Baby development at month 3: when will my child sleep through the night?

Month 3: Baby development milestones

Movement:Your baby has more and more control over his body. He even manages to lift his head up for a few minutes while lying on his back. Even when lying on its stomach, it keeps trying to hold its head up under its own steam. The coordination of movements also becomes more secure from the 9th week. The baby learns that it can also move different limbs individually without involving the whole body. Your little one can now turn around quite easily, for example in the direction of a nearby toy. You can support your baby’s development by attaching a colorful mobile within easy reach, for example above the changing table. You can swap out the different figures on a regular basis, which will provide additional variety and excitement for your baby. In our articleYou can read more about motor development under “Movements of your baby” .

Senses: In the 3rd month of baby’s development you can also notice further advances in sensory perception. Your baby’s vision is gradually becoming clearer and he can follow things with his eyes as long as they are not much more than 15 centimeters away. As a result, your baby will start showing more and more interest in his surroundings from the 9th week.

How else can I keep my baby busy in the third month, you ask yourself. As it becomes more and more aware of its surroundings, it already recognizes the voices of mom and dad. Talk to your baby or sing him a song. You can also involve his body, for example you can gently clap his hands or “cycling” is great fun for many babies. You take the legs of your lying child and move them carefully as if they were pedaling in the air.

The baby’s hearing also gets worse every day in the 3rd month. It becomes more and more receptive to surrounding noises and can distinguish familiar voices from unfamiliar ones. Your baby will also turn their head toward the source of the noise when they hear something. In this development phase, music can also have a calming effect and further promote the development of the sense of hearing. You can sing to your baby at any opportunity or just put in a nice CD. Maybe a nice music box would also be something for you? Just try a few things to see what your baby likes best.

Communication: The increasing development of the eyes and the ability to recognize familiar voices will help your baby to distinguish you from strangers. From around the 3rd month, your baby can decide for himself who to show his affection for. The spectrum of the sounds he produces is getting wider and wider. You can find more information on this topic in our article “Crying, squeaking, chuckling: Your baby is trying to communicate” .

You can lay the first, important foundations for your baby’s language acquisition as early as the 3rd month. Talk to him at every opportunity or sing to your baby. Show your child different things and name them or tell them what you see during a walk. This not only deepens the relationship between you and your baby, but also promotes intelligence and makes it easier to acquire language skills over the next few months. In addition to speaking, facial expressions, gestures and eye contact also play a particularly important role.

Sleeping: An important milestone for many parents who are perhaps a little tired is the fact that your baby will slowly develop solid sleeping habits from the 3rd month. Most babies sleep up to 16 hours a day. How long they are awake at three months of age varies. On average, however, they are awake for little more than two hours. A real day-night rhythm slowly develops in the baby . Now it can even happen that your little one sleeps through the night and doesn’t wake up hungry in between. However, it will still be some time before your baby will sleep through the night on a regular basis. You can find out more about this in our article “How your baby learns to sleep through the night” .

When is the best time to put your baby to bed at the age of three months cannot be answered in general. It should only be at the same time whenever possible so that it finds its sleep rhythm.

Bowel movements: Babies, especially breastfed babies, have bowel movements several times a day for the first four to six weeks. In the 3rd month, the bowel movement can take three to four days – without your child suffering from constipation. As long as the stool is soft and your baby doesn’t push, everything is fine.

Month 3: Baby-related appointments

• U4 investigation
• First vaccination
• parental allowance
• Registration for the Pikler course

Month 3: Tips for babies aged 9 to 12 weeks

fontanel

In order for the head to fit through the birth canal at birth, the skull plates of babies are not yet firmly connected. This flexibility also allows the brain to grow unhindered. At the same time, the so-called fontanelles, i.e. the places where the brain is not protected by skull plates, are very sensitive areas that you should be very careful with, especially when washing your hair and massaging your baby’s head. The so-called small fontanelle closes in the baby as early as the 3rd month after birth, the large one usually only disappears completely after 24 months.

Correct diaper size and dress size

Your baby is growing fast and will soon need a larger diaper too. You can use the manufacturer’s age information on the packaging as a guideline and recommendation to help you choose the right diaper size . However, you will probably have to try and determine the right size for your baby. You will find very practical instructions for changing diapers , helpful tips on changing tables and diaper bags as well as important information on baby care when changing diapers in our special “Nappies and diapers” .

You can easily determine the right clothing size with our baby clothing size table . The most common dress size for three-month-old babies is 62.

teething

Your baby can start teething as early as the 3rd month. The first signs can be increased salivation, restlessness and loss of appetite. Teething babies also often chew on anything they can get their hands on. Teething can be quite painful and uncomfortable for your little one. But there are many ideas and ways you can make teething a little more bearable for your baby. You can find out more about this in our special “milk teeth” .

baby carrier

A baby carrier is a useful aid, especially when you are out and about. But many mothers also appreciate the purchase for at home because they have their hands free and can still carry the baby with them. Most baby carriers are only suitable for the baby from the 3rd month. We have put together all the advantages and disadvantages of a baby carrier for you.