What should a 3 month baby be doing

Your baby's growth and development - 3 months old

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By 3 months, your baby will have formed a strong attachment to you. They will respond to you with lots of smiles, and might even talk back to you in their own way. The worst of the crying should be nearly over, and you can really enjoy your baby as they grow into their own little person.

Your 3-month-old

By the time your baby is 3 months, the fontanelle (soft spot at the back of their head) should have closed. There will still be a soft spot on top of their head. It might seem as if your baby’s head has grown faster than their body. It’s normal – the body will soon catch up.

You will still be getting disturbed sleep at nights, but from 3 months many babies start to ‘sleep through’ (which means sleeping for 5 or 6 hours at a stretch at night). But don’t worry if your baby isn’t doing this – they are all different.

Understanding baby growth charts

A growth chart helps you and your doctor keep track of how your baby is growing.

What can your baby do?

By now your baby will be starting to experience emotions and communication. They will respond to different expressions, know your voice and will turn to look for you when they hear you. They may start laughing out loud and look around them in wonder – especially at their fingers and toes.

They will smile at strangers, but they definitely know who their parents are by now. Their brain is growing fast and they will start to recognise people by sight and smell as well as by their voice.

They will be gurgling a lot and trying to respond to you when you talk to them. Their sense of touch is also becoming more sensitive and they will be able to pay attention to things for longer.

From now on, your baby will start to reach out for objects as the muscles develop in their arms and hands. They will try to put things in their mouth, although they can't quite coordinate their hands and eyes yet, take a long look at objects and shake or rattle them.

Physically, your baby will have better control of their head movements and will start to hold their head up when they’re sitting up. When you give them tummy time, you might notice they roll from their front to their back, lift up their head or push up their chest with their hands.

They will be waving their arms and kicking their legs strongly. If you hold them upright with their feet on the floor or your lap, they’ll probably push down on their legs.

A lot of the time, if they are near a dangling object, they will bat at it with closed fists. However, they can also open their fingers to grasp an object and they will be better coordinated, so they can bring their hands together.

How can I help my baby develop?

This is the time when the foundations of language are built. Talk and read to your baby as much as possible. It will help them learn how language works and how conversations go back and forth. Respond to your baby with words or with different noises, to encourage them to express themselves.

Choose baby books with large, bright pictures. It doesn’t really matter what the words are, it’s the sound of your voice that counts. Point to things around your baby and tell them the names. If you live in a bilingual home, it’s OK to use both languages to describe the world to your baby.

You can help your baby to develop the muscles in their neck and back by dangling a toy in front of them when they’re on their tummy. Or offer a toy to them to help them learn to grasp it. Stimulate their sense of touch by stroking them with different materials like fur, felt and tissue. Cuddles, massage and moving them through the air will all help to calm them down.

Development problem signs

Babies develop at a different rate. At 3 months, talk to your doctor or maternal child health nurse if:

they aren’t smiling by 8 weeks
they don’t calm down, even for a little while, when you pick them up to comfort them
one side of their body seems to be stronger than the other
they’re still holding their fingers in a tight fist
sudden noises don’t startle them
they aren’t feeding properly
they’re floppy or stiff

Where can I go for help?

If you are worried or would like to discuss any issues with your baby’s development, speak to your doctor or child health nurse.

Speak to a maternal child health nurse

Call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby to speak to a maternal child health nurse on 1800 882 436 or video call. Available 7am to midnight (AET), 7 days a week.

Sources:

Raising Children Network (3-4 months: baby development), Women's and Children's Health Network (Milestones: Children 0-4 years), Raising Children Network (2-3 months: newborn development), Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (Developmental milestones and the Early Years Learning Framework and the National Quality Standards)

Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.

Last reviewed: October 2020

Bonding with your baby
How your baby learns - birth to 3 years
Your baby’s growth and development – first 12 months
Understanding baby growth charts

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Baby Development: Your 3-month-old

Written by Stephanie Watson

Third Month Baby Milestones: Motor Skills

Those innate reflexes -- such as the startle reflex that your baby displayed during the first couple of months -- should be fading or gone by now. You’ve probably also noticed that baby’s neck strength is improving. When you hold them upright, you should see very little or even no head wobbling. Three-month-old babies also should have enough upper-body strength to support their head and chest with their arms while lying on their stomach and enough lower body strength to stretch out their legs and kick.

