For many new parents and their babies, the age of three months marks a beautiful turning point. The parenting journey gets a little easier, and the parents get into the groove of looking after their little one. Your baby has officially completed one of many newborn milestones at this age, that is, the first quarter of their life!
It’s an amazing accomplishment and a truly magical time. Every child grows and develops at its own pace. Here are some general milestones to watch when your little one is at this age.
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Physical Development & Growth
One of the most important baby milestones at three months is physical development and growth. Your baby will begin to move their body when awake at this age. Although, they don’t know how to make individual parts of their body movements.
In fact, your adorable munchkin will not have complete control over their movements in the first eight weeks from birth. Actions like suckling, grasping, or being startled are all your baby’s reflexes or involuntary movements.
After eight weeks, your toddler will begin waving their hands and legs in the air with innate curiosity. If you’re wondering, “what can babies do at 0-3 months” they can do a lot!
They will be able to point their fist toward something they want. Your baby will learn how to lift their head during tummy time but will not be able to roll over. However, they can still kick and wriggle their tiny toes, so don’t leave them unattended!
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Communication
By the third month, your baby will begin to communicate with you.
The list of baby milestones at three months also includes the ability to communicate. Your baby will be able to express how they feel through their face, movements, and voice at this age.
In the first few weeks, your baby will mostly communicate by crying for different things – hunger, sleep, fear, loneliness, or if they’re feeling hot or cold. You will also be able to recognize these different cries in the first month.
By the time your little one is between seven to eight weeks old, they’ll be able to coo and make simple sounds. At this 3-month milestone, they’ll be able to listen to what you say and talk back to you in their own adorable way!
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Vision
Vision is one of the most important newborn milestones. Between the ages of zero to three months, your baby will be able to focus only on shapes that are close by. Distant objects will be blurry because they’re near-sighted at this age.
As your little one grows, their vision also improves. An important 3-month milestone is that the baby can follow a moving object. They can also spot familiar faces and are super intrigued by shapes and patterns.
A baby’s color vision also develops between zero to three months, so adding a fun and vibrant mobile above their crib is a great time. Soft pastel colors are hard for your baby to distinguish, so avoid these colors when buying toys or accessories.
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Hearing
Newborns have a great sense of hearing – they’ve been listening to sounds before they’re even born! From their mom’s heartbeat to the voices of their loved ones, a lot of sounds have been a part of your baby’s world before their birth.
Between one to three months, your baby will be sensitive to new, unfamiliar, and loud sounds like a dog barking or a machine whirring. But remember that your baby loves to hear your voice, so talk to them, sing, or coo at them. It will create a special bond between your munchkin and you.
Other milestones from 0 to 3 months are that your baby will probably enjoy music and life’s little, routine sounds. You can help stimulate their hearing with musical mobiles or toys like rattles. During dinner time, you can keep your baby in a baby seat so that they can hear your family and you laughing and talking.
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Cognition & Emotion
While your baby’s understanding and awareness of their surroundings increase at this time, it is still easy for them to be overwhelmed. Some important newborn milestones for cognitive abilities include recognizing familiar faces and voices, especially those of their parents and siblings, and response to social contact.
Your baby will also be able to smile in response to you and may even move their arms, legs, or body in rhythm with the sounds they hear! Babies need to feel safe and assured that you’re right by their side.
Baby milestones at three months include understanding the reassurance and comfort offered by your voice, tone, emotions, and embrace. You can sing to them, talk to them freely, and hold them to foster emotional security.
Most importantly, respond quickly to your child when you hear them crying. Usually, your baby’s needs are simple at this age, and giving them all your attention will create a strong bond with your little one. It will also help build their confidence!
When Should You Be Worried?
Every baby is unique, and they may reach these newborn milestones at a different pace. So, don’t be worried if your little one doesn’t reach a few of these milestones. They may be working on a different area of development and learning!
However, if you notice a few things like no improvement in head control, no response to loud sounds, or if your baby doesn’t smile at the sound of the voice, follow moving objects, or doesn’t notice their limbs, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor.
Final Words
So, what can babies do during first trimester? From smiling at you and moving their arms and legs in response to you to making adorable cooing sounds and grasping at things, your baby will melt your heart at this age!
You can do little things to encourage their growth and skill development. Every baby is unique in newborn milestones but trust your instincts too! The earlier a problem is diagnosed, the earlier the effort is brought.