Just like that, your child is now three years and eight months old (44 months old). Now that he’s almost four, your little one might already be in preschool, or maybe you’re thinking of sending him to one. He also is a ball of energy and has a proper little personality! What should you expect when it comes to your 3-year-and-8-month-old child? How can you know if your child’s development is on track?
3-Year-and-8-Month-Old Development and Milestones: Is Your Child on Track?
At this age, your child should be able to move around a lot. He’ll enjoy running around, jumping, or even spinning in circles until he gets dizzy! But it shouldn’t be anything that you need to worry about. However, it’s still a good idea to keep an eye on your child since at this age, kids love to climb and jump from high places.
Kids this age are also able to climb stairs with ease, ride a tricycle, and kick a ball. Plus, they can also move backward and forward and bend over without falling.
Your child’s motor skills are pretty well-developed at this age, so they are able to stack blocks, as well as catch a ball. Expect a lot of physical activity from your child. It’s a good way to teach him the benefits of being active early on.
Normal weight at this age is about 15.2 kg (33.5 lbs) for girls and 15.7 kg (34.7 lbs) for boys. Normal height should be about 98.8 cm (38.9 inches) for girls and 100.2 cm (39.4 inches) for boys, though it varies depending on genetics.
Parenting Tips:
- Be sure to constantly engage your child in physical activity in order to develop his motor skills.
- Play with him as much as possible, and try to go outside to parks or any place where kids can run, jump, climb, and explore their surroundings.
When to Talk to Your Doctor:
If your child shows the following symptoms, be sure to consult with a doctor:
- Not as coordinate as other kids when it comes to movement
- Has difficulty with his/her motor skills
It’s always a good idea to consult your doctor when it comes to these concerns.
Cognitive Development
One of the highlights of 3-year-and-8-month-old child development, in terms of cognitive ability, is asking a lot of questions. At this stage, your child becomes more interested in the world around him. This stage is all about your little one asking questions, so be prepared with good answers!
A 3-year-and-8-month-old child should also be able to name colours, understand the idea of same and different, and follow simple commands. It’s also much easier for him to understand stories at this age, and he’s also able to count properly.
He can also sort things by shape and colour, and recognise objects based on their pictures alone. His imagination will also run wild at this stage, and it’s normal to see him pretending that he’s in a fantasy world.
Parenting Tips:
- A good way to boost your child’s cognitive ability would be to give him age-appropriate puzzles to help stimulate his brain.
- Ask him questions and let him tell stories to help engage his imagination and creativity.
When to Talk to Your Doctor:
If your child shows the following symptoms, then it’s a good idea to consult your doctor:
- Has problems following directions or is unable to identify and sort objects by shape or colour
- Acts withdrawn or doesn’t pay much attention to his surroundings
Social and Emotional Development
The great thing about having a 3-year-and-8-month-old child is that he will start to have fewer tantrums compared to when he was younger. Leaving him at school won’t be so difficult, and he’ll be more independent than before.
He’ll also start to cooperate with their friends and classmates, and know how to take turns. He will also know the concept of “mine” and “his, hers, theirs”.
Kids start to show problem-solving skills at this age, as well as a wide range of emotions, so be prepared to deal with those things beforehand!
Parenting Tips:
- As usual, it’s a good idea to let your child play with other kids so that he can get used to having other children around.
- Encourage him to play, share, take turns, and cooperate with other kids. This helps him become more sociable and outgoing.
When to Talk to Your Doctor:
If your child seems withdrawn, doesn’t like being with other children, or ignores other children, then you might want to check in with your paediatrician.
Speech and Language Development
In terms of speech and language, your child should be able to say around 250 to 500 words.
This means that he’s now able to answer simple questions, construct simple sentences and speak clearly. He’ll also start to tell stories at this age, and a 3-year-and-8-month-old child can be pretty talkative!
He should also be able to follow simple commands, so you can give him simple tasks or chores to do.
Parenting Tips:
- Read some stories aloud to get him used to hearing words.
- At this stage, you can try letting him read books so that he can become familiar with letters and numbers early on.
When to Talk to Your Doctor:
If your child still has trouble speaking clearly, or starts to drool, then your child could have some development problems. It’s always a good idea to visit your doctor every month so that your paediatrician would be able to know if there are any developmental problems early on.
Health and Nutrition
Source: pxhere.com
When it comes to health and nutrition, children this age should be able to eat most anything that adults can eat. Of course, being a kid, he’ll have his own preferences, and it can sometimes be a chore to make him eat his veggies! For kids this age, having a balanced diet is crucial. It is an important part of child growth and development.
Depending on your child’s growth and activity level, his/her daily nutritional needs are about:
- Boys: 1,549 Kcal/day
- Girls: 1,450 Kcal/day
Your child’s daily food intake should ideally consist of:
- Carbohydrates
To get enough carbohydrates for the day, your child needs 4-5 ounces of grains. Half of this should come from whole-grain sources, which contain more nutrients and fibre than refined grains. 1 ounce of grains equals 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal, or ½ cup of cooked rice, cooked pasta, or cooked cereal.
- Protein
Your growing child needs protein to build muscles and repair tissue, and it’s a basic building block of skin, cartilage and bones. Meat is a great source of protein for your child, and at this age he/she needs 3-4 ounces daily. You can also substitute meat with eggs or plant-based sources of protein. 1 ounce equals 1 ounce of meat, poultry or fish, ¼ cup cooked dry beans, or 1 egg.
- Fruits and Vegetables
Make eating fruits and vegetables a fun, regular part of snacks and meals, and your child will take to eating these foods naturally. Fruits and vegetables are the primary sources of vitamins and minerals for your growing child. At this age, she would need 1-1½ cups of fruits and 1½ cups of vegetables every day.
- Dairy
Milk is an important source of nutrition for your little one as it contains lots of calcium, protein, potassium and many more nutrients your child needs. Your little one needs at least 2 cups of milk per day, but this could also be 2 cups of yogurt, 3 ounces of natural cheese, or 4 ounces of processed cheese.
Vaccinations and Common Illnesses
It’s also a good idea to consult your physician about vaccines at this stage. Paediatricians usually recommend the following vaccines:
- Hepatitis B
- DPT
- MMR
- Varicella
- Pneumococcal conjugate
- Haemophilus influenzae type b
- Inactivated poliovirus vaccines
Be sure to stick to your child’s immunisation schedule to keep them free from any diseases.
Common illnesses around this age include the following:
- chickenpox
- mumps
- measles
- common flu
Be sure to always keep up-to-date with your child’s yearly flu vaccines. And stay away from places that might put your child at risk of dengue.
Parenting Tips:
- As always, a balanced diet is always recommended. Don’t worry about introducing your child to various food so they get used to different tastes and textures.
- Don’t worry if your child seems small, since a child’s size depends on genetics as well. What’s important is that your child is healthy, active, and isn’t prone to getting sick.
When to Talk to Your Doctor:
If your child is very small for their age, seems malnourished, or isn’t eating a lot of food, then be sure to visit the doctor to have him checked. There might be some underlying problems that your child might have, and your doctor would best be able to identify these problems and help you with your concerns.
Sources: WebMD, Extension.org
Your child’s previous month: 43 months
Your child’s next month: 45 months