Hooray! We are 3 months old! For the past 12 weeks, the baby has been adapting to the new environment and delighting his parents with his achievements. The development of a child at 3 months is most accelerated compared to all other periods of the first year. This is the stage of active growth (up to 3 centimeters) and maximum weight gain (up to 1 kilogram). At this wonderful toothless age, the baby’s small fontanel should almost close.

If the baby is 3 months old, then his achievements include quite a lot of skills.

Normal and pathological development

The skin of a healthy three-month-old baby normally has a soft pink tint and is velvety to the touch. Skin folds are clearly visible on the body, especially on the legs. They should be symmetrical on both limbs. Asymmetry of the femoral folds most often indicates congenital subluxation or. This disease develops in the second month of a mother’s pregnancy and cannot be diagnosed in utero. It is treated quite successfully in most children using a non-surgical method until the age of 5. If your little one’s gluteal and femoral folds are absent or only slightly expressed, this may be evidence of malnutrition or a disease of the central nervous system.

Baby's skin is like a peach, soft and delicate.

Changes in skin density, moisture, and elasticity indicate nervous or somatic diseases. If you notice any of the above symptoms, you should immediately visit a pediatrician, orthopedist and neurologist.

Useful skills

If the baby has been in diapers since birth, then now is the time when you need to slowly get used to the onesies. It is better to wear small pants or rompers while the baby is awake, and swaddle him while he sleeps. Freedom of movement contributes to the correct and complete development of the baby.

By 3 months baby begins to distinguish odors. Feeling a pleasant smell for him, the baby freezes, then perks up, and may even smile. Unpleasant odors are a reason for a dissatisfied grimace and sneezing. At about this age, the baby begins to distinguish tastes.

At three months, a child can pass for a professional taster.

Hearing abilities also increase little toddler. When any sound occurs, he first concentrates, and after a couple of seconds turns his head to where the crackling, rustling, voice or ringing that interests him came from.

By three months, the baby is able to distinguish sounds and respond to them.

The intervals of wakefulness also increase: now the baby may not close his eyes for one and a half to two hours.

What can a 3 month old baby do? The baby begins to actively play with his hands and pull them into his mouth, meaningfully rattling the rattle. The baby, with great pleasure and zeal, will try to grab the toys hanging in front of his eyes and will try to pull them towards him. This activity now fascinates him very much. The baby is able to move from the supine position to either side. He holds his head well. If the baby is on his tummy, he can rise up a little, leaning on his elbows.

How to reach your favorite toy!

Here is the first dialogue

The baby can also already respond to your phrases like “agu” with the syllables “egh” or “akgh”. In response to mother's speech or smile, toothless also smiles. At 3 months, the baby should consciously respond to your touch. For example, if you lightly touch his eyes, the baby will close them and reach for them with his small hand, touch his palm and squeeze it into a fist.

Mommy's touch means a lot to the baby.

In all the new skills of a child, one unique property of infancy is manifested - an extremely close relationship and interdependence of motor skills and the psyche (physical and mental). Interest in the world around him, positive experiences stimulate the development of gestures and other movements and, conversely, physical activity has a beneficial effect on the proper development of the psyche.

One of the most important skills that a mother should instill in her baby is. You should teach your child to chew food gradually. By the age of 1.5 years, the baby should be able to eat independently; this is necessary in order to get into kindergarten.

Young children show great interest in everything they see on their parents' plate or mug. What to do if your baby tries to try tea? You will find out whether this drink can be given to a child.

Mom's voice will calm you down

Reading short fairy tales or poems with bright pictures to little ones is a must. Reading should be commented, pointing with a finger and voicing the name of the largest and most colorful objects. Thanks to books, with your help, he will not only discover a lot of new things for himself, but will also later learn to look for the answers that interest him.

Calm songs, especially those sung by a mother or grandmother, have a calming effect on a child, but loud rhythmic music can provoke hysterical crying. When the baby is awake and in high spirits, you can sing him something funny like “Antoshka”, while dancing in front of his crib. At this time, the baby will watch your movements with great attention and turn his head after his mother.

