Maternal and child health – visit 10 - three and a half year visit
Maternal and child health – visit 10 - three and a half year visit
What happens at my three and a half year maternal and child health visit?
When your child turns three-and-a-half, it is time for their final key age and stage appointment with your maternal and child health nurse.
At this visit, your child’s growth, health and development will be reviewed and your nurse will discuss their kindergarten enrolment. They will be given a vision screening to check their clarity of vision, using the Melbourne Initial Screening Test (MIST).
You will also be asked to answer
My Health, Learning and Development – green book
. It is under the Parents’ Evaluation of Development Status (PEDS) section. Try to complete these questions before your visit.
This visit will focus on:
addressing the PEDS questions in your green book
kindergarten enrolment
helping your child to eat healthy food
taking care of your child’s teeth
your child’s vision
how to be sun smart
and water safe
how play helps learning and development
family
relationships
and wellbeing
immunisations.
Remember, you and your nurse can talk about other issues or concerns if they arise.
Tip sheets for this visit
“Try it - you’ll like it!”, vegetables and fruit for children
(pdf)
External Link
, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria
Healthy eating and play for kindergarten children 3-5 years
(pdf)
External Link
, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria
Is your child 3–4 years old?
(pdf)
External Link
, Department of Health
Immunisation history statements for children
, Better Health Channel, Department of Health
Preschoolers: independent adventurers 3.5 to 5
years
External Link
, (available in multiple languages), Kidsafe Victoria.
What is my child doing at this key age and stage?
At this key age and stage, your child is becoming more independent and adventurous. They love to be involved with everyday activities like cooking and shopping.
They might be:
running, climbing stairs
drawing, and cutting with scissors
asking lots of questions
playing with other children and learning how to share
understanding their own and other people’s feelings.
What to tell your nurse
Please tell the nurse if your child is:
NOT talking clearly
NOT able to talk in sentences
NOT coming to you for affection or comfort
NOT playing ‘imaginary’ games
NOT playing with other children
NOT drawing.
Activity ideas for this key age and stage
Try some of these ideas to help your child learn and develop:
play games that involve sharing and taking turns
let them help with the cooking, shopping or gardening
read with them and ask questions about the story
encourage them to draw and talk about their picture
give them lots of outdoor playtime with plenty of running, tumbling and rolling.
How often should I visit?
You will be asked to see your maternal and child health nurse at 10 key ages and stages in your child’s health, learning and development. These include:
following discharge from hospital (
home visit
)
two weeks
four weeks
eight weeks
four months
eight months
one year
18 months
two years
three and a half years
.
Families can access the service at other times by telephone or through a centre visit. Most centres offer a range of times when families can access the service. They typically operate through scheduled appointments, open consultation sessions and some after-hours appointments.
Return to the Maternal and child health services main page
Where to get help
Your local maternal and child health
service
External Link
Your
GP (doctor)
Your local council early childhood and family
services
External Link
Maternal and Child Health Line
Tel:
13 22 29
– available 24 hours a day for the cost of a local call throughout Victoria
Aboriginal Health Service
(VAHS)
External Link
Tel.
03 9419 3000
Parentline
Tel.
13 22 89
Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS
National)
External Link
Tel.
131 450
– available (24 hours, 7 days a week) for callers who speak other languages
National Relay
Service
External Link
(24 hours a day, every day) – Speak and listen Tel:
1300 555 727
, TTY Tel:
133 677
, SMS relay Tel:
0423 677 767