Month Three

Babies First Year: Month Three

How Baby Is Changing

Your baby probably spends less time crying and sleeping now, so she has more time to learn about herself and the world. Baby has just found that she has hands and feet she can control, and she loves to watch them.

Try putting a toy in her hand. Baby will probably hold on and watch it as she moves her arm. Baby might even reach for things and grab them. Even if she can't do it yet, it's fun to practice.

She can get her hand to her mouth, and suck on her fingers. But your baby doesn't have full control over her arms and legs yet. So she may get angry or frustrated when she can't make her body do what she wants it to.

Baby likes to watch things. She may even stop nursing to follow a toy with her eyes. Hold the toy near, then move it away. Bring it close again, or move it out of sight. Did you notice that she doesn't seem to know yet that things still exist when she can't see them?

Baby loves making noises. She can even laugh now! The more you respond to her when she "talks," the more baby will answer back and smile at you. This is good practice for real talking later, and makes life more fun for everyone.

Baby Wants You To Know

How I Grow

• I hold my head and back pretty straight when you support my body.
• When I'm on my tummy, I can lift my head, lean on my elbows, arch my back, and rock.
• When I'm on my back, I wave my arms and kick my legs.
• When you hold me, I push with my arms and legs.
• With support, I can be pulled from lying down to sitting up.
• I touch my face with my hands.
• I grab for things with both hands, but sometimes I miss.

How I Talk

• I coo simple sounds like ooh, ah, ee.
• I answer sounds I hear by gurgling, cooing and squealing.
• I don't cry as much as before. Have you noticed?

How I Respond

• I stare at the place things drop from, but I don't watch where they go when they fall.
• I get excited when I see people or things I know.
• I stop sucking to listen to sounds or to look at things. Then I look and suck.
• I like to listen. Talk to me in simple sentences.

How I Feel

• I usually love to be cuddled.
• I don't like to be left alone. Let me sit where I can watch you!

How I Understand

• I'm starting to have a memory. I like some toys better than others.

How You Can Help Me Learn

• Give me safe squeaky toys and rattles to grab or kick.
• Play pat-a-cake with me.
• Look into my eyes when you talk to me.
• Let me see myself in the mirror. Or, get me a safe mirror of my own for my crib or changing table.

Fun Activities

Babies love to be with people, and games are a good way to have fun and learn at the same time. Brothers and sisters can play these games, too.

• Show baby you're really interested in the game. Open your eyes wide, look surprised, smile, talk excitedly.
• Move baby's arms and legs in rhythm with the game, fast to get her excited, slow if she gets too overworked.
• Reward her with lots of praise, smiles, and gentle touching.
• Talk while you play. Baby understands your tone, even though she doesn't understand words. Naming things baby sees helps her learn that words stand for things.
• If baby can't see something, she doesn't know it's still there! For example, hide your face behind your hands and say, "Where's Mama (or Papa)?" Then take your hands away and say, "Peek-a-boo!"
• Play peek-a-boo by hiding baby's face very briefly with a washcloth, or with a shirt when you're dressing her.
• You can play this game with a rattle or any baby toy. Hold the toy in front of her, and move it gently to get her attention. Then, try to keep her eyes on it while you slowly move it from side to side, up and down, and in circles.
• Try holding the rattle off to one side and shaking it. Does she look to find where the sound comes from? She soon will.
• If baby's attention starts to wander, it's time to stop.

Feeding Baby

Breast feeding mothers do not have to give up nursing if they go back to work, but they do need to plan ahead. If you can, take Wednesdays off for the first few weeks, so that you have every third day to catch up on your rest and be with your baby.

Start building up a supply of frozen breast milk for your child care provider to give baby while you're at work. Pumping twice a day in addition to nursing will build up your milk supply. Refrigerate expressed (pumped) milk and use it the next day, or freeze it right away -- just enough for a feeding in each container, about 3 ounces.

If you want your child care provider to use infant formula, introduce bottles to baby once or twice a day several days before you go back to work. That way, baby will get used to formula.

If you are bottle feeding, don't prop the bottle and leave your baby alone. A baby left alone with a bottle could spit up and choke.

It is important for your baby to have the closeness of being held in someone's arms at every feeding. If feeding takes a long time because baby gets distracted, feed her in a dimly lit, quiet room to help speed things up. Other family members, even older children, may be able to give the baby a bottle.

When your baby drinks while lying on her back, formula can back up into the tubes between her throat and ear, called Eustachian tubes. This formula can grow bacteria and cause painful ear infections that could hurt your baby's hearing.

Avoid baby bottle mouth. If baby has a bottle in her mouth all night, the juice or milk sugars can decay her new teeth! Children lose their baby teeth later, but they are important for keeping space in the mouth for permanent teeth. Decayed baby teeth can be painful, and may need to be pulled