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Family Routines
Keep your family active.
Kids love movement and they have lots of energy.
Stay active with them, so it is fun and you are role modeling a healthy lifestyle.
Plan outings with family and friends.
Take trips to the zoo, museums, and other places where your child can learn.
These social outings are helpful for you and your child.
Check in with caregivers and family members who watch your child.
Make sure everyone is feeding your child healthy foods, keeping them active and sticking to a good nap/sleep schedule.
Make sure everyone is allowing your child to have some independence while keeping them safe and remaining consistent with limits.
Make family meals a priority.
Include your kids in meal times.
Keep meal time screen free.
Keep quiet activities for bedtime routines and stick to a consistent sleep time.
Reading books and singing lullabies are good calming options.
Avoiding screen time an hour before bedtime is helpful for sleep.
It is okay if your child has a comfort object like a stuffed animal or favorite blanket they like to sleep with.
Learning to Talk and Communicate
Talk and read to your child as much as possible.
This helps them learn a language.
This helps them prepare for preschool.
Take them to libraries and story time events.
Be patient, talking takes a lot of work when you are this age.
Your child may want you to say some phrases many times.
Your child may want you to read the same book many times.
Repeating words and re-reading books helps is normal and helps with learning and development.
Encourage your child to use their words.
Repeat their words back to them using correct grammar.
Avoid scolding or shaming them as they learn.
Ask them lots of questions and allow them time to answer.
Getting Along with Others
Playing with other children their age is good for social learning.
Stay close to keep an eye on their activities and watch your child’s ability to play and share.
Offer toys for your child and other toddlers to play with.
This helps minimize fighting over toys, as they learn to share.
When offering toys to your child, give two options you know they like.
Offering more than two choices can be overwhelming at this age.
Keep screen time to a minimum, avoiding it is even better.
If your child watches shows, stick to learning options.
Make sure you know what they are watching at all times.
Use a family screen time plan to help build healthy habits and limit too much exposure.
Getting Ready for Preschool
Think about preschool or child care for your child.
This can help with learning life skills like socializing, sharing, and reading.
If you need help with figuring this out, ask child’s primary healthcare provider for advice.
There are books to help your child prepare for preschool.
Joining playgroups or having playdates can also be fun for you and your child.
Some preschools want your child to be potty trained prior to starting.
For help with potty training:
Dress your child in clothes that are easy to pull on and off.
Take your child to the potty every 1 to 2 hours to practice.
Offer lots of applause and praise for any effort so that your child wants to keep working on this.
Develop a potty routine so your child knows what to expect and becomes more comfortable.
You can add singing and reading to keep potty time fun.
Healthy Teeth
Be sure to brush your child's teeth twice a day.
Use a rice grain amount of fluoride toothpaste, as this is safe for them to swallow.
Use a soft bristle toothbrush.
Some toddlers really enjoy this, and some don’t.
This is normal, so try to make it fun and sing songs about it.
The more you do it, the more it becomes a routine, and they will get used to it.
After brushing their teeth at night, avoid anything more than water.
Offer lots of water and try to avoid juices and sweets.
Once your child has teeth, they can get cavities.
If you have not taken them to the dentist, now is a good time.
To find Medi-Cal dental clinics near you:
Call: 1-800-322-6384
Visit: Denti-Cal Website here.
Fluoride varnish can be applied by a dentist or at your child’s well visit to protect their teeth.
This can be applied every 3 to 6 months.
If your child seems uncomfortable from teething, giving acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or teething rings can be helpful.
Healthy Eating
Encourage healthy eating with lots of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, and lean meats (like chicken, fish, beans) for meals and snacks.
You can offer one big meal and then smaller meals or snacks throughout the day.
Include them in family meals.
Try to avoid processed, highly spiced, and sweetened foods.
To prevent choking, cut food into small pieces and avoid hot dogs, raw vegetables, chips, candy, pretzels, popcorn, and peanuts.