Important manipulations

For the full development of the baby, it is important to massage regularly:

• legs;
• feet;
• pens;
• backrests;
• breasts;
• tummy

Massage techniques are based on movements:

We will not focus on specific massage complexes. Massage techniques are open to the public in any specialized or reference literature.

In addition to massage, you should conduct daily physical education classes with your child. A large inflatable ball gives a very good effect.

Proper care and daily routine

Caring for a 3 month old baby is almost the same as the previous 2 months. The only thing, You need to start cleaning your ears and nose every day, because the lacrimal glands are activated. Carefully monitor the cleanliness of toys, because now the baby strives to try everything “by tooth.”

Clean your baby's ears regularly.

Must include mandatory walks in the fresh air. If it’s cold enough outside, then you and your baby can limit themselves to a couple of 15-minute walks in the air; if it’s hot, walk in the mornings and evenings (before swimming), when there are no scorching sun rays. Komarovsky advises teaching infants a sleep-wake schedule: “To get a good night’s sleep at night, don’t be afraid to wake up your child a little earlier in the day.”

Walking in the fresh air will be beneficial for both mother and child.

An infant at 3 months is most susceptible to developing a terrible bone disease. To prevent rickets, the mother should drink vitamin D (for breastfeeding) or give it to the baby along with the formula (as prescribed by the pediatrician). Walking in the gentle sun is beneficial.

Infants suffer from colic and gas from the first days of life. It can help in solving this delicate problem. This drug can be given to a child from the first days of life. The basis of the medicine is fennel seeds, the crumbs are absolutely safe for the body and have a calming effect.

Very often, young children encounter illnesses that are not childhood at all. For example, many kids suffer from. A specialist will tell you about the causes of the disease and how to treat it.

What to do if your one-year-old child coughs nonstop. Follow this link and find out how to help your baby.

Dissatisfied again

At 3 months the baby is capricious for various reasons:

• colic in the tummy;
• fear that mom will leave;
• wants to sleep, but cannot go to bed on his own;
• requires mother's attention;
• overexcited;
• neurological problems;
• reaction to heat or weather changes;
• (some children already climb at this age).

At three months old, the baby will find a reason to worry and cry.

There can be many reasons for whims. Be that as it may, you need to take the child in your arms and sing a melodious song (just not a sad one, otherwise there will be even more crying).

Problems at 3 months

Sonya:

“I change my son’s diapers often, but I still have diaper rash on my skin. What to do"?

A practicing pediatrician answers:

“Let the baby’s skin “breathe” without a diaper (it’s good if he sleeps without it during the day), bathe him in Chereda, use corn or potato starch rather than powder. Don’t use any ointments.”

Gulya:

“We have a problem: Karina, at 3 months old, is very tense and has difficulty bending and straightening her arms and legs. What could this be?”

The neurologist answers:

“Most likely your baby. It occurs in every newborn to varying degrees of severity. For many children it goes away on its own. If the tone is pronounced, then the treatment for the baby will be a special massage and herbal baths. Do daily exercises with your daughter and swim longer.”

Catherine:

“We have white spots on our bodies that look like acne. The pediatrician said everything is fine, but I’m worried”...

By three months, the baby is increasingly adapting and getting used to the new world, acquiring useful skills and reflexes. Reactions and emotions become more varied and meaningful. For the baby, as in previous months of life, breastfeeding and the mother’s attention remain important. Breast milk and physical and emotional contact with the mother have a positive effect on the physical and mental development of the child.

What can a 3 month old baby do?

The development of a child at 3 months is characterized by the fact that he has learned to express emotions meaningfully. Loud laughter appears when the child is happy, or a sharp cry when the baby does not like something. In addition, individual voice intonations appear. Let's list what a baby should be able to do at three months:

• Operate with your own hands;
• Take and hold toys in your hands, bring toys to your own face, reach out to hanging toys with your hands;
• Roll over from back to side, from back to stomach and from stomach to back;
• Rise up on your elbows while lying on your stomach;
• Hold your head confidently while lying on your stomach;
• Laugh out loud;
• Fix your gaze on the toy, small objects and large patterns;
• Notice an object lying on your back, on your side, on your stomach, or in the arms of an adult;
• Monitor the movement of large objects;
• Listen to the sound of the rattle and turn your head towards the source of the sound;
• Look at the person speaking and listen to the music, singing, etc.

