Northwest Spokane Pediatrics

• 2 Weeks

• 2 Months
• 4 Months
• 6 Months
• 9 Months
• 12 Months
• 15 Months
• 18 Months

• 2 Years
• 3 Years
• 4 Years
• 5 Years
• 6 Years
• 8 Years
• 10 Years
• 16-18 Years

What should I expect from my 3-year-old?

Behaviors

• "Why" seems like their favorite word.
• Likes helping
• Begins to know difference between right and wrong
• Shows early ability to distinguish real from make-believe.

Neurodevelopmental

• Is ready for group activities
• Imitates adult activities
• Tattle-tale is a common development
• Has a vocabulary of about 1,500 to 2,000 words
• Speaks in 4 to 5 word sentences
• Identifies some shapes
• Begins to understand some concepts of time (yesterday, today, tomorrow)
• May talk to other children but two way communication is not very effective.

Physical

• Hops, runs, skips, climbs with increasing skill
• Is accident prone
• Enjoys making loud noises, but is frightened by unexpected sounds
• Makes designs and draws recognizable objects
• Usually potty training is complete
• Dresses self (with exception of shoes)

Nutrition

Meals should be a time for family to sit together without interference from radio or television. This should be a comfortable social time to discuss things amongst children and adults. Snacks should be healthy. Avoid sugar sweetened beverages.

Give small portions of food to your child. If he is still hungry, let him have seconds. Selecting foods from all food groups (meat, dairy, grains, fruits, and vegetables) is a good way to provide a balanced diet.

Safety Tips

Car Safety

• Never leave your child alone in a car.
• Everyone in a car must always wear seat belts or be in an appropriate booster seat or car seat.

Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety

• Teach your child to never ride a tricycle or bicycle in the street.
• All family members should use a bicycle helmet, even when riding a tricycle.
• It is much too early to expect a child to look both ways before crossing the street. Supervise all street crossing.

Poisons

• Teach your child to never take medicines without supervision and not to eat unknown substances.
• Put the poison center number on all phones.

Stranger Awareness

• Teach your child their first and last name.
• Teach your child their phone number and address.
• The child should also know who their relatives are.
• Teach your child never to go anywhere with a stranger.

RED FLAGS

• Talks only about here and now rather than events in the past or future.
• Puts words in the wrong sentence order and or leaves out little words or word endings.
• Does not follow 3 to 4 step directions.
• Can not listen to 2-3 lines of a story and answer simple questions about it.
• Speech is hard to understand.

(Excerpted from Spokane Regional Helath District - Infant Toddler Network)