There are many milestones in a newborn baby’s life, we could actually say that each month is a beautiful new milestone in their life.
Many mothers like to create baby books or charts each month that track their baby’s progress. It’s a nice way to remember these moments and also get excited and happy about everything that their baby boy or girl is learning. And, of course, grandparents and other relatives are more than pleased to have these milestones recorded.
Sure, a three-month-old baby is still considered a newborn, and they can’t sit down and eat a pizza with the rest of the family on a Friday night, or walk around the house. But there are so many wonderful things that a three-month-old little one can do. Moms can switch up their behavior during this time period and witness some real magic happening.
Here are 20 things moms should start doing when baby hits 3 months.
20. YOU SHOULD HELP YOUR BABY KEEP THEIR HEAD UP
According to Very Well Family, “Your baby should be able to hold their head up at a 90-degree angle beginning at 12 weeks.” This is something else that moms can help their babies with at three months.
Moms might not realize that their baby can do this at such a young age since it would be easy to assume that a baby would have to reach six months or even more to be able to do this. It’s good to know that it’s preferable for three-month-old babies to hold their head up. It’s something that moms can keep an eye on.
19. YOU SHOULD HELP YOUR BABY GET STRONGER THROUGH TUMMY TIME
Tummy time just sounds plain adorable and watching a baby experience it is pretty cute, too. When a baby hits three months, moms should start having their babies do tummy time. This can definitely become part of mom and baby’s routine.
As WebMD explains, “Three-month-old babies also should have enough upper-body strength to support their head and chest with their arms while lying on their stomach and enough lower body strength to stretch out their legs and kick.”
The Bump says that 20 minutes to half an hour is a good amount of time, so this is what moms can aim for.
18. YOU SHOULD MAKE SURE YOUR BABY IS WITH PEOPLE
When you become a new mom, you spend a lot of time home with your little one, and you’re often alone. Your partner might work outside of the home and you definitely spend a lot of one-on-one time with your little one.
According to Baby Center, your baby should be around people on a regular basis because this is really good for them. This is something else that moms can start doing when the baby hits three months. The website explains, “When you’re with friends, keep her nearby so she can hear the richness of human interaction.”
Of course, this will be easy as your friends and family are eager to visit your little one as often as they can.
17. THIS IS A PERFECT AGE TO READ STORIES TO YOUR LITTLE ONE
Many moms put a bookcase in their baby boy or girl’s nursery and it serves two purposes: for one thing, it looks nice, and for another, it’s a reminder that moms will be reading to their kiddo in no time.
When baby hits three months old, moms can definitely start reading to them.
As Baby Center says, “Reading to a child, no matter how small, will pay off. It helps your baby develop an ear for the cadence of language — in fact, varying the pitch of your voice, using accents, singing, and vocalizing make the aural connection between you and your baby that much more stimulating.”
16. YOU CAN TALK TO YOUR BABY IN TWO LANGUAGES IF YOU WANT THEM TO LEARN TWO
Do you want your baby to learn two (or even more) languages? If this is something that is important to you and your partner, then it’s a good idea to talk to your baby boy or girl in two languages. This can start at three months so it’s another thing for moms to be aware of during this month.
Baby Center says, “A baby in a bilingual home will get double the language training if she regularly hears both languages spoken. If you’d like her to learn more than one language, have each parent speak to her in a different language.”
15. IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO LET LITTLE ONES CRY IT OUT FOR A BIT
You’ve heard about “crying it out” and you might wonder if it’s a good thing or not. Some parents really believe in this idea, and others want to pick their babies up whenever they start crying.
WebMD says that it’s smart to let babies cry it out for a little bit at three months old. The website explains, “If your baby does wake up in the middle of the night, wait about 30 seconds before heading into the nursery. Sometimes, babies will cry for a few seconds and then go back to sleep. When you rush in at the first sound of fussing, your baby won’t learn how to fall back asleep on his own.”
This is an important thing for new moms to remember, and it’s good to implement this when the baby hits three months.