As you can see, the physical and mental development of the child has gone far ahead compared to the first weeks of life. In addition, in the third month, children begin to develop their sense of smell. Now the baby should recognize his mother not only by touch, voice or appearance, but also by smell.

Proper care for a 3 month old baby

Nutrition, as in previous months, should consist entirely of breast milk. Only breastfeeding will ensure the correct physical and mental development of the child. Breast milk satisfies the baby's drinking and food needs 100%. It saturates the baby’s body with essential vitamins and minerals, strengthens bones and builds immunity, and has a positive effect on the functioning of internal organs.

By three months, the number of applications is 6-10 times during the day with an interval of 2.5-3.5 hours and about twice at night. The volume of milk consumed is 100-150 ml per feeding.

Daily routine. A baby's sleep at three months is reduced to 10-11 hours at night and 5-6 hours during the day. Sleep standards for children at this age are 15-17 hours a day. The rest of the time the baby is active. Then educational games, gymnastics, swimming and massage will come in handy. Talk to your baby constantly, tell fairy tales and rhymes. Don't raise your voice! At this time, it is worth abandoning swaddling and wrapping. The baby should move freely!

Gymnastics and swimming. Conscientiously perform the set of exercises recommended by pediatricians. During this period, hardening in the form of air baths is added to standard gymnastics and swimming. Swimming lessons can be done every day for 20-30 minutes. The water temperature should not be lower than 32 degrees. With regular exercise, your baby will soon be able to float on his own. Use lifts, dives, pushes and turns.

Hygiene– the key to the successful development and good health of the child. It is important to ensure hygiene standards, which include daily bathing and water procedures. Regularly wipe your body, hands and face with wet wipes, wipe your eyes with cotton pads soaked in warm water. Trim your child's nails and change diapers every 2-3 hours.

You should wash your child with soap no more than twice a week. After the water procedures are completed, dry your baby thoroughly. It must always be dry! Don't forget about yourself. Wash your hands often, especially before feedings.

Massage has a beneficial effect on the health and well-being of the baby, calms and relaxes. Massage your legs and arms, back and head with light movements, do not put pressure on the body or squeeze the skin! For colic, clockwise circular movements help well. By the way, by three months, colic decreases and torments the baby less! During the massage, be sure to talk and communicate with your child. You should not start procedures if your baby has a cold or is in a bad mood. Read more about what massage treatments are suitable for babies.

Walks- the most important element in the development of a child. At the age of three months, a baby lacks vitamin D, which strengthens bones and prevents rickets. The sun's rays contain large amounts of this vitamin! Fresh air improves appetite, sleep and mood. The baby will sleep well and soundly.

At a comfortable temperature, the duration of the walk is 1.5-2 hours, two to three times a day. In hot or cold weather, you should not walk for more than 30-40 minutes. At temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius, do not walk between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Stay in the shade and use baby sunscreen, because a baby's delicate skin can burn in 5-10 minutes.

Physical development

In a three-month-old baby, the movements of the arms and legs become more coordinated. Children are becoming more mobile, and many of them can easily roll over from their back to their tummy and back. The baby can take and bring the toy to his face, and pull his arms towards the hanging toys. At this age, the relationship between vision and hearing is formed. In addition, the child is growing, gaining weight and height. The table shows approximate physical parameters that are typical for children at 3 months.

Each child has its own developmental characteristics, so the indicators may differ from the norm. Deviations do not at all indicate problems in the development and health of the baby. If the baby is active and cheerful, eats and sleeps well, there is no reason to worry. By the way, there is a special formula that will help calculate the correct weight of a baby depending on age and birth weight. You will find this formula.

Educational games

Games are an integral element in a child’s development. At three months, the baby can already move his fingers freely, so at this time they begin to develop fine motor skills.

Give the baby special bags with filling. These bags are easy to make yourself. As the main fabric, take natural materials that will not cause allergies! Inside the bag you can put cut paper, cotton wool, small pebbles, buckwheat or peas. Let your baby take the bags and feel the contents. This not only develops fine motor skills, but is also a good massage for the hands.

