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Preschooler at 3–4 years: development, sleep and preschool

Stage: 3–4 years

Sleep

the nap becomes optional for many children

Feeding

Fully shares the family diet, with attention to enough vegetables and fruit and limited sweets and snacks. Involve your child in setting the table and simple cooking jobs — it makes trying new foods more likely.

Dairy: About 2 cups of milk a day.

Diaper size

Usually dry in the daytime; some children still wear training pants at night (size 5–6).

Development at this stage

• Speaks in full sentences and tells a little story
• Draws circles and attempts crosses
• Plays with others and shares (with ups and downs)
• Counts a few numbers, knows colors
• Rides a balance bike or with training wheels

Care & things to watch

• Kindergarten: most children start around age 5; enrollment windows open the winter/spring before — check your school district's dates and requirements (proof of vaccinations is standard)
• Phase out the pacifier completely if that hasn't happened yet
• Not being dry at night is normal at this age — night-time dryness often comes between 3 and 5
• Encourage independence: dressing, tidying up, washing hands
• Vision and hearing screening happens at well-child visits from age 3–4 — flag any concerns earlier
• 4–6 year boosters: DTaP, polio (IPV), MMR and chickenpox (2nd doses) — often done at the 4-year well-child visit, and required for school enrollment in most states
• Dental check-ups every 6 months
• Well-child visits are yearly from age 3

Other ages: 0–6 weeks · 6–12 weeks · 3–4 months · 4–6 months · 6–9 months · 9–12 months · 12–18 months · 18–24 months · 2–3 years · 4–5 years