14. THIS IS A GOOD TIME FOR MOMS TO CREATE A ROUTINE FOR BREASTFEEDING
Moms can also create a breastfeeding routine when the baby hits three months. This makes sense since when you’ve been a mama for a few months, you’re getting into a routine in general. You might be sleeping a bit more (okay, a tiny bit more, but still) and you’re used to this whole mom thing now. Your life has changed and it’s beautiful.
According to Mom Junction, three months is the perfect time for this kind of routine: “in the third month, babies tend to develop a feeding schedule.”
The Baby Sleep Site explains more: “You may also find that your baby feeds more frequently during the day and is beginning to drop night feedings.”
13. YOU DEFINITELY NEED TO TALK TO YOUR BABY
For every mom, it’s beautiful and exciting when they have a toddler who they can talk to. It’s so cool to see how their little brain works and what kinds of things they have to say.
It turns out that when baby hits three months, moms can definitely talk to them. In fact, they totally should. Working Mother says, “Having conversations with your baby is important for her development, even if she can reply only with babbling.”
Moms can get into the habit of chatting to their little one… and eagerly await the day that their little one can talk in return.
12. MOMS SHOULD ENCOURAGE BABIES TO SUCK THEIR FINGERS/HANDS
According to Very Well Family, three-month-old babies will suck their hands or fingers: “Many babies begin to suck their thumbs or fingers around this time because it’s the age when they really ‘discover’ their hands.”
Moms can encourage their babies to do this once they hit three months. It’s great to know that this is totally normal and, more than that, this is what babies want to be doing naturally.
Of course, this is another thing that babies will do at three months that is incredibly cute, and moms will be more than happy to encourage it for the adorable factor.
11. IT’S TIME FOR A DOCTOR’S VISIT WHEN YOUR BABY CRIES OVER ONE HOUR EVERY DAY
Sure, you know that babies cry, and that your baby boy or girl is going to cry, too. We generally think that babies cry when they’re hungry or they want to go to sleep or go down for a nap. After all, they can’t have a conversation about what they would like to have happen right now.
According to WebMD, babies shouldn’t cry for over one hour every day once they hit the three month mark.
If this is happening, moms should schedule a doctor’s visit. As the website says, “If the crying exceeds this, or seems excessive to you, schedule a visit with your pediatrician, because reflux or another medical problem may be behind the tears.”
10. MOMS SHOULD BUY TOYS AND PLAY SETS THAT HELP WITH HAND/EYE COORDINATION
According to WebMd, this is the time when babies are figuring out hand/eye coordination. When it comes to what moms can start doing when the baby hits three months, it would definitely be buying some toys or play sets that help babies with this. It’s a really crucial aspect of baby’s development.
Is there anything that babies love more than a colorful and cute play set?! Moms will enjoy knowing that they found a good one that their little one wants to use all the time, and of course, it’s a great way to learn hand/eye coordination. There are so many great ones out there and there are also toys that you can buy that clip onto the play set.
9. YOU SHOULD PLACE A TOY ON YOUR BABY’S CHEST OR ACTIVITY GYM (SO BABY CAN LEARN TO USE HER LEGS MORE)
Is your three-month-old baby starting to move their legs more? That’s awesome and you can encourage this more by placing a toy on your baby’s chest or activity gym. The goal here is for your little one to move their legs.
Can Do Kiddo says, “Placing a soft toy on baby’s chest can hold his attention for quite a long time at this stage.” The website also says that babies will “practice the new skill of tucking her chin” and “kicking her feet.”
Yup, this is another thing that moms can help their babies do that will be more than a little bit adorable.
8. MOMS SHOULD GET BABY BOUNCERS FOR TWO GOOD REASONS
Mom365 says that getting a baby bouncer will be great for two smart reasons: “Put your baby in a bouncy seat. This allows her to sit more upright and see more of what’s happening around her.” When you have a three-month-old baby, it’s an awesome idea to get a baby bouncer.