Games at this age are simple and short. They are accompanied by funny rhymes and nursery rhymes. Constantly talk to your baby, actively use different facial expressions and facial expressions, different intonations in your voice. The baby can already copy facial movements and some sounds. Play music for your child more often. The more varied it is, the better.

Don't forget about playing with a rattle. It perfectly develops a child's hearing and attention. Choose bright rattles; at three months, the baby perceives red, yellow and orange colors well. At the same time, the toy should not be too loud, otherwise it will scare the child. And to develop vision, every day show your baby a toy of medium size and moderate brightness at a distance of 40-50 cm, then slowly move the object from side to side. Gradually increase the distance each week.

Be sure to hang colorful toys above your baby's playpen or crib. Choose products that you can hear when you hit them. At this time, the baby begins to be introduced to the pictures. Choose books with large, bright and simple illustrations. When viewing, be sure to pronounce and name each item and detail.

Developmental activities and games should not last more than 20 minutes. At the same time, procedures and exercises must constantly change. Because the same type of activity will tire the child, and he will switch his attention to something else. In addition, a three-month-old baby cannot perceive everything for a long time. So, he perceives music and poems for 3-5 minutes. Stop playing if your baby starts crying, gets tired, or loses interest.

At 3-4 months of life a newborn is marked by an intensive increase in height and weight. The child eats and sleeps most of the day, meanwhile the body adapts to its new environment. Some parents feel that during this period their child does not need communication and development. This is not so, however, the baby’s need for psychological, social and physical activity becomes noticeable only towards the end of 3 months of the baby’s life.

During this period, the baby begins to show active interest in its surroundings, bright or moving objects, people's speech, and ringing sounds. He noticeably reacts to adults addressing him and their interest, smiles consciously, recognizes significant adults, especially his only mother.

At 3 months, the baby already becomes funny and playful, is able to recognize people close to him, and constantly requires attention. He is also ready to perceive new objects at the suggestion of mom and dad

Does this mean that a child of 3 months is capable of improving himself without the competent help of adults (see also:)? Being in a social environment, a child is able to develop independently to a certain level. During this period, he learns according to the principle “I do as you do.” He learns the stereotypes of adult behavior and ways of reacting emotionally, but if he does not devote time to play activities, this will have negative consequences in the future. Therefore, many caring parents are wondering how not to miss the moment for the development of this or that area and correlate their expectations with the baby’s capabilities.

Development of the motor sphere

The development of coordination skills at 3 months is just beginning:

• The child learns to control his own body. The baby is moving somewhat more freely and smoothly. He stretches, stretches out his arms and legs, reaches for toys and grabs them, unclenches his hands.
• Bright objects and toys that can be chewed and jingled begin to interest him.
• He can lie on his tummy for quite a long time, raise his head and upper body, resting on his forearms.

From three months, the baby prepares to crawl and sit, makes attempts to roll over, some babies can already do this. During this period, your child is interested in his arms and legs. Can play with legs. Objects that can be reached are touched and inspected.

If parents have the financial opportunity, they buy expensive, complex toys for their 3-month-old babies, but there is no particular need for this. The child needs simple and bright things with which the mother can successfully study with him.

Toys for a 3-month-old baby should be bright and eye-catching, as well as completely safe. He will be happy to touch them, taste them, pull his hand and reach for them.

Outdoor games for baby's body development

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During wakefulness, the baby should be offered toys that are easy to grasp (for example, with rings):

• If it is a rattle, the baby's hand with the toy clutched in them can be shaken to show him how to rattle it.
• If the baby grasps and holds the toy well, you can show how to transfer the toy from one hand to the other. Over time, he will understand which movements lead to the appearance of melodic sounds.
• Toys (bells, noisemakers, objects of different shapes and structures) should also be hung above the crib. Children begin to distinguish the shape of an object and its individual details.

What to teach a baby at 3 months?

