The strongest help is breaking tasks into small parts, patient repetition, backward chaining (letting your child finish the easiest last step), visual routines and tools that fit. Many children simply need more structured practice; an occupational therapist can speed this up and reduce stress. Seek a developmental check if your child is well behind peers across several self-care areas, routines cause daily distress, or you want a clear expert plan.
Read the answer AnswerHelping your child with speech readiness
Speech readiness is everything that surrounds talking — listening, babbling, gesturing, pointing, turn-taking and understanding. If your child is struggling, the most helpful things are warm everyday back-and-forth talk, plenty of naming and responding, reading and singing, and a calm developmental check so support is shaped early. This is not a diagnosis — it means a gentle expert look is wise now, because early speech support works beautifully.
Read the answer AnswerSensory processing differences in toddlers: what to watch
At 18–24 months, much sensory pickiness is normal. It is worth assessing when responses are intense enough to interfere with feeding, sleep, dressing or joining in, or appear alongside communication or social delays. Sensory differences are a functional description, not a stand-alone diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerOpen Cup Drinking at 12–18 Months
Most 12-to-18-month-olds are learning to drink from an open cup — sipping with help around 12 months and managing a small cup more independently by 18 months. Spills, dribbles and needing help are entirely normal; steady progress matters more than tidy success. Mention it at a developmental check if there's no interest by 18 months or frequent coughing or choking on drinks.
Read the answer AnswerOpen Cup Drinking at 18-24 Months
By 18 to 24 months most toddlers can drink from an open cup, usually with a little help and some spills. Open-cup drinking is an encouraged life skill that supports the oral-motor coordination behind feeding and speech. Spills are part of learning, not a worry.
Read the answer AnswerShould an 18–24-month-old fall asleep on their own?
Many 18-to-24-month-olds are starting to settle themselves but still need a parent nearby — both are normal. Independent sleep is a gradually-learned skill, not a fixed milestone; a calm, predictable routine and 11–14 hours of sleep matter most. Check with your team only for snoring, breathing pauses, or distress that affects daytime life.
Read the answer AnswerShould an 18-to-24-month-old feed themselves?
Yes — most 18-to-24-month-olds are learning to feed themselves: scooping with a spoon (with spills), finger-feeding confidently and drinking from a cup with help. Mess is part of healthy learning. Have a gentle check if, by 24 months, your child shows no interest in self-feeding, frequently gags or chokes, or refuses nearly all textures.
Read the answer AnswerUndressing at 18-24 Months
Most 18-to-24-month-olds begin undressing — pulling off socks, shoes and a started jacket — well before they can dress themselves, since taking clothes off is easier. It signals growing independence. Variation is normal; review only if a child shows no self-help interest, loses a skill, or has broader movement concerns by age 2.
Read the answer AnswerShould a 2-year-old be able to brush their teeth?
A 2-year-old can begin brushing as a shared activity — holding the brush, copying you and learning the routine — but cannot yet clean thoroughly. Dentists advise an adult brushes or re-brushes until around age 6–7. Participation is the milestone; clean teeth are the parent's job.
Read the answer AnswerOpen Cup Drinking at Age 2: A Parent's Milestone Guide
By around age two, most toddlers can drink from an open cup — often with two hands and a few spills, which is entirely normal. The skill develops gradually with practice. A gentle check is worthwhile only if there's persistent coughing, choking, or liquid coming through the nose during drinking.
Read the answer AnswerShould a 2-year-old fall asleep on their own?
Around age two, many toddlers begin settling with less help, but still needing a parent's presence, a cuddle or a comfort object to fall asleep is completely normal and not a delay. Independent self-settling develops gradually and is shaped by temperament and family culture. A calm, predictable bedtime routine matters far more than sleeping "alone".
Read the answer AnswerShould a 2-year-old be able to feed themselves?
Yes — most 2-year-olds can feed themselves with a spoon and fingers and drink from an open cup, and mess is completely normal. Seek a friendly developmental check if your child shows no interest in self-feeding, cannot bring a spoon to the mouth, or gags, coughs or refuses most textures.
Read the answer AnswerShould a 2-Year-Old Be Able to Get Dressed?
At two, most children help with dressing — pushing arms through sleeves, pulling off socks or a hat, tugging elastic trousers up and down — rather than dressing fully alone. Independent dressing develops over the next two to three years, so plenty of cheerful help from you is exactly right now.
Read the answer AnswerShould a 2-year-old be able to tidy up their toys?
A two-year-old can help tidy — putting a few toys away when a grown-up shows them and makes it playful — but not tidy independently or fully. Imitation and short one-step requests are what's typical now; complete, unprompted tidying comes years later.
Read the answer AnswerShould a 2-year-old be able to undress?
By around age 2, most toddlers can take off loose clothing — socks, shoes, a hat, an unfastened coat, pull-on trousers — often with a little help. Undressing develops before dressing, so this is normal and expected. Some children reach it a few months either side, which is fine.
Read the answer AnswerShould a 2-Year-Old Be Able to Use the Toilet?
Most 2-year-olds are not yet toilet-trained, and that is normal. Around this age children typically begin showing readiness signs — staying dry for a while, noticing a wet nappy, showing interest in the toilet — with full daytime dryness commonly arriving between 2.5 and 3.5 years. Readiness matters more than age.
Read the answer AnswerShould a 2-year-old be able to wash their hands?
Around age two, children typically begin washing their hands with help and reminders — holding hands under water, rubbing them together, and copying you — while fully independent, thorough handwashing usually develops between three and four years. Expect enthusiastic participation with supervision, not perfection.
Read the answer AnswerShould a 3-Year-Old Be Able to Brush Their Teeth?
A 3-year-old can hold the brush and have a good go, but cannot yet brush thoroughly alone. Shared brushing is healthy and expected: child takes a turn, parent finishes twice daily. Full independence usually comes around age 7–8.
Read the answer AnswerShould a 3-Year-Old Be Able to Do Simple Chores?
Most 3-year-olds can do simple one-step chores like tidying toys, carrying an unbreakable cup or fetching shoes. Expect eager participation rather than perfection — chores at this age build independence, sequencing and belonging. Encourage helping warmly; seek a gentle developmental check only if your child can't follow simple instructions or shows no interest in copying you.
Read the answer AnswerShould a 3-Year-Old Fall Asleep on Their Own?
Some three-year-olds fall asleep independently while many still need a parent's presence or routine — both are typical. Self-settling is an emerging preschool skill, not a fixed milestone. A calm, predictable bedtime routine and enough total sleep (10–13 hours) matter most; seek a check for breathing concerns or persistent distress.
Read the answer AnswerShould a 3-Year-Old Be Able to Feed Themselves?
Yes — most 3-year-olds feed themselves well, using a spoon and fork with little spilling, drinking from an open cup, and managing finger foods. Some mess and food fussiness are normal. A gentle check helps if a child cannot use a spoon at all, gags often, or accepts only very few textures.
Read the answer AnswerShould a 3-Year-Old Be Able to Follow Daily Routines?
By age three most children can follow a familiar daily routine with adult guidance — anticipating what comes next, helping with simple self-care steps, and managing transitions with a warning. Full independence and coping with sudden change are still developing, so reminders and visual cues are completely normal.
Read the answer AnswerShould a 3-year-old be able to get dressed?
Yes — most 3-year-olds are starting to dress themselves with help: pulling on easy clothes, pushing arms and legs into garments, and managing large buttons. Full independence with small buttons and laces comes later, around 4 to 6 years.
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