By the time a baby reaches 24 months, they are undergoing rapid development in various areas. Let's explore some of the common milestones in social, communication, cognitive, and physical development.

• Social Milestones

1. Increased independence: They may show a desire to do things on their own and may resist help.
2. Parallel play: Children of this age often play alongside other children without directly interacting.
3. Understanding of simple rules: They begin to understand and follow simple rules, such as not touching certain objects.
4. Showing affection: They express affection for loved ones through hugs, kisses, and other physical gestures.

• Communication Milestones

1. Using two-word sentences: They may start combining words to form simple sentences like "want milk" or "go park."
2. Following simple instructions: They can follow simple instructions involving two or three steps.
3. Understanding more complex questions: They can understand and respond to more complex questions like "Where is your shoe?"
4. Using pronouns: They begin to use pronouns like "I," "you," and "me" correctly.

• Cognitive Milestones

1. Pretend play: They engage in imaginative play, such as pretending to be animals or using objects to represent other things.
2. Problem-solving: They begin to solve simple problems and understand cause-and-effect relationships.
3. Memory: They can remember past events and people.
4. Sorting and categorizing objects: They may enjoy sorting objects by color, shape, or size.

• Physical Development Milestones

1. Running and jumping: They can run and jump with more coordination.
2. Climbing: They can climb on furniture and play structures.
3. Kicking a ball: They can kick a ball with some accuracy.
4. Using utensils: They can use a spoon and fork to feed themselves.