Baby development at 3 months: what’s changing

At 3 months, your baby acquires new abilities. Always more curious, he discovers the world around him with delight. Focus on the development of the 3-month-old baby.

Child growth and development at 3 months

At 3 months, your baby continues to gain weight and centimeters: he measures about 60 centimeters and weighs between 5 and 6 kilos. Its cranial perimeter is about 40 centimeters. The child becomes more flexible and stronger. For example, he can straighten his head and chin when lying on his back.

His gross motor skills gain in balance and coordination: he is more successful in keeping his head straight in a sitting position. He explores his body, touching his stomach when lying on his back, bringing his hands to his mouth, or joining his hands. On the side of fine motor skills, the 3-month-old baby gradually loses his gripping reflex: his hands open more.

Communication and interaction of baby at 3 months

Your little one, at 3 months, loves to emit all kinds of sounds and chirps: it is his way of talking to you and expressing his contentment. Your child’s hearing is fine, distinguishing and recognizing the voices of different family members.

The 3-month-old baby has more tools than before to express himself: as a result, he feels less need to cry. He is now able to differentiate between what is in him and what is outside of him. He loves to play, interact and share with those around him.

When you talk to your 3-month-old, you notice two new behaviors: he likes to make vocalizations to respond to your voice and his eyes fix yours or your mouth. Finally, for your greatest pleasure, the 3-month-old baby is able to laugh out loud and does not deprive himself of it. To stimulate him, you can have fun making faces or noises that make him laugh.

Games with the 3-month-old baby

You have many opportunities to play with your child. Indulge in tickling, caressing, and massage sessions. Tell stories by doing voice effects to convey different emotions. Nursery rhymes and lullabies are also very popular with three-month-old babies. To go further and help them gradually discover touch, you can familiarize your child with tactile books.

The new materials give him new sensations that he likes to explore while the images reveal him a colorful and exciting world.

If you want to make him laugh or attract his attention, you can for example play with stuffed animals and puppets: his eyesight is now fine enough for him to recognize them.

Finally, the bath can now become a moment of pleasure, do not hesitate to instigate small games in the water and play with the sound of drops, hand diving and making bubbles, etc.

Feeding the child at 3 months

Normally, your child drinks between 4 and 6 feedings or bottles per day. If you plan to return to work, you can opt for a breast pump, or introduce mixed feeding, which allows other people to feed the baby. It is in principle during the 3rd month that the terrible colic of the baby ends.

Baby sleeps at 3 months

The 3-month-old child must gradually learn to sleep at night in a long cycle, that is, to do without night meals. It takes on average between four and six weeks for the infant to get used to the day/night cycle.

To help him get through this course, respect his sleep and do not wake him up to change his diaper for example. It is essential to distinguish between nocturnal awakenings and restless sleep. Sometimes, while sleeping, your baby cries and opens his eyes.

In this kind of case, it is better to avoid taking him in the arms. Indeed, handling it can wake him up and prevent him from going back to sleep easily. Stay attentive without intervening at first, if he does not calm down, then you can try to understand why he is crying.

Health and care of the baby at 3 months

In the third month of the child, you must give the second injection of vaccines against:

  • Diphtheria ;
  • Tetanus ;
  • Pertussis ;
  • Polio ;
  • Meningitis ;
  • Hepatitis B ;
  • Rotavirus

Don’t forget to write these reminders, once made, in the baby’s health record.
The third month can be difficult for the mother because the first separations will take place, especially because of the return to work. Fortunately, your child will gradually gain autonomy and get used to other people, for his greater good.

Image Credit: Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik

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