We keep talking about the stages of child growth and it's time to talk of the three year old. The third birthday is a milestone for the family as the child leaves his baby stage behind to enter the preschool stage.
At this age children are naturally active and begin to feel confident and autonomous to do new things. However, they still need the protection and dedication of parents.
Family support is essential for the child to feel safe to venture into the world.
Three-year-old child feeding
At three years old the child should already eat in pieces and have incorporated all the foods in his diet, leaving only the experience of acquiring new flavors. If we prepare varied dishes we will help you gradually expand the taste for food.
A balanced diet for a three-year-old must include dairy products, cereals, meats, vegetables, fruits and, to a lesser extent, fats and sugars as shown in the food pyramid.
Surely he refuses to eat any other specific food that he does not like, but if we force him to eat we will be creating the opposite effect to the desired one because he will refuse to try new foods. We can replace the food you reject with one that contains equivalent nutrients.
The ups and downs in appetite They are normal in preschool children. The same one week they eat a lot and the next very little. Respect their rhythms.
The importance of food at this stage is the social aspect at the time of eating. It is time to teach good behavior at the table and good manners, although without stress.
The child should eat in the same conditions as the rest of the family, sharing the table with adults. With a lot of patience we have to teach them to use the cutlery correctly, put on the napkin, wait for others before starting to eat and other rules that you have at home.
It is likely that at three years old he will start eating at school. By eating the same and sharing the table with other children you will acquire greater autonomy.
It is important to convey that eating is a pleasure, and in this we parents are responsible for leading by example.
We are also to teach them that to maintain healthy lifestyle habits it is equally advisable to have a varied diet such as the practice of physical exercise (for them through play).
Three year old child growth
In the preschool period the growth rate decreases. In the third year the child can increase around 2.5 kilos and 9 cm high, but as you know the figures are very relative. The important thing is that the weight gain and height are accompanied.
It is no longer necessary to measure the child so often, but it is recommended to do it every six months to control its growth. If the height does not increase for six months, it is rechecked at three months as it could be a sign of the lack of a vital growth hormone.
To estimate how much the adult child will measure, a mathematical calculation is performed. The estimated size or "target size" = size of the father + size of the mother divided 2 (+ 6.5 if it is a boy / - 6.5 if it is a girl).
The dream in three-year-olds
At three years old The thing is divided. There are children who can go to bed without posing a problem and sleep all night at a stretch, or children who go to bedtime and wake up during the night. Most often, the two situations alternate.
There are children who still sleep in bed with their parents, but for those who do not do their bed and their room should be a pleasant place to sleep, with a night light, hand tales, music and special toys for the bed.
There are children who still use a diaper at night, but if it does not work anymore we must make it easier (leave the light on, remove obstacles from the road) to go to the bathroom or wake us up when needed. If I have already left the diaper at night or it is in process, there will surely be some nights that still wet the bed. Up to 6 years, all children occasionally pee in bed.
Even if the child goes to bed alone, he needs to read a story, play or just talk with him before he falls asleep. Avoid watching violent scenes on television before bedtime.
It is very normal for children to have night problems at the age of three, such as thoughts of fear, nightmares and, less frequently, night terrors. If we go to comfort him in his awakenings he will feel calm to go back to sleep.
They no longer need so many hours of sleep, so it is very likely that between 3 and 4 years the child stops taking a nap. He will do so when he needs to regain strength, but we must not force him to sleep if he is not sleepy. At night he will recover the rest he needs.
Three-year child development
During the preschool stage the child is increasingly aware of his individuality, with all that that entails. On the one hand, he will try and manage to do more and more things for himself, but on the other there will be tantrums and frustrations when he sees that he cannot do everything himself.
Little by little he learns to take care of himself, to dress, to make choices, to comply with rules and to follow routines. He no longer seeks adult approval, but turns to him if he feels need. Their emotions are extreme, they can go from crying to laughter in two seconds. It is advisable to teach him to express his feelings with words.
The game par excellence is the symbolic game. They love to dress up, play moms and dads, the house, and ultimately imitate any real life situation. They also like the ones like singing and dancing or moving with the music.
At three years the child is able to:
- Draw a circle
- You no longer need a diaper during the day. If you still use the potty you have to gradually start changing the toilet.
- He knows how to put on and take off some clothes
- Makes a simple puzzle, build towers of up to 6 or 9 blocks
- You can walk on tiptoe or with your heels
- Make movements with ease, spontaneity and harmony. Accelerate and slow down
- Makes the clip correctly.
- Climb ladder setting foot at home step
- Use cutlery and baby in glass or cup
- Jump with two feet
- Makes vertical strokes
- Start showing predominance of one side over the other
Language and sociability
May communicate your ideas, ask questions and express your needs. Many things begin to be questioned (the famous "why" stage) to which we must answer them as they ask and with words they can understand.
He likes to play alone and with other children. Learn to share with your peers and we must encourage it. They participate in group activities.
If you have not already done so, start entering the articles "el" and "la" in the sentences. You will learn new words that you will incorporate into your vocabulary. He is able to express in words what he is seeing, but also what he does not see.
You can have a conversation with an adult and it is important that you do so, as it provides you with resources, words, labels, descriptions that the child will then use by enriching their language and thinking. You have to encourage him to talk to other people, both children and adults.
Is able to understand the emotions of others, why someone feels sad or cheerful, as well as the relationship of cause-consequence events.
You will learn to use personal pronouns, propositions and adverbs more accurately and to master past and future tenses.
Photos | Flickr - Niklas Hellerstedt, efleming, tiffanywashko On Babies and more | Baby's calendar