At this age, it is not uncommon for your child to become a picky eater.
Taste buds are still developing and changing at this age.
Encourage your child to continue to try new and old foods of all varieties.
Continue to offer healthy options.
For more information and helpful tips on picky eating, check out this article.
Never force your child to eat.
Allow them to stop when they are done.
Allow them to feed themselves, although messy; this is good for independence and development.
Your child can try using soft plastic utensils like a fork and spoon.
Your child is learning about eating habits now.
The healthier you make it, the healthier they will be.
Avoid giving snacks for entertainment, boredom, or comfort when they are upset.
Offer them lots of different foods for them to continue to try.
Water is needed; juice is not.
If you choose to give juice, give no more than 4 ounces of 100% pure fruit juice daily.
Although you may have some spills, you can help them learn how to drink out of an open cup now.
If your child drinks plant-based or cow’s milk, give no more than 18 ounces per day.
Make sure to give unsweetened milk. 2% milk or lower is recommended at this age, unless your healthcare provider advises otherwise.
If your child’s appetite drops, decrease the amount of milk they drink.
If your child doesn’t drink milk or eat much dairy, a vitamin D supplement is recommended.
You can buy liquid vitamin D for your child’s age.
Follow packaging directions or ask your child’s primary healthcare provider for advice.
Food Assistance
2-1-1 is an organization that helps families connect with food assistance programs such as CalFresh, local and regional food banks, emergency food services, Women Infant Children (WIC) program and more. Contact them at 211sandiego.org/resources/food-assistance/ OR dial 2-1-1 from any phone.
Some families may qualify for assistance in purchasing food for children up to age 5. For more information on the WIC program, please ask your doctor or contact WIC directly
WIC San Diego http://sandiegowic.org/ 1-800-500-6411
WIC Riverside https://www.ruhealth.org/wic 1-800-472-2321
Safety
For car safety, keep your child’s car seat rear facing until they reach the maximum height or weight limit noted by the seat.
Remember you are the role model, so make sure everyone is buckled up in the car before moving the car.
Never leave your child alone around vehicles or any type of machinery (examples: lawn mowers, leaf blowers).
When your child rides a bicycle, tricycle, or scooter make sure they have a helmet on.
Keep your child at an arm’s reach around any water.
Use pool gaits and be sure to empty all water out of buckets, kid pools, and bathtubs when done.
Use hats, UV protective clothing, and sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher when going outside.
Utilize shade and keep your child hydrated.
Reapply sunscreen every 2 hours when out in the sun.
Planning exercise for the early morning or the evening can help avoid the sun’s hottest times from 1100am until 300pm.
Check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors every month and change the batteries as needed (usually yearly).
Make sure your family has an emergency plan for any fires and natural disasters.
What to Expect at Your Child’s 3 Year Visit
We will talk about caring for your child, your family, and yourself.
We will talk about what to expect when your child plays with others.
We will discuss fun ways to read and play with your child.
We will talk about healthy foods and exercise for your family.
We will talk about ways to keep your child safe at home, outside, and in the car.
Immunizations
Your provider will review your child’s immunization record, and if there are any routine vaccines that your child has not yet received, we will discuss these with you.
Flu Vaccine is recommended during flu season, which is typically September-March/April.
It is safe to give the flu vaccine with other vaccines.
Vaccines are safe and effective, and proven to save lives.
Learn more about recommended immunizations from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
To learn about COVID vaccines, please see the recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
If you have concerns about vaccines, please talk to your child’s primary healthcare provider for accurate information.
For more details, visit the immunizations section on our Health Hub.
Common Side Effects:
Fever - can be treated with acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
Soreness - can be treated with ibuprofen or cool compress.
Swelling at injection site - can be treated with cool compress.
📚 References
This content was adapted from Bright Futures.
Reviewed by TT DO, JW MD, Patient Education Committee.