1. To teach crawling, a favorite toy is placed in front of the baby, which he will enthusiastically reach for, the baby lies on his tummy, while the mother allows the baby to rest his legs on her hand.
2. The following educational game helps in learning to roll over: the baby is placed on his back, and with the hand that the mother places under his shoulder, the baby is rocked and turned over (see also:).
3. To train the muscles that a growing person will need to sit, they place him on his back, take him by the arms and bring him to a sitting position, then smoothly lower him onto his back, rocking him slightly. You can watch the video on how to do the exercises correctly, or ask your local nurse or doctor for help.
4. At 3 months, the child may be prescribed a massage, which will be performed by a specialist. Such a massage will help eliminate hypertonicity and strengthen weakened muscles (if such a phenomenon is observed) (we recommend reading:). Read more about this in Dr. Komarovsky’s video school:

Development of the sensory sphere

Any sensors can develop only if they are involved. Having become accustomed to an environment that is more interesting than frightening, the baby, like any person, ceases to perceive familiar sounds as something worthy of attention. They turn into familiar noise for him.

Therefore, in order for the sensors and the brain centers that process their information to work, it is necessary to change sound stimuli from time to time, that is, change rattles, give toys with different melodies. This will help not only entertain and make the child laugh, but also exercise with the baby, developing his hearing.

A three-month-old baby perfectly isolates the voice of his mother and current adults from the general sound range; when addressed to him, he perks up and moves more actively. The basis for the development of the infant’s sensory sphere are:

• conversation with the baby (description of the process of dressing or the external environment);
• singing children's songs;
• patting the surface to the beat of the music;
• listening to children's songs;
• use of noisy, whistling, squeaking objects in classes.

A conversation between a mother and her baby or singing lullabies is a significant component of a close relationship. Even if it seems that the child is not yet able to grasp the meaning, it is worth knowing: he is guided by intonation, by the feelings and energy that are put into words

Games for sensory development

At home, any activity for your baby can be turned into playful and educational activity. For children of this age it is very important to learn to perceive the world around them:

• touch;
• smell;
• see;
• hear.

At this age, the main way of understanding the world around us is the analysis of tactile sensations. That is why it is very important to offer not only bright toys, but also different in shape and material:

• tree;
• plastic;
• the most varied fabric, from fur to calico;
• live leaves, real vegetables, etc.

When working with your baby, you must comment on your actions. For example, you can say this: “This is a cube, it is hard, yellow, plastic,” it is also useful to show parts of the body and face of yourself and him, naming them, etc.

Baby crib mobiles are good for small children and busy mothers. The musical options are especially interesting. The movement of the figures attracts the baby's attention and can occupy him during the waking period, while the mother is doing important things, and soft melodies can even lull the baby to sleep.

Any game that involves your child touching, touching, and feeling something is great for developing their brain activity and fine motor skills.

Well forgotten old

• Games that have deep historical roots are good for this age period, for example, “magpie-white-sided” - this is both “training” for the baby, and massage, and a way to stimulate certain areas of the brain.
• “Ladushki” train attention, coordination functions and memory.
• “Peek-a-boo” is often a great favorite among children; the game can not only entertain your child, but also train the cognitive functions of the brain. In the world of modern technology, these simple but useful games are undeservedly forgotten.

One of the most exciting activities for a little one at three months is exploring his limbs. He is able to devote quite a long period of time to looking at his hands or playing with his feet. In order to turn play activities into educational ones, mom will need a little imagination. Colored socks with different animals or faces will be great helpers. They can be worn both on the feet and on the arms.

Experts call 3 months a turning point in the development of any baby. He no longer seems as helpless as before, he becomes more intelligent and inquisitive. However, worried parents constantly wonder whether he is developing normally. In order to determine this, you need to know what a child should be able to do at 3 months. There are certain standards that are typical for the development of babies at this age, and they must be adhered to. At the same time, parents need to remember that each little person is individual, and therefore can follow their own, slightly different path of development.

At three months, the baby becomes inquisitive and strives to explore the world around him.

Basic skills

Parents should be attentive to their baby and closely observe everything new that may appear in his behavior. At 3 months, he must learn to perform a number of specific movements, which will indicate that the baby is developing fully and in accordance with his age.

