3-Month-Old Baby: Growth, Milestones & Activities

At 3 months, a baby completes a quadrant of its first year of life. What a splendid achievement! Three months is when your little one starts to take longer naps, sleep tight at night, smile a lot, and is a fun partner to be around! At this stage, things start to get easier for most parents. You get habitual to living with your new family member. As well as your 3-months baby starts to form an attachment with its caretakers.

It also understands specific actions and reacts to them with adorable gestures. Still, there are challenges that parents face with their growing babies. From nutrition to sleep to baby care and health. That’s where the need to keep a close eye on your baby’s activities and behaviors is necessary. Let us look at various essential aspects of a 3-month-old baby's developmental milestones and health and baby care tips.

3-Month Baby Developmental Milestones and Activities

A 3-month baby is said to be at a turning point in its life. It is when the baby starts to gain more control of its head, hands, and legs. You may also notice your3-month-old baby moving its limbs agilely. Although it is incapable of moving vigorously, you must keep a watch and put safety first. As a parent, you need to know when and what activities your newborn baby does. So here's what to expect this month.

1 ▪ Lift their head and limbs when lying on their belly
2 ▪ Smile often and even chuckle
3 ▪ Can anticipate being picked up when the baby sees you reach out
4 ▪ Try to reach out to objects/toys and dangle them once held
5 ▪ Imitate your movements, voice, and facial expressions
6 ▪ Recognize familiar people
7 ▪ Follow vibrant and moving objects
8 ▪ Have a good playtime with familiar people
9 ▪ Cry for something that’s not being given

If you are concerned about your3-month baby not striking some significant developmental milestones or is inactive, get a consultation from your child’s doctor. Be sure of your baby’s progress in activities and behaviours.

3-Month Baby Growth

You may find it surprising to notice the speedy growth and changes every day in your 3-month-old baby. But that’s just an average growth pace for babies. From newborn to an infant, it has probably outgrown its cute little newborn clothes and has gained some charming fat, especially on the belly and the chubby cheeks! Talking about size and weight, on average, baby boys are recorded to be slightly larger than baby girls.

1 ▪ A3-month baby girl’s height may be anywhere between 21.96 inches to 25.11 inches and weight between 4.6 kgs to 7.4 kgs
2 ▪ whereas a 3-month baby boy’s height may be between 22.6 inches to 25.7 inches and weight between 5.1kgs to 7.9 kgs

Your baby may be slightly larger or smaller than the average count and that’s certainly normal. However, if there is a significant difference, you must take an opinion from your child’s doctor.

3-Month Baby Food and Nutrition

Breastfed babies at the 3-month of age should eat as much as they want. But naturally, they don’t eat as frequently as when they were newborns. Generally feeding them 8 times in 24 hours is a good practice, but some babies may want more depending upon their hunger and capacity. Formula-fed babies must be fed every three to four hours with 4 ounces to 6 ounces per feeding.

But again, your baby may require less or more depending upon how hungry it is. It is best to feed your baby according to its huger signs. It is widely believed and accepted that breast milk is the best feed for your baby ranging from 0 to 6 months. But some mothers cannot produce enough breast milk for their newborns. In these cases, choosing the right feed formula for your baby is necessary.

3-Month Baby Sleep

For many new parents like you, achieving a good night's sleep may be a constant struggle. You may be reminiscing about the days you had slept well. But as your baby enters the second quarter of its first year, it tends to take more night's sleep. On average, a3-month baby sleeps for 10 hours to 11 hours at night and around 5 additional hours divided into two to three daytime naps (1).

It is a comforting stage for most parents as their3-month baby starts to give them a sound stretch at night. But the baby may also wake up throughout the night. However, it is completely normal for your baby to take time till 6 months for picking up a good sleep schedule. Tip: Learn about the techniques to help your baby sleep better!

3-Month Baby Common Health Problems

Babies are sensitive by birth and are vulnerable to contracting infections easily. Being a parent, you must be aware of the common health problems that your baby can catch and solutions to them.

What’s most common for a 3-month-old baby to be affected by is cough and cold. A runny nose, sneezing, and coughing frequently could be the basic symptoms. Call your child’s doctor if you are concerned. Some more common ailments that need to be addressed and require a doctor's opinion include

1 ▪ Fever above 100.4°F (38°C)
2 ▪ Frequent vomiting even after burping
3 ▪ Abdominal irritability due to gas or constipation
4 ▪ green poop
5 ▪ Skin rash due to diaper wetness
6 ▪ Difficulty breathing

These ailments in babies are easily treatable. Even healthy babies may catch them. You will likely not have to deal with any severe illness or health conditions in your baby.

What Else About a 3-Month Baby?

All babies may or may not reach the typical 3-month milestones. They may differ in a lot of aspects. That’s because all babies are different, and every baby is unique.

You can be reassured as long as your baby is developing well and is reaching certain milestones in a fair amount of time. However, follow up with your pediatrician if your baby is experiencing any kind of physical or mental developmental delay.

Common Questions Parents Ask (FAQs)

Q1. What can my 3-month-old baby eat?

Ans. Babies at the age of 3 months should only be consuming breastmilk or formula. Solid or semisolid foods should not be given to your 3-month-old baby.

Q2. Within how many hours should I feed my 3-month baby?

Ans. 3-month baby requires food every 3 to 4 hours. But it entirely depends on how hungry your baby is. So, feeding your baby is always better based on its hunger cues.

Q3. How many times should my 3-month baby nap during the daytime?

Ans. Taking 3 to 4 daytimes naps for around 5 hours collectively is healthy for a3-month old baby.

MESSAGE FROM SUPERBOTTOMS

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