Development and Health Care for a 3 Month Old Baby

A 3 month old baby can now raise its head and laugh whilst lying prostrate. It will also start to giggle in a very cute way when seeing their mothers’ eyes. There is now a noticeable difference between day and night, so night-feedings will start to become less for a 3 month old baby.

Height59.0cm (Boy) 58.0cm (Girl)
Weight5.82kg (Boy) 5.49kg (Girl)
DevelopmentMovement of hands and feet will be more agile. Will smile when sees mother.
Milk FeedingPowdered milk 140cc 6 times Breast milk separate every 2-3 hours.

The Special Characteristics of this Period

1. Will start to prop up the neck

The most important development for a 3 month old baby during this period is the neck; it can start to prop up. At the quickest, this will occur around 3 month after birth.

The neck will become stiffer and when being held upright, the head will not wobble from side to side.

Because of the strengthening of the neck, the head can be agilely moved from left to right and so increases the baby’s field of vision. But when holding the baby, it is still safer to support the neck.

2. Looking and Playing with Hands

What was at first a curled and twisted hand now can stretch wide open and can grasp hold of toys, they will also put their fist into their mouth to suck and play. When the hand is too close to the face, babies will respond by giving awkward sideways glances. This is because vision is yet to fully develop and there is nothing to worry about.

3. Longer Periods of Prostration

When prostrated, the baby can now lift its head above its chest and it will spend longer periods of time playing like this. This is due to the increased development of brain nerves. The agility of their hands and feet will also have some slight improvement. If there are toys right in front of their eyes or if you shake the toy, they will reach out their hands as if wishing to grasp it. The baby will research how to stretch the body or crawl which will also further their development.

Points to Note: Food for a 3 Month Old Baby

1. Night Feeds will Decrease

The quantity fed will gradually increase, and the feeding times will become fixed. Do not stop night-feeds yet, but slowly decrease the number of feeds. Before bedtime, give a feed with a full quantity and adjust it until the baby can sleep for 6 hours without needing more, this will also help their development. This will also kill two birds with one stone as will also allow the mother some well-earned rest. At this stage, babies are able to pass for 6 hours without food, so don’t be worried they are hungry.

2. The Quantity Suddenly Reduces

During this period, the quantity consumed during each feeding will suddenly reduce. This is because the baby’s intestines are still adjusting to the milk and consequently become tired. At this time, babies are yet to experience a ‘full’ sensation. As soon as this sensation is known, the quantity consumed will reduce. At this point, it is best to concern yourself with whether or not they are playing well or any other problems they may have, rather than whether or not they are eating well. Even though the child appears to be eating less and has lost weight, but if their quantity is increasing, then everything is as it should be.

Intellectual and Emotional Development

1. The Baby will start to Mumble

Up to this point, the child will have a lot of reflex reactions, but now the baby will start to be independently mobile. They will laugh when in a good mood or make happy mumbling sounds. Babies will react to hearing mother’s voice, a whistle or other likeable sounds, and they will often shake their hands or try to speak. This is very good for their language development.

2. Distinguish Day and Night

At this stage, babies will spend more time awake during the day, and will have around 5-6 hours of continuous sleep at night. When sleeping at night, you may wish to consider turning off the lights and when feeding, only use a small lamp rather than a big bright light. There are some instances at this stage where babies will have daytime and nighttime upturned. The mother will be more tired if this is the case, though it is only temporary as babies will naturally adjust after they are 100 days old. For children with upturned times, you can sometimes take them for a walk during the night, accompany them to play and then bathe before sleep, and they will be able to gradually achieve a sleeping rhythm.

Health Care

1. Talk and Play together

Now the baby will sleep around 18-20 hours per day, so they are awake a little longer than before. The baby can on one hand look at the mother’s eyes and on the other hand play. Mother can talk with the baby or playfully tease them. When they are happy, they will laugh or make happy sounds. Especially around 3 months old when hearing sounds, they don’t recognize their mouth will move and some mumbling sounds will be made. Although at this point all the sounds made have no meaning but this process is nevertheless very important for their future language skills. For the infant to see and respond to the mother or laugh when hearing the mother’s voice, this is a great stimulant for language development.

2. Establish a Basic Daily Rhythm

During this period, eating, playing and exercise becomes set into a regular pattern and becomes habitual. If babies are too quiet during the day, they will not be able to establish a distinct daytime and nighttime routine, and will consequently fail to distinguish between the two. Bathing in a sunny place during the daytime or going for a walk will allow them to feel the daytime routine. In the evening, they will be quieter and in a dimly-lit environment and this will enable them to feel the nighttime routine.

At this point, their attention and focus is still lacking as their routine must first be established. If the mother is too anxious or forceful, then both the mother and child will feel stress and this is not good. On the other hand, if their lifestyle is too free, there is no knowing when their daily routine will be established, this is very difficult for the mother and child. Try to help the baby assimilate as best as you can with their new lifestyle.

3. Pay Attention to Skin Management

For a 1 month old baby, the sweat glands will develop causing them to sweat during hot weather. Therefore, it is easy for the skin to become inflamed due to sweat rash, diaper rash or eczema. Try your best to give the baby thin clothing and wear an extra layer if feeling cold. It is also possible to ulcerate in easy to sweat places such as the neck, armpit or groin area. It is best to use talcum powder to dry it out.

4. Use a Safety Chair when in Car

You must get into the habit of using a safety chair when travelling in the car. It is best to first allow them to practice sitting in the chair otherwise, when it is really time to sit in a chair, it will be difficult. If the baby is less than 9kg then attach from the back, if above 9kg then attach from the front. This rule is for the sake of the child’s safety.

Use Q&A to Relieve Anxiety and Doubt

Q. Is the baby constipated? They used to pass waste every day, now after three days there is still nothing?

A. Constipation is indicated by the absence of waste for a time followed by the passing of hard feces. Because during this time, the intestine’s ability to absorb nutrients is getting better, so the amount of the body’s waste becomes less. Therefore, the frequency of passing waste will also lessen. Now, passing waste will not take too much effort as before and on average, will pass once every 3 days.

As the infant’s frequency of passing waste changes, it is difficult to define what is normal. It is most important to eat well and play well and not to worry about other things. If there is cause for concern in this respect, take a used diaper to a pediatric clinic for the doctor to examine.

Q. The baby sleeps well when being hugged, but cries when left alone.

The infant is at its most comfortable and safest when being held by their mother. So when suddenly placed alone on the bed, they will feel unsafe. Maybe the mother feels anxious for the baby to fall asleep and consequently, the baby will also feel this anxiety and start to cry. It is best not to get angry and be patient with the discomfort of holding the child. Softly pat the chest until the baby falls deeply asleep and then place down in a prostrated position rather than a reclining one. Please remember it is best to accompany the baby when they are sleeping prostrated.

Assessing Health from Feces

To find out whether the baby has any health conditions, it is easiest to determine this by looking at their feces. From the frequency, smell and color, most problems can be identified.

If the feces smell very bad and the shape is different from normal, it is best to take to the pediatric clinic to analyze. The form of the feces will be looser in children that drink breast milk. If the time taken for the milk to pass through the intestines is very short, then it is possible the feces will have a green color. This is normal and there is nothing to worry about.

If there are some small white granules in the feces, again there is no need to worry. This is milk fat that the body cannot digest. If there is no other complication, you may rest easy – your baby is healthy.

Those are the information needed to know about a 3 month old baby.



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