Understanding the world around us

Three month old baby:

• actively explores the world around him;
• coordinates some of his actions: raises his head from a lying position, tries to hold his head and rise, trying to lean on his forearms;
• turns his head in different directions, especially when someone picks him up;
• tries to concentrate on the subject that interests him, looking at it closely.

Getting to know the people around you

Baby at 3 months:

• looks closely at the person talking to him;
• listens to his voice;
• can remember the voices of relatives;
• distinguishes their intonations;
• consciously smiles at his mother and the closest people who are constantly with him - experts call this skill “social smile”;
• knows how to control her own scream: at this age, a mother can already distinguish when her baby is crying in pain, and when she is simply attracting her attention;
• cries much less often than before, and should last in total no more than an hour per day;
• actively hums, communicating with his family in such an unusual way: with the help of these sounds he expresses joy and attracts the attention of his loved ones.

Grasp reflex

Baby at the age of 3 months:

• loses the grasping reflex: now this movement becomes completely conscious;
• opens his palms more and more often;
• catches and tries to hold a moving toy with his small hands;
• upon a successful attempt, he pulls it into his mouth;
• examines his own face with his hands, touches his eyes and nose, examines with interest the movements of his hands;
• owns his own body, since by this age muscle tone decreases;
• reaches out to adults;
• pulls himself up when picked up.

Child's physical activity

Baby at 3 months:

• rolls from back to tummy;
• willingly pushes away from the side of the bed or sofa where he lies: so parents, starting from this age of their baby, should not leave the baby alone, so that he does not inadvertently fall off the sofa or bed;
• If you put a small ball at his feet, he will quickly kick it away.

Knowing what a baby should be able to do at 3 months, parents will be able to track the main points of his physical, mental, and emotional development. Accordingly, some small deviations from the typical pattern indicated above will not indicate problems, but may indicate to parents what they need to work on. You may need to do more work with the baby, and maybe even take a massage course. But the development trajectory - and everyone should remember this - is special for each child. At the same time, too large deviations from the typical set of skills of babies in the 3rd month of life may still be the result of some pathologies in their development.

If at three months your child cries often and does it all the time with the same intonation, you should show him to the pediatrician

Developmental disorders

Despite the brightest individuality, if a child at the end of the 3rd month of life does not have most of the basic skills and abilities characteristic of this age, parents should sound the alarm and have the baby checked by a specialist. You need to be wary if by the end of the 3rd month of life the baby still cannot:

• hold the head even for a short time;
• respond to the source of voice, noise - any sound from the outside;
• reach out with his hand to a bright toy that is in front of him;
• follow the objects moving in front of him with his eyes;
• respond to a smile or affectionate address from an adult;
• look at your own hands;
• correct your crying, which continues to be long, hysterical, and sometimes completely aimless;
• play with your fingers.

If by the end of the 3rd month parents notice such deviations in the development of their baby, they must inform the pediatrician observing the child about this. And, of course, start working hard with your baby to help him level out in development.

Bright toys are the “best friends” of a three-month-old baby, helping him develop during play.

Development adjustment

Knowing what a baby should be able to do at 3 months, parents can adjust its development in accordance with the recommended standards. This should be done under the guidance of an experienced pediatrician who will identify the problem and suggest ways to solve it. In particular, at 3 months, if the baby does not yet respond to family members, voices and toys, it is worth involving him in new developmental activities, games, objects and working with him daily.

1. Bright toys develop the child's vision and ability to focus his eyes. Buy more brightly colored toys and move them in front of your baby's eyes so that his eyes catch them.
2. Musical toys are very useful during this period, as they develop attention and hearing in a three-month-old baby. If you hang such a toy over the crib, the baby will try to grab it, which will be useful for the development and tone of his muscles.
3. Offer the baby objects that are different in texture, shape, and size. If he starts touching them, this will develop his tactile sensations, which are directly related to the development of children's speech.
4. You need to force the baby to crawl. Place a beautiful, bright toy in front of him so that he can reach out and grab it. During this action, you need to place your palm under his legs. This will become a kind of support for him, from which he will quickly learn to build on. This is how crawling skills are formed.
5. Provide your child with constant communication with loved ones. You need to read him children's poems, nursery rhymes, sing songs, and tell fairy tales every day.
6. A mother can pick up a three-month-old baby and dance with him: this will develop the ability to feel the beat and distinguish sounds, and will also contribute to the formation of rhythm. In addition, such dance classes will cheer up both mother and baby, bring them closer together, and promote appetite and sound sleep.

