Well Child Visit Handout - 3 Years

THREE YEARS
 
Date of Visit:  ___________
Weight:           ___________
Height:            ___________
 
 
NORMAL DEVELOPMENT:         Your child may have the following characteristics…
 PHYSICAL:  
•  Nimble on feet.
•  Rides a tricycle.
•  Has all baby teeth.
•  Can copy a circle.
•  Can walk upstairs, alternating feet.
•  Jumps in place, kicks a ball, balances on one foot.  
 
 SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL:
•  Increasingly curious.
•  Has imaginary friends.
•  Aware of being a boy or girl.
•  Argues with forcefulness.
•  May have fears of bodily injury.
•  Makes simple decisions.
•  Plays more agreeably.
•  Able to share.
•  Wants to please.
•  Delights in secrets and surprises.
•  Friends are important.
 
 LANGUAGE:
•  Knows full name and age.
•  Asks questions—especially “why” questions.
•  May repeat words.
•  Counts to five.
•  Loves to sing.
•  Speech is understood by people outside the family.
 
 DIET:
•  Your child may not have a big appetite at this age.  Encourage proper eating, but never force a child to eat!
•  Food likes and dislikes are common.  Between-meal-snacks are an important part of his/her diet.  Provide nutritious snacks, such as fresh fruits, raisins, graham crackers, peanut butter, cheese, cereal, or unsweetened fruit juice.  A balanced diet for a three-year-old should consist of foods from the basic four food groups, though your child may not eat from them all daily.
 
HYGIENE:
•  A visit to the dentist should be scheduled after the third birthday or whenever all the baby teeth have come in.  Talk with your child about the dentist and what can be expected at the visit.  Your child should brush twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste.  Parents should assist one of these brushings.
•  Discourage excess candy, sweets, and soda pop.
•  Teach girls to wipe from front to back after toileting—this helps prevent urinary tract infections.
 
DISCIPLINE
•  Consistency in your principles is essential.   
•  Treat your child as you would like to be treated.  Your child will not give you more politeness, consideration, and cooperation than you can give him/her.
•  Good behavior should be rewarded.
•  Be positive—“Do” works better than “Don’t.”
•  Be clear in your instructions.
•  Always tell your child “why”—“Because I say so” does not help your child learn from what you say.
•  Keep “don’t” rules to small, definite, safety issues, i.e. “Don’t run in the street.”  If children hear “no” and “don’t” on important issues, it is more likely to make an impact.
•  When you are wrong, admit it.
•  Try to give your child responsibility for behavior within the limits of his/her age and stage of development.
 
SAFETY:
•  Use a car safety seat appropriate for your child’s age and weight every time your child is in a car.  Place the child safety seat in the backseat.
•  Teach street safety (meaning, “Never go near the street” without supervision).
•  Install smoke alarms on every floor and change batteries twice a year.
•  Teach your child the danger of playing with matches or fire.  Teach the response if clothes catch fire—Stop, Drop, and Roll.
•  Always supervise outdoor play.
•  Supervise your child when in or near any body of water.  A life jacket should be worn in a boat or near water.
•  Keep all poisons, medicines, cleaners, vitamins, and iron supplements out of reach and with childproof caps where possible.  Keep the POISON CONTROL CENTER phone number handy (1-800-222-1222).  If your child ingests something harmful, call the Poison Control Center immediately.
•  Know where your child is at all times.
•  Never leave your child alone in the house or under the supervision of a young child sibling.
 
STIMULATION:
•  Start teaching your child numbers, letters, colors, and shapes.
•  Children love arts and crafts.  Provide crayons, blunt scissors, paints, and paper.  (Three-year-olds are messy so supervision is advised).  
•  Take your children on excursions such as to the zoo, picnics, parks, and playgrounds.  They are great opportunities to release energy.
•  Children of this age love story time, singing, make-believe, and dancing to music.
•  Plan regular time for your child to play with other children near the same age.
•  Encourage your child to assist in simple safe household tasks.
•  Read aloud to your child!  Recommendation:  Jim Trelease’s Read Aloud Handbook contains a great reading list!
 
TOYS:
•  Crayons, clay, sewing cards, and paints are playthings that develop small muscles.  Riding toys, puzzles, sand toys, books, balls, and music of all kinds are fun now.
 
HEALTH MAINTENANCE:
•  IMMUNIZATIONS:  None given at this visit.
 
ANTICIPATORY GUIDANCE:  (Information credited to Brazelton’s Touchpoints)
•  Preschool:  Parents need to find the kind of school program that best suits the needs of their child.  At the age of three, emphasis should be on play as the primary means of understanding experience and the management of peer relationships.
•  Sexual identity:  Part of the job of a preschool child is to establish a sexual identity.  Along with internal identity seeking is the active exploration of each others’ bodies.   Be prepared for this and how to handle these situations.