What can he do for himself?

Question

My cousin is 3 and still seems to get babied.

what is usually expected at this age as far as responsibilities and skills? for example, we still dress him and put his shoes on for him. also he can sometimes clean up his own toys and we still open his snacks for him.

what sort of things are expected when a child is 3? are we babying him by dressing him and still bathing him? he sort of washes himself afterwords but we wash him first to make sure he is clean.

Answer 1

My son is 3, and he will dress himself in the morning, though at night he wants me to get him in his pjs. He still has difficulty opening most snacks. He eats on his own. Baths himself (copies his 4 year old sister). Also brushes his own teeth, with a little help from me. I admit though,m I do baby him a little,m because he is my baby and I'm not sure if we will be having another baby :)

And he also packs away his toys

Answer 2

by 3 a child can usually draw people (a face and maybe some arms and legs), can be able to use a knife and folk, can talk well in sentences, chant ryhmes and songs. as for dressing most 3 year olds cannot dress themselves but encourage him to try with a little help from you! my son is 22 months and if you put his feet into his trousers/shorts he can pull them up and can put his sandles on as they are easier than normal shoes!

yes is it faster to do it yourself but its part of a learbning curve for children to do it for them selves!

you just have to give him a chance to try simple things like this and he will learn to do it for himself!

you are doing fine by washing him there is no harm in that! my son can brush his teeth but i will give them a once over after anyways, so let him wash himself then you give him a once over too!

Answer 3

My three year old can dress herself sometimes she puts her shirt on backwards or put her shoes on the wrong feet but she can do it.  She still needs help with buttons and snaps but she must put her belt on even though she misses a loop and make it too loose but she tries. That's good that you let him wash himself I do the same thing i let her do it first and then i wash her right before she gets out of the bath tub. She cleans her toys and put her shoes away on her own. She also cleans her plate and put it in the sink to be washed and she helps get things for her younger brother. She also tries to do alot more then she should she is super " independent".

Just let him be a little bit more independent she make take alot of patience but in the long run it will be better for him.

I think all three 3 yr olds are at that transition where they want to be a baby at times.

Answer 4

we ask my niece to get her to bring us her snack. she puts away all of her toys with help, she helps set the table for dinner, or at least her spot, she helps out with a lot of things we just simplify the task even if it takes 2 extra hours.lol.

Answer 5

you definitely need to let him do some things by himself, like dressing, my 3 year old usually wants to dress himself, so we let him...also you should bathe him, but keep doing what you're doing by letting him try it after.  i also brush my son's teeth and then let him do it after.  basically if it's not going to hurt him and he can do it himself then let him.

Answer 6

Although it is easier and faster to do everything for him, you need to let him do things for himself too. He needs to learn. I know it takes a lot of patience to let him do it, but in the long run you will be happy and proud that he's not so dependent on you. My daughter is 3 and dresses herself all the time. Sometimes shirts are put on backwards, but I simply tell her that and she takes it back off and tries again. It doesn't hurt to guide them along the way, as long as they are trying it out for themselves. Actually, for a while now, my daughter gets mad if you do things for her. After all, she's a "big girl" now and just HAS to do things herself. She's very independent and I'm very proud of her.  

Answer 7

My third child just turned 3.  She dresses herself.  Now she needs help with buttoning/zipping, and she might put something on backwards, but she can put her clothes on.  Shoes also, though they are often on the wrong feet, and socks are often twisted a bit.

She carries dishes to the sink to be washed.  She picks up.  She empties the dryer and has for over a year now, absolutely loves it.  Go figure!  She gets things that I ask her for (a tissue, a wet washcloth for her younger sister, teething ring or toy for sister, etc).

She goes to the bathroom by herself and only needs help to wipe after #2.  Of course, my firstborn, a boy was still in diapers at this point.

Answer 8

At three my son was beginning to take his clothes off and run around  the enclosed back yard naked playing in the water and mud....he did this until he went to kindergarden.  Between 4 and 5 he still needed help with wiping his bottom and  with zippers and snaps.  Sometime between 7 and 10 he could open packages whereas at 56 I'm still having problems!  Relax....he will learn and there is a difference between good spoiled and bad spoiled according to my son when he was 16 yrs. old.  Don't put too much pressure on the child and he will excel....!  I always consider a child to be more or less an "animal" until they were between 4 and 5, at this age they become civilized.  (Mother of 4, ages 22 to 36 and all are successful).