Caring for Toddlers:

1-3 Years Old

Toddlers to Preschoolers

Toddler› 1 - 3 years old

Preschooler› 3 – 5 years old

when most children start going to school

Growth from 1-3 years old

From 1 year old to 3 years old a child experiences many changes!

› From crawling walking jumping hopping skipping running

› Getting dressed more independently

› Eating fairly neatly with a fork and spoon

When does a toddler show signs of self care?

› Feeding themselves

› Getting dressed

› Brushing their teeth

› Washing their hands

› Going to the bathroom on their own

Feeding Toddlers will show interest in feeding

themselves with a spoon› They will pick up a spoon, hold it, and try to feed

themselves

At first this will be messy!

Fine motor control is needed in order to do this task, so it may take some time to master!

By 18 months, most toddlers are able to properly feed themselves.

Feeding Self-feeding improves overtime

Feeding Toddlers need smaller serving sizes

They need to eat a variety of food from all 5 food groups

Serve fresh, nutritious foods

Vary color, texture, shape, temperature

Choosing Foods For Toddlers

12-24 months (1-2 years) Introduce cows milk

› Whole Milk (4%)

Same food as family- mashed or cut into bite-sized pieces

› Soft pasteurized cheese, yogurt, and cottage cheese

› Whole wheat bread, pasta, and rice

› Fruit: melon, papaya, apricot, grapefruit

› Vegetable: Broccoli and Cauliflower (cooked)

› Protein: eggs, ground/cut-up meat or poultry & smooth peanut butter

Choosing Foods For Toddlers24-36 months (2-3 years)

Same foods as previous slide, except switch to 2% reduced fat milk instead of whole milk 4%

Avoid Convenience and Processed Foods

Avoid salt

Avoid preservatives

Avoid artificial colorings

Avoid artificial flavors

Make Mealtime Fun!

Bathing

Infants should be bathed a few days a week › When not crawling they don’t get as dirty!

Toddlers can be bathed usually every other day (sometimes done at night)› If they are messy clean them!

Establish a routine and make bath time fun!

Bath Safety Never leave your baby unsupervised,

Never put your baby into a tub when the water is still running. › The water can quickly get too deep or hot.

Set your water heater to 120⁰F or below. A child can get third-degree burns in less than a minute at 140

degrees.

Never leave your child unattended. › Yes, it's so important we listed it twice!

A child can drown in less than an inch of water—and in less than 60 seconds.

Caring for Teeth

1 year old› Most children have 8 teeth

Brush with soft toothbrush daily.

2-3 Year olds› Children can begin practicing brushing

their own teeth… but they will need guidance!

Caring For Teeth

5 years old› Most children are able to brush on their own

Regular dental checkups and cleanings are important.› Children should attend their first appointment at

about 18 months (1½ yrs.)› First appointment with be pretty informal

Children should brush their teeth 2-3 times a day (usually after eating)

Dressing clothing options should be

appropriate

› Children need to learn how to dress themselves properly

Self- Dressing Being able to put on their own clothes makes a toddler

feel independent

At 2 years old toddler will try to put on clothes themselves

Between 3-4 years old they will be able to dress themselves successfully

Involves gross and fine motor skills which should be learned one step at a time

Toddler shouldn’t feel rushed! Give them time to get the task done

Self-Soothe

Favorite toy or blanket, Thumb-sucking

Fears are Normal Use a Night Light

Safety:Prevent Falls

Prevent Burns

Cover Outlets

Remove Hazards

Cabinet Door Locks

Corner of Counter tops