The Role of Parents in Monitoring the Growth and Development of Toddlers: A Systematic Review

Background: Toddler growth and development are important aspects that are interrelated. Growth is an increase in physical size and body structure while development is an increase in body structure and function in terms of movement, speech, language, socialization, and independence. The first five years of a child's life are a time of building learning, social, and emotional skills.1Children who receive stimulation provide good benefits for growth in body weight and mental development.2However, the growth and development of toddlers can experience disorders. The role of parents in monitoring the growth and development of toddlers is very important because it will influence the child's behavior as an adult. Applying parenting knowledge to children as early as possible is beneficial for the development of children's cognition and socio-emotional behavior.3Parenting is the overall interaction of parents with children that affect children's psychological and social.4Parenting groups are effective for increasing children's development, especially physical growth. The application of parenting techniques can be a method or way to help parents take better care of their children. Objective: This study aimed to know the methods and implementers that can monitor the growth and development of toddlers. Methods: This systematic review refers to the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The databases used to search for articles are Pubmed and Google Scholar. The studies used were assessed using eight criteria from Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE). A total of 10 of 45,388 articles met the inclusion criteria for review. Results: The programs for monitoring the growth and development of toddlers using an application is considered more effective for training family independence in preventing disease. Monitoring the growth and development of toddlers can be carried out by health workers, child development agents, researchers, and parents. Conclusion: Parents can be effective implementers of monitoring because they are the closest people and the first for education place to their children. The use of the application is considered very effective for monitoring the growth and development of toddlers.