Child's daily routine at 3 years old: daily routine, nutrition and sleep by the hour until 4 years old

The baby is 3 years old, he is actively moving and, like a sponge, absorbing new knowledge. There seems to be no end to his energy, but this is a mistaken impression. If parents do not make sure that the child sleeps and eats on time, he will quickly get tired, be capricious, and mental development will slow down. With the right daily routine, a 3-year-old child will have time to gain the maximum amount of knowledge and skills without getting overtired. If the mother does not interfere, a 3-year-old child will happily watch cartoons all day, and then a complete mess will form in his head. Sitting on the sofa for a long time will prevent him from using up the energy that needs to be released, so he won’t eat well and will have difficulty falling asleep.

What should be the routine?

The baby has changed significantly and has become more developed. At this age, all children are already able to talk, so the little one can easily express his dissatisfaction with the routine. Therefore, it is especially important during this period to listen to what the child wants, there is no need to go against him, but also you should not blindly follow his desires.

At the age of three, walks and communication with peers are very important. Many children already attend kindergarten during this period. If your baby is still at home, then the mother needs to take care of the child’s sufficient interaction with other children on the playground. This is very important for the child’s development as a representative of society.

My son already went to kindergarten. He easily met new children in the yard. The kid had a lot of friends in the garden and no less in the yard. Coming home, he strongly asked to go into the yard, because his friends were waiting there. We got ready and went to the playground.

Create a daily routine taking into account the increased need for active activities, as well as the decrease in the duration of daytime sleep.

A three-year-old child has four meals left a day. But the time allotted for sleep is decreasing. The toddler sleeps approximately 11 hours per day. During the day, almost all children sleep once, but this duration is reduced and now does not exceed two hours.

Estimated daily routine, table

Remember that this is just an example of a daily routine and should not be followed blindly. Create your own regimen taking into account the needs of your child.

Diet

Most children eat four times a day. However, many mothers believe that a snack between breakfast and lunch is still necessary. Moreover, it is present in kindergartens. The intervals between meals are about four hours. If a child has five meals a day, then it includes three main meals and two snacks. The baby eats about one and a half liters of food per day. The required number of kilocalories per day is 1540. Try to feed your child at the same set time every day, a discrepancy of no more than 30 minutes is acceptable.

A three-year-old child can eat almost all foods available to adults. At this age, the baby can be slowly introduced to fatty meats and fish. His diet should also include liver. Sausages are considered acceptable, with the exception of smoked meats, but in very limited quantities. The norm of meat products per day should be no more than 60 grams. Then, as for fish dishes, there are only 20. In fact, this volume of fish is very small, it is almost impossible to cook anything from it. That is why it is recommended to give such dishes to the baby no more than 2 times a week, but a single serving becomes 70 grams.

The presence of dairy and fermented milk products in the toddler’s diet is important. A glass of milk is advisable every day. Cottage cheese is mostly given fresh.

At the age of three, hard-boiled eggs are already acceptable, but raw eggs are contraindicated for baby food.

The most important foods that should be present in a child’s diet every day are vegetables and fruits. After all, they have such a large vitamin and mineral complex, as well as other biologically active substances. The baby should be given no less than 300 grams per day.

The baby can already be given flour products. Pasta, pancakes, buns, and butter cookies occupy a place in his diet. The daily norm for such products is approximately 100 g.

At three years old, the toddler already has a sufficient number of teeth, so the main food is represented by products in an unchanged state.

What should be the approximate menu for a 3-year-old child:

1. For the first meal, you can give your baby any porridge (approximately 200 grams), to which you can add 5 grams of butter and a glass of tea.
2. For a child's snack, a banana, cookies and a glass of homemade yogurt are ideal.
3. Lunch is the most satisfying meal of the day. Offer your baby a bowl of soup (approximately 150 g); for the second - about 100 grams of mashed potatoes, to which add 60 grams of meatballs and fifty grams of grated carrots; slice of bread. You can wash everything down with compote (about 150 milliliters).
4. For a second snack, cottage cheese (100 grams) is suitable, to which you can add berries or fruits (50 grams). You can give kefir (100 ml).
5. For dinner, prepare your baby a vegetable stew (200 grams), give him two slices of bread. You can drink milk (150 ml).

The main components of the daily routine of children of different ages

The child’s daily routine should include the following mandatory elements:

• meal time. A child, depending on his age, must eat a certain number of times a day. The intervals between feedings are also important;
• time to sleep. The nervous system of a child, compared to an adult, is at the stage of formation, so exhaustion occurs faster, requiring recovery. Also, a small organism spends more energy on all vital processes than an adult. The need for sleep decreases as the child grows.
• time spent in the fresh air. It may include walking, sleeping, playing;
• time for compulsory educational activities. In a children's group and at home from a toddler age;
• free time. It becomes important when the baby already knows how to do something on his own. At this time, the child himself chooses his type of activity. Free time is important for processing received information and realizing creative abilities.

