About this topic
Your childs 3-year well child exam is a visit with the doctor to check your child's health. The doctor measures your child's weight, height, and head size. The doctor plots these numbers on a growth curve. The growth curve gives a picture of your child's growth at each visit. The doctor may listen to your child's heart, lungs, and belly. Your doctor will do a full exam of your child from the head to the toes. ‚
Your child may also need shots or blood tests during this visit. ‚
General
Growth and Development ‚
Your doctor will ask you how your child is developing. The doctor will focus on the skills that most children your childs age are expected to do. During this time of your child's life, here are some things you can expect. ‚
- Movement ¢ ˆ ’ Your child may:
- Pedal a tricycle
- Go up and down stairs, one foot at a time
- Jump with both feet
- Be able to wash and dry hands
- Help when getting dressed
- Throw a ball
- Hearing, seeing, and talking ¢ ˆ ’ Your child will likely:
- Know first and last name
- Speak clearly so others can understand
- Speak in short sentence
- Turn pages of a book
- Count 3 objects
- Feelings and behavior ¢ ˆ ’ Your child will likely:
- Begin to take turns while playing
- Enjoy being around other children. Show emotions like caring or affection.
- Test rules. Help your child learn what the rules are by having rules that do not change. Make your rules the same all the time. Use a short time out to discipline your toddler.
- Feeding ¢ ˆ ’ Your child:
- Can start to drink lowfat or fat-free milk
- Will be eating 3 meals and 1 to 2 snacks a day. Make sure to give your child the right size portions and healthy choices.
- Should be given a variety of healthy foods. Let your child decide how much to eat.
- Should have no more than 4 to 6 ounces of fruit juice a day. Do not give your child soda.
- May be able to start brushing teeth. You will still need to help as well. Start using a pea-sized amount of toothpaste with fluoride. Brush your child's teeth 2 to 3 times each day.
- Sleep ¢ ˆ ’ Your child:
- May be ready to sleep in a bed with or without side rails
- Is likely sleeping about 8 to 10 hours in a row at night. Your child may still take one nap during the day.
- May have bad dreams or wake up at night. Try to have the same routine before bedtime.
- Potty training ¢ ˆ ’ Your child is often potty trained or getting ready for potty training by age 3. Encourage potty training by:
- Having a potty chair in the bathroom next to the toilet
- Using lots of praise and stickers or a chart as rewards when your child is able to go on the potty instead of in a diaper
- Reading books, singing songs, or watching a movie about using the potty
- Dressing your child in clothes that are easy to pull up and down
- Understanding that accidents will happen. Do not punish or scold your child if an accident happens.
- Shots or vaccines ¢ ˆ ’ It is important for your child to get shots on time. This protects your child from very serious illnesses like pertussis or some kinds of pneumonia. Your child may need some shots if they were missed earlier. Talk with the doctor to make sure your child is up to date on shots.
Help for Parents ‚
- Play with your child.
- Go outside as often as you can. Throw and kick a ball. Be sure your child is safe when playing near a street or around water.
- Visit playgrounds. Make sure the equipment is safe and well cared for.
- Make a game out of household chores. Sort clothes by color or size. Race to pick up toys.
- Give your child a tricycle or bicycle to ride. Make sure your child wears a helmet when using anything with wheels like skates, skateboard, bike, etc.
- Read to your child. Have your child tell the story back to you. Talk and sing to your child.
- Give your child paper, safe scissors, glue, and other craft supplies. Help your child make a project.
- Here are some things you can do to help keep your child safe and healthy.
- Schedule a dentist appointment for your child.
- Put sunscreen with a SPF30 or higher on your child at least 15 to 30 minutes before going outside. Put more sunscreen on after about 2 hours.
- Do not allow anyone to smoke in your home or around your child.
- Have the right size car seat for your child and use it every time your child is in the car. Seats with a harness are safer than just a booster seat with a belt.
- Take extra care around water. Never leave your child in the tub alone. Make sure your child cannot get to pools or spas.
- Never leave your child alone. Do not leave your child in the car or at home alone, even for a few minutes.
- Protect your child from gun injuries. If you have a gun, use a trigger lock. Keep the gun locked up and the bullets kept in a separate place.
- Limit screen time for children to 1 to 2 hours per day. This means TV, phones, computers, or video games.
- Parents need to think about:
- Enrolling your child in preschool or having time for your child to play with other children the same age
- How to encourage your child to be physically active
- Talking to your child about strangers, unwanted touch, and keeping private parts safe
- Having emergency numbers, including poison control, posted on or near the phone
- The next well child visit will most likely be when your child is 4 years old. At this visit your doctor may:
- Do a full check up on your child
- Talk about limiting screen time for your child, how well your child is eating, and how to promote physical activity
- Talk about discipline and how to correct your child
- Talk about getting your child ready for school
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher
- Is not showing signs of being ready to potty train
- Has trouble with constipation
- Has trouble speaking or following simple instructions
- You are worried about your childs development
Where can I learn more?
American Academy of Pediatrics ‚
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/Pages/default.aspx ‚
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ‚
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/downloads/milestones-tracker.pdf ‚
Last Reviewed Date
2015-02-02 ‚
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Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care provider 's advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Clinical Drug Information, Inc. and its affiliates and/or licensors. All rights reserved. ‚