3 Months
Developmental Milestone
Movement: Babies at 3 months will be getting more movement skills. They can raise their heads. When they are placed on their stomach, they can support their body with their arms. You’ll see more leg stretching and kicking also. Their hands will be able to open and close. They will still try to bring their hands to their mouth. When you hold them up, their legs will try to push down against the floor or any firm surface. When they see hanging objects, they’ll try to catch it with their hands, including toys. They will enjoy holding and shaking hand toys you might give them.
Eyes and Ears: By this time, babies are used to faces and will often stare at them. When they see a moving object, their eyes will follow it. They can recognize a bunch of familiar things, including familiar people, even from far away. When they hear something they’ve heard before, they will turn their heads to face the direction of the sound.
Language: They are still babbling and making “baby noises”, but you will often see that they will begin to copy the sounds that they hear. You just have to listen closely.
Sleep: Some babies will begin to tell the difference between day and night, allowing them to sleep more during night time. They will still wake up often during the night to get fed. Waking up in the middle of the night is normal behavior at this age. Hang in there, mom and dad!
Social-Emotional Milestone
The baby will begin to smile at the sound of your voice. Even at this age, they’ll enjoy playing with others. Sometimes, they might even cry when playtime is cut short. Compared to the month before, you will see that babies are crying less often.
Did you know?
Babies need 14 to 17 hours of sleep in a day. They will wake up every 2 to four hours to have a bottle. This is why you might be getting less sleep.
Did You know? The attempt to try to walk and step on a hard surface is another reflex called “stepping reflex”.
Fun Fact: Babies at this age will cry between 40 minutes to 4 hours a day.
Action Items
Some suggestions on what toys to buy are those that play music and those that move. They also will like toys they can hold in their hand.
Continue to talk to your baby and make expressions with both your body and face. It’s ok to make faces, show more emotion, and use your body to talk to your baby.
Sing and talk to your baby. This can actually help their brain development. Use different tones when talking to your baby. Try singing songs with surprise endings.
Read stories to your baby. When reading a story or rhyme, insert your baby’s name so they can get used to hearing different tones and situations.
Take your baby for a walk and allow them to learn the sound of dogs, cars, or anything that makes a noise.
Try to establish routines: Going for a walk after lunch, bath, or bedtime at the same time. But don’t be too strict or loose on your schedule.