Dream

A 3-year-old child sleeps at approximately 11 o'clock per day. 9 hours are spent sleeping at night and only two during the day. The child goes to bed once per day. The ideal time for a nap would be the afternoon. By this time, the little one will have had enough time to walk around and will be tired. Try to put your children to bed no later than 10 o’clock at night, and wake them up at approximately 7 am, maximum at 8 am.

Many children no longer want to go to bed during the day, they resist, and it is very difficult to put them to sleep. If your baby remains cheerful and cheerful, then you should not force him to bed. The only thing is that you will encounter difficulties when your baby goes to kindergarten. Not every teacher will like such a baby. After all, not only will he not go to bed with all the children, but, perhaps, with his games he will disturb everyone’s sleep.

At the age of three, nightmares at night are not uncommon. Some children are literally afraid to go to bed. The best option would be to leave the light in the hallway or the table lamp on, then the baby will not be so scared to stay in the dark.

How is a daily routine beneficial for a child?

The benefits of a routine are determined by physiological and psychological aspects, which are the basis for creating a daily routine:

• the benefit from the physiological side is the development of conditioned reflexes, with the help of which the body adapts to existing conditions. The child is prepared to perform the necessary tasks and does them without unnecessary stress. Those. energy is saved and distributed evenly for all necessary activities;
• from a psychological point of view , the child’s nervous system needs a stable environment, which, with its predictability, gives a feeling of peace and reliability. This, in turn, creates a favorable background for the child’s development, a deeper understanding of the actions performed and the development of skills.

Active period

When a mother has a lot of worries around the house and does not always have enough time to take care of the baby, you can combine household chores with the development of toddlers. For example, invite your baby to join in the process of preparing dinner or let your baby help wipe off the dust. You can also invite your child to burn flowers. It will be useful to teach your child, for example, types of fabric, asking him to select only woolen items from a pile of clothes.

At the age of three, children are even more curious than before. Now they can speak, and this period is also called the time of why. Therefore, try to answer the little one’s questions, explain how this or that device works. When you are cleaning, don’t be lazy, tell your little one how a vacuum cleaner or washing machine works, what an iron does to clothes, and so on.

You should continue to devote time to developing your child’s creative abilities. Make sure that his routine includes drawing and modeling. At this age, some parents are already teaching their children to play musical instruments.

It is important to understand that it is better to play active games before lunch, after - only quiet activities.

Walks

A 3-year-old child happily runs outside on his own. Some children are very difficult to drag back home, especially if they already have friends. Although there are often cases when children resist going out into the yard. But the mother must remember how important fresh air is for the baby. If your child doesn't like playing with other kids on the playground, then you can just go to the park. Many kids like to spend time in entertainment centers, but they need to get there somehow. This is what can become an incentive for the little one to go outside. It’s good if this center is located a couple of stops from your home, which you can cover on foot.

It is advisable to be outside for at least two hours a day.

Physical development

As before, exercise plays an important role in the child’s daily routine. You should spend at least 20 minutes on it. Movements should concern the arms and legs; you can do exercises for the entire torso. To make these classes more fun for your child, it is recommended to turn on fun music; they really love songs from famous cartoons. Also a good example would be the presence of the mother during these exercises. So the baby will see that she is doing the same movements and will repeat.

This is approximately the daily routine of a three-year-old child. Don't forget that at this age most children go to kindergarten. And there is its own regime. Children who are accustomed to a certain schedule will find it easier to adapt. Although, most likely, your routine will not correspond to that established in kindergarten. That is why some mothers find out the preschool regime in advance and adjust their own to it.

Are there any disadvantages to the daily routine?

Photo: https://pixabay.com/photos/kids-girls-crying-baby-crying-886587/
The disadvantages of the daily routine, or, more precisely, objections to following a strict daily routine, are as follows:

• kids often get out of their usual routine, disrupting the sequence and timing of events. Their sleep and nutrition are easily disrupted by external factors (weather, physical or mental discomfort, changes in the type and method of feeding);
• children can intuitively follow their needs. This is the basis of the objection to forced obedience to a schedule;
• Strict adherence to the daily routine, ignoring individual living conditions, personality traits and age can lead to rigidity of thinking, inability to adapt to changes in the environment, deprivation of individuality and also to health problems.