Your baby’s development will be fairly rapid in their first few weeks and months on Earth.

As a first-time dad, there are plenty of unknowns when you are raising a newborn baby. And while every baby develops at different rates, it’s still good to have an idea of how your little one will develop over the first three months.

Over the course of this guide, we’ll break down the different areas of your baby’s development and what to expect by the time you have a three-month-old.

‘Most babies…’

These developmental milestones should be taken as a guide. Every baby is different and grows at their own rate. Some will develop faster in some ways and slower in others.

So many new parents fall into the trap of overanalysing their baby’s growth and development, especially when they start seeing other babies or hear other parents talking about how their child is progressing.

We don’t want to cause unnecessary worry or stress if baby hasn’t hit certain milestones. That’s why we use phrases such as ‘most babies’.

However, there will naturally be occasions where you should seek the advice of a health professional when certain milestones aren’t met within a certain timeframe.

Your baby’s physical development

Baby’s weight

Newborn babies usually lose weight in the first few weeks after birth. This can be alarming if you’re not familiar, but it’s totally normal. They typically lose 6-7% of their birth weight before starting to regain it.

There’s no right or wrong answer for how much your baby will weigh by 3 months — what matters is whether their growth accelerates, remains steady or decelerates. Babies’ weight is monitored using something called a ‘centile chart’, which measures them against the rest of the population and expected growth.

Arjun, dad of three, says:

Your healthcare professional will monitor their growth with regular check-ups. Tiny babies or babies born prematurely may be monitored more closely.

Motor skills

It’s no secret that a new baby doesn’t do a whole lot at first. But the first three months are likely to see a steady jump in gross motor skills.

Their arm and hand muscles will get stronger, so you should start to see them reaching out for objects, and try to put things in their mouth (every parent’s favourite milestone…!). During tummy time, they may push their chest up to really show off how strong their arms are getting.

The neck muscles will also strengthen, so they’ll have more control over their head movements. So, they’re likely to start lifting their head during tummy time, too.

You should also see your baby’s arm and leg movements become smoother and more fluid.

Your baby’s cognitive development

By the end of these three months, your baby will be on the verge of their first big development jump, which often signals the first sleep regression.

Your baby’s cognitive development is progressing all the time. About halfway through this period, most parents start to see an improvement in their baby’s eyesight. Their depth of view is longer, and they’ll start to track people and objects.

In fact, you may notice your baby taking their time to look at objects and pay attention to things for longer. Their sense of touch is also becoming more sensitive.

One development that isn’t necessarily the most enjoyable… your baby may also start to get irritable if they get bored.

Jon, from the DaddiLife team, says:

“I remember our daughter hitting this phase. She was generally a super happy baby, but around three months, she’d get really grouchy if she wasn’t being entertained. We had to draw on our full repertoire of silly faces, songs, toys, and books to entertain her!”

Your baby’s communication and language development

We all know that the baby cry is the primary method of communication for a young child (some experienced parents might read that and think, ‘Yeah, and older ones, too!’). But many babies start to make cooing noises, babble and make basic vowel sounds.

Stephanie Jeret, MS, CCC-SLP, speech and language therapist and founder of Speak With Stephanie, says:

“Babies have different types of cries to signal various needs, which is their unique way of communicating. One cry may indicate hunger, another might signal tiredness, while a different cry could mean they need to be changed. 

“They may also cry to express a desire for something, show anger or annoyance. Understanding these distinct cries can help caregivers respond appropriately to their baby’s needs.”

You should also start to seem them respond to sounds, particularly loud noise and the sound of your voice. They may even show signs of understanding some simple words or phrases. But don’t be alarmed if this doesn’t happen before they turn three months old.

Your baby’s social and emotional development

You never forget the rush of emotion you feel when you place your finger in your baby’s hands for that first time. And that bond will continue to grow as your baby develops.

Your baby will come to know their mum and dad by sight, sound and smell. Most babies tend to give their first smile anywhere between six and twelve weeks, and by three months old, they’ll probably be giving sweet smiles to strangers.

You may also notice new facial expressions as your baby starts to experience a range of new emotions for the first time. Crying babies are communicating, and as they start feeling new emotions, you’ll start to learn their different cries and what they want.

By the time they’re three months old, most babies have started to self-soothe by sucking on their hands. Hopefully this will help when they wake too early from their sleep.

Sleeping and feeding

All parents expect sleepless nights when they have a new baby. You can generally expect your baby to wake every few hours in the night. At this age, their stomachs aren’t big enough to fill up for the night.

Their sleeping habits may change as they get older, but remember, every baby is different — something I definitely noticed when it came to my children and sleeping patterns.

Jon from the DaddiLife team explains:

“My son was a rough sleeper. My wife and I fell into a sort of shift pattern where we’d hold him to get him to sleep between feeds. Our daughter was the polar opposite. She could be popped straight into her Moses basket after a feed and a change, and she’d go straight off to sleep.”

Whether they’re fed with breast milk or formula, feeding is likely to happen roughly every two hours. Remember, at this age, babies should be fed exclusively with milk and are too young for solid foods.

FAQs

Are developmental milestones important?

Yes and no. It’s important to monitor your baby’s development so that steps can be taken if development is much slower than expected. However, there is a danger that new parents pay too much attention to milestones, becoming hung up on them and worrying unnecessarily if their baby doesn’t hit certain ones at the so-called “right” time.

What should I do if I’m concerned?

If you are concerned that your baby hasn’t hit certain milestones within a reasonable timeframe, speak to your healthcare provider. They will be able to advise if it is anything to be concerned about, whether or not your baby needs to be monitored more carefully, or if further measures need to be taken.

How much should my 3-month-old be sleeping?

Most babies at this age should be getting 14-17 hours of sleep within a 24-hour period. Of course, that will be taken over a series of daytime naps and night-time sleep, rather than one long sleep.

How much should a 3-month-old weigh?

This depends on your baby’s birth weight, and their growth since. What’s important is that your child’s growth remains relatively steady (unless your health professional has any concerns).

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Republished with thanks to Daddilife. Image courtesy of Adobe.