You might already have one of these — maybe you put it on your baby shower registry, or you bought one before your sweet bundle of joy arrived — but when your baby hits three months, it’s the perfect time to make great use of it. Babies really have tons of fun sitting in a bouncer.
7. YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY ENCOURAGE YOUR BABY TO LEARN ABOUT THEIR TASTE BUDS
Moms might not think about their baby’s taste buds because they’re giving them breastmilk (or formula). There isn’t a lot of choice in terms of food for newborns, right?
But as it turns out, babies can start learning about their taste buds once they hit the three-month mark, so this is a good thing for moms to start helping them with.
According to Mom365, “By the end of this month, your baby will start to distinguish between tastes and maybe develop some preferences. If you’re formula feeding, you might find your baby refuses to eat a different type of formula.”
6. MOMS SHOULD ALSO CREATE A SUPER-SAFE HOME
Creating a safe home is always going to be a top priority for new parents. This is especially crucial when the baby hits three months.
Mom Junction says, “Your baby turns clever now and puts objects, which she comes across, straight into her mouth. So you need to be extra careful and work more for her safety. Scan the environment around her.”
When you have a three-month-old, you can work on baby proofing the house or apartment even more than you already have. This will also become really important once your baby turns into a toddler so it’s good to work on it now.
5. YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE YOUR LITTLE ONE CAN GRASP THINGS
Working Mother says that holding objects is one important part of a baby’s three-month development. Moms want to make sure that their baby can grasp things at this age. The website says, “Babies open and shut their hands, reach for toys, bring their hands together, move hands toward their mouths and grasp toys.”
When their baby hits three months, moms can keep a close eye on their little one to make sure that they’re grasping toys and other things. Moms can also regularly give their babies little toys that can fit in their little hands.
This is another exciting milestone that three-month-old babies will be meeting. This is all part of them becoming more interested in everything around them, and moms will have fun encouraging it.
4. MOMS SHOULD ALSO SIT ON THE GROUND WITH BABY
Mom365 says that it’s important for moms of three-month-old babies to “sing and talk” and to hand babies toys that they can play with. It sounds like it’s a really good idea for moms to sit on the ground with their baby so they can be close to them.
Moms of three-month-old babies can start doing regularly. Thankfully, it’s really easy to do, and it’s what you want to be doing, too, since you can’t get enough of your sweet little one who you love so much.
It’s fun to sit cross-legged and feel like a kid again while you play with your little one, and you’ll definitely be doing a lot of this as your baby becomes a toddler and grows up.
3. IT’S TIME TO FIGURE OUT TEXTURES
At three months old, babies can figure out textures, and moms can start encouraging this.
How Wee Learn says, “Provide baby with different textures to explore. Sensory boards can be easily made, though are not really necessary. Let baby feel the carpet, the grass, wood floors, and cushions.”
Isn’t this such a great idea? Since babies are so interested in anything and everything that is near them and catches their eye, this will be a really fun experience for both mom and baby. This is all part of a baby growing up and learning more, and it’s really too adorable.
2. MOMS SHOULD CHANGE UP HOW THEY CHANGE DIAPERS
Of course your baby will still need diapers at three months old, but you might not realize that you can actually switch up how you change their diapers. This is another thing that moms can start doing at this age.
According to Emmas Diary, “Nappy changing can be challenging now as your baby has learned to kick vigorously, one or both legs at a time! They may also be starting to rock from side to side and backwards and forwards. Move them to their cot to sleep now, if you haven’t already, or position their Moses basket on the floor to avoid it toppling over.”
1. TEACH YOUR BABY TO BE A LITTLE COPYCAT
The final thing that moms can do when the baby turns three months? You want your little one to copy you because this is part of their growing up.
How Wee Learn says, “Encourage baby to imitate. Lay baby on your lap facing you. When she makes a facial movement or sound, imitate it back to her. Be sure to respond with smiles so she continues this form of communication. She will begin to realize that her sounds hold meaning and can get a response from Mama.”
The best part? This will be so cute to watch.