Your adorable newborn has come a long way in the first three months! Early problems like constant feeding and crying are likely to have degraded down in the second quarter of their lives. Your baby has begun getting an idea of the world and form newborn milestones from 3 to 6 months. Here are some exciting new milestones you’ll experience when your baby’s at this age!
Physical Development & Motor Skills
“What can newborns do at 3 to 6 months?” may be a question that’s lingering on your mind. Well, your baby is starting to get some control over their body at this age. So, they’ll spend plenty of time looking at and touching their hands and feet.
They’ll also learn to grasp at objects in front of them. It’s necessary to give them plenty of supervised tummy time, where they can ‘swim’ by kicking their legs and waving their arms.
This activity strengthens your baby’s back, and eventually, they’ll learn how to crawl. You can keep a few of their favorite toys around them to make tummy time more fun. Other 6-month milestones are rolling over from front to back, sitting when being held by their hands, grabbing toys, and holding objects for short durations.
At about five months, your baby may be able to support their weight when you help them stand on their feet. However, don’t do this too often – they’re not ready to walk just yet!
Communication
One of the most significant baby milestones between three to six months is communication. Babies in this age bracket can babble chains of consonants. They’re just beginning to gradually make the little sounds or noises that develop into speech.
Your little one may respond to you talking or other sounds with their sound or use it to express joy. At six months, laughter, squealing, and blowing raspberries are some other newborn milestones.
Your munchkin will also be able to distinguish emotions from your tone and turn their heads in response to you. They may also be able to recognize names on their own. You can encourage communication growth by repeating single words to them, practicing simple sounds together, or reading picture books to them.
Vision
Compared to the first three months of their lives, babies between three to six months can see much farther away. They can focus better on smaller objects that are far away and recognize different colors and tell them apart.
Newborn milestones from 3 to 6 months include your baby’s ability to follow moving objects like a rolling ball and quick movements of people around them. Their hand-eye coordination also significantly improves, and your baby is likely to enjoy more complex patterns and color variations.
You can stimulate your baby’s developing vision by taking them on walks around parks, an outing to the zoo, or a trip to the local grocery. Exploring will change the scenery and help them reach their 6-month milestones for vision.
Hearing
Hearing is essential for speech development, so it is one of the most important baby milestones. Between three to six months, sounds start becoming more defined for your baby, and they’ll be able to pick up parts of speech.
They’ll also try to coo the sounds they hear in an attempt to talk. Imitating the sounds they make will encourage conversation. Hence, it sets a precedent for your little one’s first real words!
Cognition & Emotion
A baby’s awareness of their surroundings is slowly increasing at this time. Your baby may be more open to communicating with people apart from their close family members. It is one of the most vital newborn milestones from 3 to 6 months, where your little one can hold out arms to get picked up on recognizing familiar faces and voices.
Your munchkin will start learning the concept of object permanence and show visible displeasure or cry when a person or their favorite toy goes away. They’ll also learn the concept of cause and effect, for example, the light or sound a toy makes when moved.
However, remember that it’s easy for your baby to become overstimulated and cry at this age. So, you may have to calm them down.
Taste & Smell
By the 5th month, babies begin to develop taste buds and can smell food.
Among significant newborn milestones at six months is that of taste and smell. Between the age of three and six, your baby will prefer sweet-tasting items over something that tastes bitter. However, their taste preferences and understanding of flavor profiles will continue to develop over time.
At this age, your baby will start recognizing smells and be able to distinguish between smells they like and dislike. They will also start turning away from bad odors. If the baby is breastfeeding, the mother’s diet will likely shape the toddler’s preferences.
When Should You Be Worried?
While every baby is unique, newborn milestones from 3 to 6 months are crucial. Consult your pediatrician if your baby is unhappy or unsettled most of the time, is not kicking their legs, is not turning to look at people when they speak, smiles or coos rarely, or if they’re unable to grasp objects.
Also, since your baby will most likely begin grabbing objects and putting them in their mouth to explore, they can swallow or choke on something small. So, don’t keep anything detachable or small within their reach. Your baby will also be able to roll over by the time they’re five months old, so don’t leave them unsupervised.
Final Words
You now know the answer to “what can newborns do at 3 to 6 months?”. It’s an age full of exciting milestones, where they can babble and coo, rollover, recognize your face and voice, learn how to sit up, and recognize colors and shapes. Trust your instincts regarding newborn milestones from 3 to 6 months, and consult your doctor immediately if something goes wrong.