The development of your own baby cannot be treated too irresponsibly and frivolously. Lost time is worth a lot. Therefore, you need to try to recognize deviations in time (even if they are minor) and either begin to fully engage with the child, or show them to specialists. There is no need to draw independent conclusions, nor should you panic. Everything can be fixed at this age. Remember that every child is individual, no matter what standards exist, it is impossible to fit everyone to the same model. Health to your children!

At three months, your son or daughter is already much more mature, and we can confidently say that mother’s days fly by very quickly when caring for him. Children at this age are characterized by sucking their hands and looking at them, grabbing toys and turning their heads, humming and smiling. What else distinguishes a three-month-old baby from a newborn, and what are the physiological characteristics of such children?

A three-month-old baby lies confidently and upright on his back. His arms are raised, the baby can play with them, suck his fingers, examine them. The baby's arms and legs learn to grasp while they are awake.

A 3-month-old child can also lie on his tummy, hold his head, and turn left and right. Usually the baby's legs are spread apart and the knees are turned outward.

A healthy three-month-old baby places his head equally well on both the left and right sides. It has identical folds on its arms and legs.

How much should a baby weigh at 3 months?

According to domestic pediatricians, at three months the weight of boys is from 4.9 to 7 kilograms, girls - from 4.8 to 6.3 kilograms. The minimum height for boys is 56.5 cm, the maximum is 62 cm. For girls, these figures are 56.2 cm and 61.8 cm, respectively. WHO data is slightly different. So, the weight of boys is from 5 to 8 kilograms. Girls - from 4.5 to 7.5 kilograms.

How much should a 3 month old baby sleep?

A three-month-old baby's nighttime sleep lasts approximately 10 hours. A child of this age sleeps several times during the day. Usually these are two long sleep periods (an hour or two each) and two short daytime sleep periods (30-40 minutes each). A baby at this age can fall asleep for a long time while sucking on the breast. Falling asleep lasts 20 minutes. It should be noted that at this age children can already react with worsening sleep to changing weather and to the full moon. This may include a longer time to fall asleep or restless, interrupted sleep at night.

How much should a 3 month old baby eat?

At three months of age, the norm is 9-10 feedings during the day and 2-3 feedings at night. The number of short-term attachments of the baby to the breast is significantly reduced. And during feedings, the baby can often come off the breast. In this age period, breaks between feedings are 2.5-3.5 hours. If we talk about bottle-fed children, then they already eat up to one liter of baby formula per day.

At this age, pediatricians advise gradually introducing fruit juice into the child’s diet. However, it will be better if this is done after vaccination a few days later. Juice can be given starting with 2-3 drops, and within a month this dose is increased to 2-3 teaspoons. Sometimes it is recommended to dilute the juice with water. At 3.5 months, in the absence of contraindications, fruit puree can be introduced into the diet. This should be done gradually, after consultation with your pediatrician.

How often should a 3 month old baby poop?

At three months, a breastfed baby's stool becomes uniform and more regular. However, its frequency varies. Your baby may poop at approximately the same time every day. The frequency of stools is 5 times a day.

But it happens that a child poops only once a day or once every two days. For children 3-4 months old, this is not a deviation from the norm. If the baby is only breastfed, then at this frequency enemas and laxatives are not required, provided that he feels well and is not capricious.

Three months is a period of active roaring. Vowels are already turning into syllables. By repeating the syllables “gu” and “agu”, a child can even “maintain” a conversation for several minutes with his mother or another pleasant interlocutor.

In general, at this age, the child requires more attention in the form of communication and conversations from the mother. The child’s speech develops and new intonations appear. These can be sounds combined with emotions in response to what is seen and heard. The baby shows a much greater desire to communicate.

