Child development and milestones:Your 39-month-old
Description
Your 39 month old child can tell you when he or she needs to go to toilet now!
Physical Development
How time flies. From a tiny little precious bundle to this healthy mini version of your and your husband!
As part of their 39 month old development and milestones, your not-so-little tot should be able to see like an adult (20/20 vision), be able to run, walk, hop and balance himself while standing with one foot quite confidently.
Even coming down the stairs will be so much faster now that your child is using alternating feet. In fact, we wouldn't be surprised if your child starts to make a game out of jumping down at the end of the steps! Generally, your child should be able to wash and dress up quite independently although buttons and shoelaces will still be quite challenging.
Fine motor skills include being able to copy circles and squares, draw using pens and crayons and even write some simple capital letters.
Tips:
- To help improve your child's hand-eye coordination, take him outdoors to play ball especially if his throwing and catching skills are still pretty clumsy.
- Try getting some simple activity books that include tracing, colouring, folding and cutting to sharpen his fine motor skills.
- If dad is quite the handyman, try making a DIY busy board to keep your child busy indoors.
- Be mindful that an active child runs a higher risk of accidents at home, so be sure to childproof your home.
When to Talk to Your Doctor:
- When your child cannot throw a ball overhand, jump in place, or ride a tricycle
- Inability to hold a crayon between his or her thumb and fingers
- Has trouble scribbling and cannot copy a circle
Cognitive Development
Questions, questions, and more questions!
While it may be annoying to keep hearing those "whys" 24/7, it is unavoidable. It's just part of being a 39 month old. So take a deep breath and remember to answer in simple yet truthful answers.
Advancements in cognitive skills will allow your child to quickly learn and recognise commonly occurring letters, words or even colours. For instance, your child may recognise certain numbers on your phone, or associate the colour red with apples. He can probably count up to three by now, although some children may be able to count to ten.
Your child might also remember small parts of the story from a favourite book and even act them out during pretend play. He will also be able to tell you when he needs to go to the toilet now, but he might still occasionally wet himself at night.
Tips:
- To develop your child’s thinking and logical capabilities, get him involved in simple day to day chores. Teach him the importance of cleaning up and keeping things in place.
- Continue to encourage their interest in creative activities such as colouring, drawing and keeping those tiny hands busy with play-dough as well as other kinds of sensory play.
- Your child will be attracted to vibrant colours, so get him some colourful blocks as well as simple puzzles. You will be able to gauge your child's cognitive development by watching how he uses reasoning and logic to understand what goes where.
- React positively if your child accidentally wets himself at night during toilet training. Girls tend to handle toilet training a lot better than boys. However, instead of scolding, offer positive reinforcement. There is light at the end of the tunnel – you just need to be patient.
When to Talk to Your Doctor:
- When your child is unable to solve simple puzzles or distinguish between colours
- If your child cannot follow simple instructions
Social and Emotional Development
Playing with peers and improved communication is one of the main developments you'll notice when your child reaches the 39 month old mark. Playdates should carry on quite independently, leaving parents to have a little get-together of their own. But you may still need to break up small fights over the same toy, every now and then. It also shouldn't come as a surprise that your child will eventually befriend other kids based on their likes and dislikes.
Now that your child is more sociable, remind him to practice social niceties by saying “please” and “thank you” where appropriate.
When facing a new experience or meeting people he doesn't know, seeing a familiar face might help him to calm down. There will still be occasional drama, whether it is being afraid of the dark, getting hungry or just being overtired. These emotions are a positive sign that your child can interpret a situation and react accordingly.
Tips:
- Teach your child etiquette by being a good example yourself.
- Keep up with the praise as this motivates them to be better.
- At this stage your child is still vying for your approval, so do point it out and compliment him when he does something that pleases you.
- The best way to deal with a child's tantrum is to distract him. Try giving him incentives that will help tame his attitude.
When to Talk to Your Doctor:
- When your child has no self-control when angry or upset
- If he continues to experience extreme separation anxiety
Speech and Language Development
By now your 39 month old child should be able to speak well enough for strangers to make out what he is saying. He will also be making five- or six-word sentences and be able to have a two- to three-sentence conversation. His sentences might not be grammatically perfect, but over the weeks he should be able to refine and use the correct tenses for verbs. He should be able to introduce himself by name, age and sex, and know the name of at least one close friend. Your child should also be able to name a variety of common objects.
Tips:
- To instill the love for reading, stick to a reading routine for your child.
- Flashcards and word games will help your child to improve his language skills.
- Try playing the "I Spy" game along with alphabets.
When to Talk to Your Doctor:
- When your child is unable to use a sentence with more than three words and uses "me" and "you" inappropriately
Health and Nutrition
A complete and nutritious meal for your 39 month old should include carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Whether or not he has started preschool, it is good to start the day with a healthy breakfast.
While your child's taste profile might be simple, this doesn't mean you cannot jazz up his meals with food art to entice them to eat more.
Junk food is only okay for special occasions, or when you just cannot say no. Do keep the junk food intake to a minimum so as not to interfere with more nutritious food which is necessary for their growth.
At this stage, your child should have be between 86-108.8cm tall and have a healthy weight of 10.2kg-21.3kg. Depending on their size and activity level, a 39 month old needs about 1,000-1,400 calories a day.
Your child's daily nutritional need is about 4-5 ounces with half of it from whole-grain sources, 1½ cups of vegetables, 1-1½ cups of fruits, 2 cups of milk and 3-4 ounces of meat or beans.
For grains, 1 ounce equals 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal, or ½ cup of cooked rice, cooked pasta, or cooked cereal.
For meat, 1 ounce equals: meat, poultry or fish about the size of a matchbox, ¼ cup cooked dry beans or 1 egg.
Do be wary of common signs of serious diseases like fevers, persisting symptoms, mucoid or bloody stools, and skin rashes. These can be a sign of more serious diseases, and should be consulted with a doctor if you are concerned. As a precaution, don't forget to have a follow-up vaccine for:
- Hepatitis B
- Diptheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP)
- Haemophilus influenzae type B, Pneumococcal diseases (conjugate vaccine)
- Inactivated poliovirus
- Annual influenza virus (if they haven't done so already)
- Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR)
- Hepatitis A
- Meningococcal diseases
When to Talk to Your Doctor:
- When your 39 month old has problems maintaining a healthy weight that is within his recommended range
- If you are concerned that a persistent symptom is a sign of a serious disease, or if your child has a skin rash