Baby development: Month Three
You probably feel like a seasoned pro by now, and by three months your baby is starting to get stronger and more independent.
As her hand-eye coordination improves, she suddenly discovers her fingers and will touch just about everything in reach. This is how she explores her world, with her visual and cognitive skills working together as she tries to comprehend her environment.
If last month saw the first smile, this month will see smiles all round, gurgling, cooing and squeals to anyone she can see. Of course she will reserve special smiles for mom and dad, her two favorite people!
Hands
By three months she might try batting at objects in front of her – again, evidence that her hand-eye coordination is improving. Hanging brightly colored toys from her play gym or from the handle of her infant seat while you’re in the car will encourage her to bat and grab even more. She will probably be able to grasp a rattle at this stage, but will be far more obsessed with her hands, at which she will stare intently, pleased with her new discovery.
Sounds
Your baby’s hearing is improving all the time and she may be startled or woken by loud noises and talking. This doesn’t mean you should creep around the house when she’s napping, though – it’s good for her to have a bit of background noise (and don’t forget, the womb wasn’t exactly peaceful with stomach gurgles and muffled voices filling her ears). You may notice that she’s soothed by the sound of your voice and smiles and gets excited when you talk to her. Speak to your baby as often as you can, no matter how silly you feel – even if it’s as simple as telling her you’re desperate for a coffee. Read our article on speaking to your baby.
Rolling over
Around now your baby may learn to roll over (some babies take much longer to do it and some don’t at all). She’ll start by practicing tiny baby press-ups when she’s having tummy-time, and will graduate to rocking backwards and forwards, side to side and eventually kicking and flailing her arms out like a little swimmer. And then one day she’ll flip right over! As this can happen at any time, it’s important that you keep a hand on her when changing her diaper on a changing table or crib-top changer, in case she rolls off. Other high surfaces such as beds and couches aren’t safe to leave her on unattended anymore in case she attempts a roll.
Routines
By three months it is probably time to start helping your baby get into some kind of routine if she isn’t already in one. Many parents obsess about this, mostly because of ‘helpful’ advice from others that they should have a routine sorted by now.
Most babies will fall into a routine of sorts by themselves – for example, you were probably advised by your pediatrician to feed your baby on a three-hourly routine until she’s old enough to drop certain feeds, or her stomach is mature enough to go longer. If your baby feeds sporadically it might be a good idea to try the three/four-hourly routine, just so you have a bit of structure to your day. Babies gain a sense of security from knowing what’s coming next and she might be happier eating at designated times rather than snacking throughout the day. See getting your baby into a routine.
Sleep
When it comes to sleeping, you may hear stories about babies who slept through the night at six weeks old. While this is possible, it’s rare. Small babies have even smaller tummies and can’t take in a lot of food at feeds. It’s the need to top up that wakes them during the night. ‘Sleeping through the night’ is also a deceptive term, as it usually refers to your baby having six hours of uninterrupted sleep. This means if she falls asleep at 11pm and wakes at 5am she has had her night’s sleep, even though you haven’t! Bear with her for the time being and try to encourage good sleep habits by setting-up a good routine before she goes to bed (bath, PJs, lullaby or story, feed, bed) and try not to let her drift off while she nurses or has her bedtime bottle feed.
The key to your baby eventually being able to sleeping through the night is her ability to soothe herself back to sleep without having to be rocked, fed or sung too, so try putting her down in her crib while she is awake so she can learn to settle by herself. Watch our video guide on establishing a bedtime routine.
Three-month-old babies need around 15 hours of sleep, which roughly equates to five hours in the day and ten at night. These aren’t continuous hours of sleep, though – your baby may nap in two to three-hour stretches or have lots of shorter naps throughout the day and night. No baby, toddler or child is the same when it comes to sleep so resist the urge to compare your baby’s sleep patterns with anyone else’s. This is also a very rough estimate, as some babies need less sleep while others are fond of a long slumber. If you’re worried about your baby’s sleep patterns consult your pediatrician. See our section on Sleep and Bedtime for more information about your baby's sleeping habits.
Story time
Even though she’s tiny and can only respond to you with smiles or cries, now is a great time to start reading to your baby. It may seem strange to read aloud to a baby who doesn’t respond, but you’ll never have such a captive audience. Once your baby gets bigger she’ll wriggle and squirm through story time, want to pull the book apart, or get down to explore the room instead. With a small baby you know you have her full attention.
Starting to read to your baby when she is young helps her development in a number of ways. Each time your baby sees, hears or feels anything her brain processes the information and makes the connection between the pictures and the words she hears you saying. Eventually the pictures become words and understanding. Focusing on pictures also helps her to develop her eye muscles and hand-eye coordination if the book has flaps and textured pictures she can feel. Storytime also creates a quiet atmosphere and a bit of bedtime bonding between you and your baby. Here are gurgle’s tips for your first story sessions:
- If you’re not a confident reader, read the book yourself a couple of times first to get some practice.
- Try to talk about everything you see before turning the page.
- Point at pictures and say the names for everything you see.
- Use different voices for each character (even a high and a low voice helps your baby distinguish between characters and teaches her the different pitches and intonations used in language.
- Don’t rush through the book – take your time and let your baby point at what she wants to see (pointing is a skill a slightly older baby will master).
Why not chat to other parents by leaving a message on our chat forum. Alternately, if you want to meet other parents in your area with similar age babies, visit our people section of the site to find out what is happening in your area, or join or start one of our groups.
The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.
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Last Modified: 06/06/2008