As you watch your baby, you should see some early signs of hand-eye coordination. Your baby’s hands can open and shut, come together, swipe at colorful dangling toys, briefly grab a toy or rattle, and go straight into the mouth.

Third Month Baby Milestones: Sleep

Your 3-month-old’s nervous system is maturing, and their stomach can accommodate more milk or formula. Those changes should allow your baby to sleep for a stretch of six or seven hours at a time, which translates into a good night's sleep for you.

If your baby does wake up in the middle of the night, wait about 30 seconds before heading into the nursery. Sometimes, babies will cry for a few seconds and then go back to sleep. When you rush in at the first sound of fussing, your baby won’t learn how to fall back asleep on their own.

When the cries don’t stop and you do need to go into your baby’s room in the middle of the night, stick to the essentials. Feeding and changing should be done in the dark, if possible, and then it’s right back into the crib. Eventually, they will get the idea that nighttime is for sleeping only.

Your baby’s daytime sleep schedule should also become more routine by now. Most 3-month-old babies take a few naps of about 1 1/2 to 2 hours each day.

Third Month Baby Milestones: The Senses

Your 3-month-old’s hearing and vision are improving. Babies this age turn their heads and smile at the sound of their parents’ voices, and they love listening to all kinds of music.

Your baby will still prefer to look at brightly colored toys. That’s because sharp contrasts are easier to see. Faces are absolutely fascinating to 3-month-old babies. Look at them and they will stare back into your eyes. Your infant will also gaze intently at their own reflection in a crib mirror.

Third Month Baby Milestones: Communication

At three months, your baby is becoming more of a unique human being. This is the stage that child psychiatrist Margaret Mahler referred to as ''hatching,'' when babies come out of their ''shells'' and begin to react and relate to the world around them. Part of this hatching process involves interacting with people and smiling for pleasure, otherwise known as social smiles.

By the third month, crying is no longer your baby’s primary method of communication. In fact, 3-month-old babies should cry for no more than an hour each day. If the crying exceeds this, or seems excessive to you, schedule a visit with your pediatrician, because reflux or another medical problem may be behind the tears.

Instead of crying, your baby is starting to communicate in other ways, such as cooing and making vowel sounds (''oh'' and ''ah,'' for example). Engage your little one in conversation by responding to these sounds and narrating what you are doing when you are together. Say, ''I’m going to change your diaper now,'' or, ''It’s time for lunch!'' Your baby will listen raptly to the sound of your voice and watch facial expressions as you talk. Eventually, they will start forming their own sounds and making their own gestures. Having conversations is also a great way to bond with your baby.

Your baby also needs to learn to develop close and trusting relationships with others. Let them get comfortable being held and talked to by someone else while you're around.

Third Month Baby Milestones: Missed Milestones

Every baby is a little different. Don’t be alarmed if your 3-month-old misses a milestone, especially if they were born prematurely. However, do call your pediatrician if your baby hasn’t done the following things by three months:

Responded to noises
Followed people or objects with their eyes
Smiled
Reached for objects

Tips for Your Baby’s Third Month

A number of experts offer advice on parenting, particularly on how to get your baby to sleep through the night. Listen to the advice, but trust your instincts. If letting your baby cry it out (the Ferber method) doesn’t work for your baby and it goes against your beliefs as a parent, don’t do it.
At 3 months, babies should still sleep on their backs to reduce the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome.) Keep soft bumpers, stuffed toys, blankets, and sleep positioners out of the crib. Never put your baby down to sleep on a couch, chair, waterbed, or cushion. And don't let your baby sleep in a stroller, swing, or bouncer for extended periods of time -- unless it's the only way they'll sleep.
You might hear from a friend or family member that starting your baby on solid foods now will help them sleep through the night. But you need to wait at least one more month. The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn’t recommend that babies eat anything but breast milk or formula until they are between 4 months and 6 months old.

3rd month of life. What should a child be able to do?

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Baby 4 to 5 months.

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Baby in the arms of an adult in an upright position already in able to follow the toy for 30-40 seconds, turn the head to 180 degrees. It actively follows a stationary or moving object, the face of the adult talking to him. But eye movements are still poorly coordinated.

