3-Month-Old: Milestones, Activities, Gear, Dad Tips, & More
You’re out of the infant stage and heading straight into infant territory. Today will likely be as immobile as your baby will ever be so strap in.
Here’s a comprehensive guide to 3-month-old milestones, activities to do with your baby, what to expect with food and sleep, and ways to master being a dad.
3-Month-Old Milestones
Smiling and cooing in response to social interactions
Lifting their head briefly while lying on their stomach
Following objects with their eyes
Bringing hands to their mouth
Making "ooo" and "ahh" sounds
Rolls from tummy to back
Holds head stay for 60 seconds in sitting (with trunk support)
Lifting their chest and head while on their stomach
Moving their arms and legs in a more coordinated way
Babies can see about 8-12 inches away and focus on them for short periods
Reaching for and occasionally grasping objects
Reflexes
Some of your baby’s newborn reflexes are beginning to either be “integrated” or lost altogether and new ones are emerging.
Plantar grasp reflex: This reflex is elicited by tickling the sole of the baby's foot. It is important because it helps the baby to hold onto their mother or another caregiver when being carried, and also helps to prevent them from slipping or falling.
Tonic neck reflex: This reflex is elicited by turning the baby's head to one side. It is important because it helps the baby to maintain balance and stability when their head is turned to one side, and it also helps to develop the muscles in the neck and shoulders.
Palmar grasp reflex: This reflex is elicited by placing an object in the baby's hand. It is important because it helps the baby to hold onto objects and helps to develop the muscles in the hand and arm.
Tonic labyrinthine reflex (supine): This reflex is elicited by placing the baby in a supine position (lying on their back) and tilting their head back. It is important because it helps the baby to maintain balance and stability when lying on their back, and it also helps to develop the muscles in the arms and legs.
Tonic labyrinthine reflex (prone): This reflex is elicited by placing the baby in a prone position (lying on their stomach) and tilting their head back. It is important because it helps the baby to maintain balance and stability when lying on their stomach, and it also helps to develop the muscles in the arms and legs.
Optical head righting: This reflex is elicited by moving the baby's head to one side. It is important because it helps the baby to maintain balance and stability when their head is turned to one side, and it also helps to develop the muscles in the neck and shoulders.
Landau reflex: This reflex is elicited by holding the baby in a standing position with their feet touching the ground. It is important because it helps the baby to maintain balance and stability when standing, and it also helps to develop the muscles in the arms, legs, and back.
Activities To Help Your Child Thrive
Ballin’: Place your baby, belly down, on a physioball and roll them in all directions. Then bounce them on the ball very lightly. These movements challenge their reflexes, voluntary reactions, and their strength.
Get them dirty. Put them in the dirt, let them lay on grass, allow safe interactions with pets, and don’t bathe them too much. The hygiene hypothesis is a theory that suggests that exposure to a variety of microbes and other substances in the environment during early childhood helps to stimulate the immune system and protect against the development of certain diseases. A study found that children who were exposed to a variety of microbial agents during the first year of life had a lower risk of developing asthma and allergies.
Roll With It: Encourage your baby’s rolling by moving a toy they love along with them as they go from their tummy to their back. Move slowly and take breaks between attempts.
Food
Consumes about 4-5 ounces of formula or breastmilk per feeding.
Eats 6-8 times per day.
It's important to follow your baby's hunger and fullness cues and not to force them to eat more than they want.
Sleep
Typical sleep total per day: 14-17 hours
3-month-olds will usually take 3-4 naps a day, totaling about 30 minutes to 2 hours
Consider taking a sleep training course (see dad tips below)
Red Flags
It’s important to note that babies develop at different paces. If you’re not seeing these 3-month-old milestones, reflexes, or patterns with sleep or food then talk to your pediatrician.
Stuff
Toys (with a purpose)
Here are some toys recommended by an occupational therapist to help your 3-month-old’s development.
Gear (that you actually need)
Phone and bottle holder for the stroller. Flexible, durable, and adaptable.
Car seat protector. Some day they’ll make a car without so many nooks and crannies. Until then, use a car seat protector to both prevent things from seeping into the seat and to protect your seat from the rubbing of the car seat.
Car window sun shade. The sun is good for us in appropriate doses but it’s important to get a mix of both UVA and UVB rays. When sun penetrates glass, UVA rays get through but UVB rays are blocked. This can have negative effects on the skin and eyes of the body. On top of that, it’s just annoying for a kid to have light beaming into his eyes as he is face-up in a car seat. Use a car window sun shade to block this.
A diaper bag. The “diaper” in the diaper bag really doesn’t do it justice. You’ll use this for anything and everything that your kid needs to travel with (food, meds, toys, activities, etc.) for the foreseeable future. Get a durable one with compartments like this.
Sound meter app and ear protection. Toys are too noisy. It sounds like an old man thing to say but of 200 recent toys that were tested, 98% (!) were above 85 decibels (dB) which is equivalent to the sound of a food blender. Beyond permanent hearing damage, loud noises can cause behavioral issues, poor attention, fatigue, and impacts the development of speech and language skills in children. Download a sound meter (android, iOS) to make sure the noise levels are below 60dB for babies and 70dB for toddlers. Use kid’s ear protection for louder events like fireworks, shows, and large public events.
Dads
“The older I get, the smarter my father seems to get.”
– Tim Russert
Dad Focus
Nutrition. Every cell in your body is made up of the food you eat. If your cells are composed of chips and fries your body is suffering. Now, more than ever, that suffering affects your energy with your child, your ability to bounce back from stress, and your long-term health. Take steps to revamp your diet. Throw out crap, stock the kitchen with the good stuff, and each time you’re about to put food in your mouth, ask yourself, “would a healthy person eat this?” Check out the Resource section below for a free PDF on healthy recipes by Tim Ferris.
Related:
Dad Tips
Look into a sleep training course. The time is fast approaching. In no time you’ll go down the sleep training road. Check out the article below to see the data on the best methods of sleep training, and consider a course such as the ultra-popular (and effective in my experience) Taking Cara Babies.
Don’t bathe your kid too often. I’m reiterating the benefits of getting your kids dirty here (on top of the point in the Activities section above) but this tends to be a tough concept to grasp for new parents (or maybe just modern parents). Shoot for 3 times a week at the max.
Focus on the older one. If you’ve got more than this baby and they’re both screaming at the same time, go to the older one first. As far as we know, this will have a larger impact on the older child (given their more developed frontal lobe and longer memory). The caveat, of course, is that you prioritize safety (e.g. go to the kid holding the sharp thing first).
Recommendations
Article:
Is There a Best Method for Sleep Training? By Emily Oster
Podcast Episode:
Never Blame Your Kids (Daily Dad)
Book:
Slow Carb Cookbook by Tim Ferris (free PDF)
Your kid is 25% of the way to their first birthday! Enjoy your 3-month-old, celebrate the milestones, and remember that you’ve got it good.
Got any suggestions that worked for you and your baby at this age? Leave them in the comment section.