When mom, dad or another relative speaks to him, he listens or listens carefully. Yes, while he does not understand the meaning of your appeals, but he already reciprocates - with a smile or cooing at his mother’s affectionate words, whining at the speech of a stranger and an unfamiliar timbre of voice. Many babies enjoy listening to music at this age. Some people like quiet and calm, others like dancing.

Often babies at 3 months talk to themselves. When playing with their hands, they make some sounds, while looking at the rattle, they make others. Scientists have proven that children who lacked communication before they were one year old will become noisy and restless in the future. Thus, they seem to make up for the lack of communication with them before the age of 12 months.

Psychologists advise mothers to voice all their actions and talk to their baby more often. When dressing your child, name the objects you interact with and the parts of the body. The child will quickly delve into the names of body parts, clothing, and drawings depicted on it. Thus, already at this age you will gradually develop the child’s future speech skills and form his passive vocabulary.

A 3 month old baby can't hold his head up well

If by the age of three months the child has not yet learned to hold his head independently and confidently, do not sound the alarm. It is quite possible that everything is normal, because not all children have the same muscle development. It depends on the build and the ability for dynamic behavior. Slow, calm, phlegmatic children begin to hold their heads later, while nimble ones do so much faster. The development of head holding skills can be individual.

Of course, the norm is to be able to hold it by the age of three months. Some babies confidently do this even at two months.

The concept of “holding the head” is the child’s ability to hold it confidently and straight, if he is raised vertically, to lift it in a position lying on his stomach.

If such a lag worries you, then go with your child to an appointment with a neurologist. He will help you establish the reasons for this deviation from the norm. Typically this could be:

• child injuries during childbirth;
• too weak tone of the muscles of the neck-shoulder girdle;
• feeding problems;

Sometimes at three months the baby does not hold his head straight, but at an angle, as if on its side. It is very likely that this is a pathology - torticollis or paresis of the neck muscles. To eliminate this problem, a neurologist will most likely prescribe you a course of massage. In severe cases, it is also possible to use an orthopedic pillow, and in the worst cases, surgical intervention.

If a child has torticollis, the mother needs to make sure that all the toys and objects interesting to the child are on the side that is problematic for him. This way the child will make an effort to turn his neck and develop it.

Lack of eye coordination is normal for newborns. This is due to the natural immaturity of the parts of the brain that are responsible for direct gaze. Each child can “shoot with his eyes” for several months. Usually this phenomenon goes away on its own. In most children, gaze alignment occurs by two months, in some by three, sometimes this occurs between 3 and 5 months. These are average time frames.

Still, it is important not to overlook the problem. Therefore, it is necessary to pay a visit to an ophthalmologist with a baby who still squints at 3 months.

The doctor will competently assess the motor functions of your baby's eyes. He will tell you exactly how to avoid the problem. Note that today's methods of studying children's vision do not cause concern to the baby. But they make it possible to identify various disorders such as myopia and farsightedness, astigmatism and congenital cataracts, abnormalities of the optic nerve and pathology of the nerves that control eye movement.

Particular attention to the problem of strabismus in children aged 3 months should be given to those parents whose families have vision problems. After all, the genetic factor is already serious. An alarm signal for mom and dad is the absence at this age of the child’s reaction to the light being turned on, as well as the child’s gaze not fixating on the toys or the mother’s face.

Pediatricians advise that it is better to play it safe than to waste time due to parental doubts about vision problems.

If the doctor has doubts or suspects abnormalities in the development of your child’s visual organs, then you should not dismiss his recommendations, hoping for chance. Signs of visual impairment must be responded to promptly. For example, a consequence of prolonged strabismus may be underdevelopment of binocular vision (that is, the ability to perceive the image from the right and left eyes as a single whole).

A 3 month old baby stands on his toes

If at three months a child tries to stand on his toes, then this may be a manifestation of the tone of the foot muscles. This also happens with walkers, but at a later age. If you notice attempts to stand on your tiptoes several times, then again, contact a pediatric neurologist. Perhaps he will refer you and your child to an orthopedist.

Sometimes standing on tiptoes can be associated with problems with the child's spine (this could also be pinching) or the child's head. In any case, you will not be able to solve this problem on your own. So seek help from a specialist.

Especially for - Diana Rudenko