What should a 3 year old 'do'?

[JoeyRamoney]

Just off the back of a thread where an almost 3 year old applied their own sunscreen, it got me worrying that my just turned 3 year old perhaps isn't where she should be with respect to independence.

She can take her own coat off but she cannot put it on herself, or get dressed. She can brush her own teeth but if i handed her sunscreen she would not have any interest in rubbing it in.

What other milestones should I be keeping a general eye on or working towards?

Thanks for the list. My DS will be starting school next year and he'll be 4 in May so one if the slightly younger ones. Good to have some stuff to aim for

My 2.5 year old can apply her own sunscreen... Badly, with big patches missed and lots in her hair. Needless to say I help her, despite her protestations.

She cannot get herself dressed fully, though she does try and gets about halfway there. She can take her shoes off but not put them on. Same with her coat. She can brush her own teeth, but again, badly. She can use a spoon or fork with minimal mess, unless she's eating rice, in which case our floor looks like the aftermath of an explosion at a grain silo. She can sort of use a knife, but she'd still be eating her dinner come breakfast the next day if you left all the cutting to her, cause she's so damn slow. She can climb into her car seat but not do up the straps. She can close the baby gate but not open it. She can brush one patch of her hair really nicely, but will ignore or screw up the rest. She can wipe thoroughly after a wee but needs help after a poo. She can put all the laundry away in the right places, but none of it will be folded.

So basically there are lots of things that she "can do", but is far from perfect at, and that's fine, cause she's two and a half and that's what she's supposed to be like.

No way I'd let a three year old apply their own sunscreen it's easy for them to miss bits too important to get wrong.

Mine eats suncream
I live in a hot country so she's having our slatheRed on twice a day.
If I give her some in her hand she eats it
If I put it on her she licks it off her arm

My 2y 10 months can:

put shoes on (Velcro or wellies)
put coat on using nursery coat trick
wash hands (gets step and uses soap)
get in the bath using step
get in the car seat
put his clothes in the wash basket
put his plate and fork in the dishwasher

Aww this made me laugh! You need to buy less tasty suncream 😉