Many babies can squint with their eyes, which is natural at this age. K 4 month it disappears. Especially well the baby is entertained by mobile toys, which swing easily and smoothly in the air. It is important that the toy has a few clear details. The ideal distance to the toy is 30-50cm. Most toddlers love round objects and their favorite color is red, which is memorable since the time of intrauterine development.

By the end of 3 months, lying on his tummy, the baby already knows how to lean on his forearms and raise the head for 2-2. 5 minutes.

This position provides the baby with new development opportunities! He is interested looks around and perceives the world around him from a different angle. More complete the mobility of the head is a great neurological achievement for him!

At 10-12 weeks, the most mobile babies begin to roll over from their back to tummy.

During this period, the so-called “hull stability” develops, which is the basic prerequisite for the first voluntary movements of the child and basis for independent activity.

While the baby is still most often lying on his back, because it is from this position that then it will be most convenient for him to sit down.

By the end of 3 months, the baby begins to feel more and more of his body. Take a closer look at him - he lies directly on his back, but at the same time his nose, chin, sternum, the navel and pubic bone form a straight line. And he plays with his hands in front of his face, examines his fingers, legs bent and slightly pulled up to the navel.

The complex of "revival" in response to the speech addressed to him is clearly expressed.

The baby is very actively looking for the source of the sound with his eyes, smiling in response to your smile. This smile is already called "social" because it occurs in response to on a human face. This is a huge step crumbs in the field of interhuman relationship!

At the end of 3 months, the Moro reflex should disappear in the baby (it consists in symmetrical abduction of the upper limbs with extension of the fingers, followed by adduction of the limbs and flexion of the fingers.).

Note that now, with sudden exposure to light and sound, your the baby will not incoherently twist arms and legs. Playing with pens, baby bends the legs at the same time.

At 8-12 weeks, the grasping reflex also disappears. The baby has a conscious random grip.

From about 10 weeks, the baby begins to play enthusiastically with his hands, swipe with fingers. He tries to hold on to the toy, tries to touch something. with your own hands. This creates a connection between vision and action. Of course the baby is not immediately be able to grab the toy himself. He will gradually learn this.

With the support of the baby under the armpits, he already confidently leans for 45-60 seconds. about firm support with the feet of the legs bent at the hip joints.

The baby responds well to sounds.

If you gently take the baby in your arms and talk to him, he will be very study your face carefully. The baby peers into the expression of your facial expressions, listens to the tone of your voice, distinguishes the volume of your appeal to him. If you want to change the tone or volume of your speech, he will register it.

Child development at 3 (third) months of life: what a child should be able to do

At three months, the child sleeps longer at night and has long periods of wakefulness during the day. Now the baby can fix objects at a distance of about 30 cm and follow them with his eyes. He is already in contact with the environment, may begin to reach for objects, communication skills are expanding.

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What a child should be able to do at 3 months

Parents need to pay attention to what a child should be able to do at 3 months:

When a three-month-old baby is placed on his stomach, he stretches his arms forward. This will form a right angle in the elbow joint. This is how gross motor skills develop - the motor activity of large muscles.
Lying on his stomach, the child can raise his head, fixing it on weight and leaning on his forearms.
The physical development of a child at 3 months continues to improve. Now the baby, lying on his back, rolls over on his side without assistance.
If a newborn is pulled by the arms, he will bend his legs at the knee joints and pull them up to his stomach.

The toy encourages the baby to raise his head while lying on his stomach. Play with the newborn more often, showing bright objects, this will stimulate the visual system and have a positive effect on brain activity.

At rest, the child's hand is in the open position.
The baby can grab the toy with his hand and hold it for a while. This indicates the development of fine motor skills, when the hands and fingers are synchronized with the eyes.
When playing with a child, you can see how he follows the movement of the toy, turning his head or focusing only his eyes.
The kid examines his hands, fingers, monitors their mobility.
Fixes a look at mom after a voice message.
The sounds uttered by the baby become intonationally expressive.
We can note the appearance of syllabic combinations that differ from each other depending on the mood.
Sounds become more varied and longer: "aaahhh", "ooohhh". New letters are added, you can hear "H", "M", "P".
At the sight of a face, the child smiles, but is not yet able to distinguish between strangers and his own.
When communicating with mother, he becomes animated, becomes active, laughs.
Joy, curiosity, as well as anger and frustration can be clearly expressed by a three-month-old baby. The brain increases in volume: awareness grows, simple associative abilities appear.

