Development milestones of a 3 month old baby

Description of development milestones of a 3 month old baby (physical, cognitive and social development).

Three months have passed since the birth of your baby. Your life is now full of worries, but new colors have appeared in it! The baby is growing at a rapid pace, and every day brings new surprises. You see that he develops more and more skills.

These milestones of development show how the development and growth of your child correspond to his age.

Consider what milestones a child reaches at 3 months and how developmental lag can be detected.

List of milestones of the development of a three month old baby

Development milestones of a 3 month old baby

At three months of age, a child is making progress in three major areas of development: cognitive, social and emotional. In each area, he achieves a number of indicators.

Milestones of cognitive development

At the age of three months, the child develops intelligence, cognitive abilities and thinking in general.

1. The child recognizes familiar faces from a distance. Whereas previously you had to get close to your child to get his attention. Now your child can recognize you when you first enter the room and make sounds.

2. The child looks for the source of the sound by turning his head. When a child hears something interesting, frightening or familiar, he turns his head in that direction. This indicates that the child’s brain is able to pick up the source of the sound with the help of hearing.

3. The child shows a response when you interact with him. Talk to your child and he will most likely make a sound in response. Babies at the age of three months already understand that when they are told something, they need to respond.

4. The child can imitate certain sounds. He tries to repeat the words of his parents and other sounds that he hears around. His imitation may be mere babble, but over time it will get much better.

5. The child can imitate certain actions. He tries to reproduce the actions that he notices in his parents. Such imitation requires considerable mental effort and is an important achievement in the development of the child.

Milestones of physical development

This category includes the development of motor skills, as well as growth and physical abilities.

6. The child holds his head. At the age of three months, he has better control of his neck muscles, and thanks to this, he holds his head during feeding or when you hold him in your arms.

7. The child raises his head 45º, lying on his stomach. When his neck muscles become more developed, he can raise his head. This greatly expands his field of view. Lying on his stomach, the child can see toys and other objects in the room.

8. The child can see objects in the range of 180º. Play a simple game with your child: show him a toy and slowly move it around in a circle. You will notice how your baby follows the toy by moving his head.

You can also move the toy left and right so that the baby will follow it. This indicates that he has developed vision and tracking skills.

9. The child straightens his legs when the parents put him in a vertical position. When you put him on the floor, while supporting him, he straightens his legs, as if trying to stand on them.

At the age of three months, he still cannot support his weight on his feet, but the ability to assume the necessary posture for standing has already been developed.

10. The child can keep the weight of his body on the forearms, rising on the stomach. He can even push off on his hands, as in push-ups. This ability lays the foundation for crawling, the child’s first form of locomotion.

11. The child grabs objects, clenching and unclenching his fist. The developed ability to hold objects in the hand and agility of the fingers allow him to grasp toys and other objects.

The child also runs his hand over objects, such as rattles hanging from the stroller. At this age, the child also develops hand-eye coordination, which is an important motor skill.

12. The child brings his hand to his mouth. At the age of three months, the baby can bring his hands to his mouth and suck his fingers.

At this age, the child begins to use his hands, which by this age become more relaxed than before.

13. The child kicks while lying on his back. So for the first time he studies the movements of the legs and trains their muscles.

14. The baby sleeps an hour less than before. In the first two months of their lives, babies sleep approximately 16 hours a day. At three months of age, sleep time is reduced to 15 hours.

Milestones of social and emotional development

At the age of three months, the baby also develops his social skills and emotions.

15. The child smiles at familiar people. Already at the seventh week of life, the child can smile when he hears the voice of his parents. Smiling is a way of saying “Hi, how are you?” to the people he knows.

Child’s smile is a social act, as he is trying to get a response. Smiling can also be accompanied by his body movements. For example, he may stretch out his arms to his parents or, out of excitement, make sharp movements with his legs.

16. The child starts laughing. At the age of three months, you can hear your baby laughing loudly. Laughter first appears at the age of 3 to 4 months.

17. The child loves to play with his parents. And this is not surprising. The child likes both games with toys and simple games based on hand movements.

18. The child is calm about strangers. Although he always greets parents and their friends with a joyful smile, do not expect the same joy towards strangers. Seeing a stranger, the child may fleetingly smile in response to his smile, or even behave wary.

19. The child shows interest in brothers and sisters. If a child has siblings, at the age of three months he begins to recognize them.

If they come up to the child and talk to him, he answers them with a smile and cooing. He also shows interest in other children.

Just imagine how many new skills your child acquires in the third month of his life. It’s just wonderful! But what if your baby does not show the signs described above? This may indicate developmental delays.

What could be cause for concern?

Look out for the following symptoms of delayed development that a three-month-old baby may have:

1. The child does not smile or react to familiar faces. If a child does not show any emotion, even if one of the parents approaches him as if he does not recognize them, this may indicate a developmental delay.

2. The child does not make any sounds. If you don’t hear your baby cooing, babbling or laughing, this is a serious symptom and may indicate a developmental delay. The child must be shown to a pediatrician as soon as possible.

3. The baby’s head bobs back and forth. By three months, babies can usually hold their heads well. If the child cannot keep his head upright when lying on his stomach or when you lift him up, this may be a sign of developmental delay.

4. The child cannot hold objects in his hands. Developmental delay may be indicated by the fact that the child cannot grasp objects, his grip is too loose (the object falls out of his hands), or the child does not try to hold the object that you put in his hand at all.

5. The child can follow objects or look to find the source of the sound. By three months, a baby usually tracks objects that move in circles or arcs. He also reacts to sounds and voices around him. Failure to do so indicates developmental delay.

6. The child does not pay attention to new faces or, on the contrary, is very frightened of new people next to him.

Parents are encouraged to keep a checklist and keep track of all child development indicators to prevent any developmental problems. 

You can also help your child’s development by following a few simple tips:

Tips on how to help a 3 month old baby develop

In order for the child to develop at the right pace, follow these steps:

1. Place your baby on your stomach often and for a long time. This strengthens the various muscle groups of the child – from the arms to the abdomen.

Strong muscles will help the baby start crawling. Play games that make your child look around – this helps him strengthen his neck muscles.

2. Interact with your child. Talk to him regularly and interact in other forms. This will develop his ability to listen and respond. His social skills will also develop.

3. Describe your actions out loud. For example, if you are reading a picture book to your child, say out loud, “This is a picture book, honey. I’m going to read it to you now.”

Your child may not understand you, but the next time you say this phrase, he will already associate it with your action. Your words will help the child understand the daily routine.

4. Play games in which your child will track objects. Tie a rope to a toy car. Stretch the car across the room for the child to watch. Place a toy train in front of your child and let him watch the train go around in circles on the rails.

This way the child will develop the skill of tracking objects, which is very important at the age of three months.

5. Use sounds to get your child’s attention. Another important skill at this age is listening. At the age of three months, the baby turns his head towards the source of the sound.

So play games with your baby using the sounds of the rattle or your voice. The sounds will attract the child’s attention.

If you provide your child with the necessary activities and regularly monitor for warning symptoms, you will ensure that the child develops in a healthy way.

Remember that every child is different, and everyone needs their own time to achieve one or another indicator. 

The best way to support development is to have regular pediatric checkups with your child. Proper care will help your child develop and grow healthy.