Stage30–36 m
2.5 to 3 years
Words start replacing meltdowns
Language finally catches up with intent and the frequency of collapse drops noticeably. They can say "I do not like it" instead of lying on the floor. These six months are also the run-up to preschool.
What to feed
- Milk
- 350-500ml of milk or dairy a day.
- Meal pattern
- Three meals and 1-2 snacks, the same food as the adults.
Can start eating
- Chopsticks practice
- More complex flavours and textures
Not yet
- Whole nuts, jelly cups, hard sweets (before age 4)
- Sugary drinks
- Snacks used as emotional rewards
Worth knowing
- Before preschool, get self-feeding solid: own spoon, own cup, sitting through a whole meal
- One iron-rich and one calcium-rich food a day
- Fixed rhythm of three meals and two snacks, with only water in between
- Having them set the table is the easiest form of family responsibility to establish
How much sleep
10-13 hours a day
- Daytime
- One nap or quiet time
One to two months before preschool starts, shift the schedule to match it: fixed wake time, nap aligned with the school day. Term time is far easier that way.
Vaccines in this stage
No scheduled vaccines in this stage.
What most children do by now
Gross motor
- Stands on one foot for 1-2 seconds
- Jumps forward with both feet
- Pedals a tricycle
- Alternates feet going upstairs
Fine motor
- Draws a circle
- Uses safety scissors
- Threads beads
- Dresses in loose clothes unaided
Language
- 500-1000 words
- Four- to five-word sentences
- Uses I and you
- Mostly intelligible to strangers
Social and cognitive
- Genuine cooperative play begins
- Takes turns
- Names emotions
- Copies peers
This is what most children manage in this window, not a pass mark. A few months either way is common. The signals worth acting on are in the doctor section below.
Height and weight reference for this ageWhen to see a doctor
If any of these apply, do not wait for the next routine check.
- No complete short sentences
- Cannot draw a circle or use scissors (worth watching)
- No interaction with other children at all
- Abnormal gait, frequent falls
- Holds things very close, tilts head, squints
- Skill regression
What to practise
- 01
Cutting and sticking
How · Safety scissors and scrap paper, cut freely, then glue it into a picture.
Why · Scissors require each hand to do a different job — advanced bilateral coordination, and directly linked to pencil control.
- 02
Tell me about today
How · At dinner everyone shares one thing from their day. Prompt the gaps: "and then? where?"
Why · Narrative skill is the foundation of reading comprehension, and matters far more than early letter recognition.
- 03
Rehearse preschool
How · Visit the gate a few times, play at going to preschool at home, read books about it.
Why · Familiarity lowers separation anxiety much more effectively than reassurance on the day.
Day to day
- Daytime toileting is usually managed. Night-time wetting is normal up to age 5
- Three-year check: vision (the window for treating amblyopia closes around age 6), hearing, growth
- Get the vaccination record in order — many preschools check it
- Two hours outdoors a day, especially once preschool starts
Common questions
- How long will the crying at drop-off last?
- Most children settle within 2-4 weeks. The key is a fast, consistent goodbye: say clearly "after snack, mummy will come and get you", then leave. Drawn-out goodbyes extend the anxiety.
- Should we teach reading and arithmetic early?
- Spoken expression, narrative skill and self-care are the better investments at this age. Early academic advantage is usually gone by second grade, whereas gaps in language and independence persist.