Infant Development: 3- month Old Baby Care and Tips

What a cutie pie! Your baby has probably figured out how to get what she wants by being adorable. She knows that her parents will melt at her smile. You will find your baby smiling more as she knows that you will smile in return. She may not yet understand what you are saying or doing but she is absorbing it all.

You can now give out a sigh of relief as this month is going to be relatively easier than the previous ones. An alert and interactive infant who is sleeping more at night and is less fussy is an absolute charm.

What can you expect this month?

Your baby will start to laugh out loud this month.
Your baby will laugh at all your silly voices and jokes.
She’s mimicking sounds by cooing and grunting, mimicking your movements, and trying to match your facial expressions.
Your baby is also going to babble.
Your little one loves to use her legs to kick and swing at objects.

What are some of the milestones of your 3-month old?

Your baby can raise her head and lift her upper body with the arms during tummy time.
While in your lap, your baby will try to push down towards the floor or lap by using her feet.
Your little one can already open and close her fists at will. She will take swings at moving or hanging objects.
Your baby can grasp and hold on to objects for a longer time. Don’t be surprised if you find her shaking her favorite toy.

Your baby’s developments in the third month

Your baby is growing at a rapid pace this month. She is more alert, interactive, and social by now. Remember to play and chat with her to develop her motor skills. Give your baby plenty of hugs to help improve her cognitive skills.

Weight & Length-

On average, 3-month old girl babies weigh around 13 pounds and that of the baby boys is 14 pounds. Don’t worry if your baby’s logistics don’t match with that of the average. As long as your baby is steadily growing and showing an upward trend at growth and if your doctor is happy with her progress, then there is nothing to worry about.

Head-

This month the size of your baby’s head will increase by almost half an inch.

Growth spurt-

There is generally another growth spurt waiting for 3-month-old infants. If you notice that your baby is feeding relatively more, is fussy without any reason, is being cranky, or having trouble at sleeping, then your baby may be going through a growth spurt. Comfort and cuddle with your baby to help her with the growing pains. Do what seems to calm the little one. Don’t get frustrated as growth spurt lasts only for a few days.

Vision-

You will notice that your baby is looking at you attentively and maintain eye contact while you chat with her. She has started to follow you with her eyes when you move around the room. She can follow the sound of your voice and music. She will be able to turn her towards the sound. There will be significant changes in comparison to the developments of the 5th week.

Thumbsucker-

By now, your little one may have figured out how to suck her thumbs or chew on her fingers to comfort herself. However, not all babies have an affinity towards thumb sucking.

Muscles-

Your baby will be gaining muscle strength and flexibility in her hips and her knees. Your baby will be able to bear weight and will try to push towards the floor while you hold her in your lap.

Texture lover-

Your baby already loved to explore textures in the last and this month she will have some strong preferences. You will notice that some textures, like one of her favorite toys, will soothe her while other textures will make her fussy.

Knows your scent-

By this month, your little one will be able to recognize you by your primary scent. Your scent will soothe and comfort your baby. Your baby will be able to tell whenever you are around by your scent.

Feeding your 3-month-old

Your baby will start feeding more. The feeding pattern is also quite established by now. Remember to not overfeed your baby. If your baby gives signs of being finished, don’t continue to nurse her. Don’t give the bottle or nurse your baby to soothe her or when she is fussy, as this will cause your baby to become overweight. Your baby will continue to get all her nutrition from formula or breastmilk in this month also.

Bottle feeding:

Generally, 3-months-olds have around five ounces of formula for six to eight times every day.

Breastfeeding:

Typically 3-months-olds feed almost every three or four hours. Don’t worry if your baby if feeding less as long as your baby seems to have satisfied her hunger and your breasts get emptied.

The sleeping pattern of 3-Month-Old

Your 3-month-old is going to develop a sleeping pattern in this month. Typically 3-month-olds sleep for 15 hours every day. They tend to sleep for longer stretches at night and sleep for around 10 hours at night. At night, you can expect your little one to sleep for 5 to 6 hours at a stretch. The rest of the 5 hours of sleep will be fulfilled by about 3 naps during the daytime.
Doctors generally suggest putting the baby down for sleep between 7 and 9 p.m. Even though your baby’s sleep schedule will depend on your family’s usual schedule, if you start making the baby’s bedtime earlier, it will encourage your baby to sleep for longer stretches at night.
Sometimes 3-month-olds start having sleep regression. Your baby may also wake up more often and sleep for shorter stretches at night due to growth spurts. While growth spurt lasts for a few days, sleep regression may last for a few weeks. You might not know, but right from this time, you can start inducing qualities of self-esteem in kids.

Tips and reminders for the third month

Even though there is no scheduled doctor’s appointment this month, you need to call the doctor if your baby starts to lose weight or loses her appetite. You should talk to your doctor if your baby still can’t focus her eyes.
You should schedule the 4-month baby visit to doctors in this month.
Your baby may start eating solid food as early as the fourth month. So try looking for signs that your baby is ready to start eating solid foods.
You may have to go back to work this month, so start planning for childcare and other baby schedules to enable a smooth transition.

Frequently Asked Questions on 3 Month Old Baby Development

1. How often should a 3-month-old baby be given baths?

You should continue giving a bath every few days or thrice a week to your 3-month-old.

2. How to put my 3-month-old baby to sleep?

Follow a pre-sleep ritual of giving a massage or a bath time before putting your little one to sleep. At night, you should keep the nursery dark and cool; and put her to sleep while she is sleepy but awake. Try singing calming lullabies and slightly rock her crib to help her fall asleep.

3. What games can I play to stimulate my 3-month-old?

You can try using different tones of your voice for different characters while reading storybooks. While telling stories, make your baby’s name one of the characters to help her with self-recognition and name association. Take your baby out on walks.

Remember your baby should always be in the carrier while outside. But your baby will love to gaze at the birds from the carrier. She will also enjoy different colors of cars passing by. However, don’t overstimulate your baby and leave her alone if she gets start getting fussy during playtime.

4. How will I know if my 3-month-old is trying to roll over?

If you find that your little one using her hands to push her upper body up during tummy time, your baby will soon be ready to roll over. Generally, infants first turn on their back from the tummy. Before turning, babies first start moving legs across the body while lying on their back.

Takeaway

Even though your little one is still pretty much sleeping and eating for most of the time, she is growing by leaps and bounds every day. By this month, you will start to slowly understand your baby’s personality. It might also be an emotional time for you if you have to start working from this month.

Remember that all the struggles, sleepless nights, changing diapers, worrying and fretting over the baby will all be worth it.