The baby is more interested in his surroundings and tries to communicate. He carefully looks at his mother when feeding and turns when they talk to him. Through different sounds, he tries to communicate with the environment, knows how to express joy, for example, by squealing or laughing. Between 3 and 4 months of life, an examination by a pediatrician is mandatory for the absence of deviations. In addition, the doctor will explain what a child should be able to do at 3 months of age. If violations are found, the doctor will prescribe an appropriate set of exercises or additional diagnostic measures.

Child skills specific to the third month of life

A child at the age of three months becomes mobile, his body straightens, and the baby no longer assumes a fetal position - he likes to freely swing his arms and legs. [one]

Baby skills at three months:

recognizes parents, quickly responds to mother's voice, desire to communicate intensifies;
whimpering, naughty, screaming in case of dissatisfaction;
actively plays with toys over the crib, grabs them, tries to hold them in his hands;
if you lift the baby, he will try to rest against a hard surface;
makes active head turns, keeping it in the air;
defines sound and light sources.

The development of the baby at 3 months continues actively, he begins to better recognize bright colors. Now he can clearly see objects even at a great distance. Binocular vision develops: information from both eyes merges into one.

A three-month-old baby has well-developed taste buds. The baby loves everything that has a pleasant taste and sweet smell. It is noteworthy that mother's breast milk changes in the first months of a baby's life. It adapts to the higher energy needs of a three-month-old baby and contains more sugar compounds.

Research shows that children whose parents interact with them have higher IQs and larger vocabulary as they get older than other children. Therefore, close interaction with the newborn during this period is especially important.

Child's height at 3 months - norms of weight and height

Child's height at 3 months according to pediatricians:

Boys: lower limit 56. 5 cm, upper limit 62.1 cm.
Girls: lower limit is 56.1 cm, upper limit is 61.9 cm.

Child height according to WHO:

Boys: lower limit 57.2 cm, upper limit 65.3 cm.
Girls: lower limit is 55.4 cm, upper limit is 63.9see

It should be noted that the WHO regularly reviews its standards so as not to miss important points. We recommend focusing on the data tables from the official website.

How much should a baby weigh at 3 months

How much a child should weigh at 3 months is indicated by WHO data and domestic pediatricians. So, according to WHO, the weight of boys can vary from 5 to 8 kg, which is the norm, and the weight of girls from 4.4 to 7.6 kg. [2]

According to pediatricians, the weight of boys at 3 months ranges from 4.8 to 7.1 kg. Girls can weigh between 4.6 and 6.2 kg.

Mental development of a child at 3 months

A child can calm down by looking into his mother's eyes, he can look for her in the room and move his hands in excitement, and when he finds it, he will begin to smile.

In the development of the brain of a newborn, there are great changes that coincide with significant changes in behavior. Now the child is attuned to the outside world and is sensitive to various noises and sounds.

The part of the brain that controls hand-eye coordination that allows a child to recognize objects is rapidly developing. The mental development of the child at the end of 3 months becomes already obvious. Gradually, frequent crying is replaced by a smile, which can be different, depending on what the baby wants to “say”. The development of the child in the 3rd month is characterized by an exacerbation of his curiosity. During this period, it is recommended to play with the newborn using bright toys.

All children are unique and develop at their own pace. Development recommendations only show what the baby can achieve, if not right now, then soon. Keep in mind that preterm babies take longer to develop fully.

Child care in the third month

Caring for a newborn who has reached the third month is not fundamentally different from children 4-8 weeks old. It is also necessary to carry out water procedures, rinse the genitals after defecation and urination, and monitor the length of the nail plate.

However, this month is an important date. The doctor checks whether the child is developing according to age, determines his height, weight, motor and sensory abilities. At the end of the examination, vaccination against the following diseases is prescribed:

Tetanus (caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani).
Diphtheria (an infection caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae).
Pertussis (a contagious disease caused by the bacterium Bordetellapertussis)
Hemophilus infection (acute infectious process caused by Haemophilus influenzae).
Poliomyelitis (an infectious disease caused by poliovirus).
Hepatitis B vaccine.

It is necessary to monitor not only the physical, but also the emotional state of the child. At the age of 12 weeks, the baby is able to "read" the state of the mother, determining her mood by the timbre of her voice.