What Can My 1 to 3-Month-Old Baby Do at This Age?
As your baby begins to grow, you will notice new and exciting abilities that develop. Babies at this age begin to relax the tight muscle tone of newborns and begin extending their arms and legs more. While babies may progress at different rates, the following are some of the common milestones your baby may reach in this age group:
- Some of the newborn protective reflexes begin to disappear
- Neck muscles become stronger, head bobs then is held erect
- Turns its head from side to side when placed on the abdomen
- Brings hands or objects to the mouth
- Look at the hands
- Follows light, faces, and objects
- Listens to sounds
- Opens and closes hands
- Holds, then drops a rattle or other object
- Active leg movements
At the end of 3 months:
- Raises head and chest when placed on the abdomen
- Beginning to reach hands to objects, may bat at hanging objects with hands
What Can My 1- to 3-Month-Old Baby Say?
It is very exciting for parents to watch their babies become social beings that can interact with others. While every baby develops speech at their own rate, the following are some of the common milestones in this age group:
- Begins to imitate some sounds (coos, vowel sounds)
- Cries become more purposeful and are different for hunger, fatigue, and other needs
What Does My 1- to 3-Month-Old Baby Understand?
A baby’s understanding and awareness of the world around them increase during this time. While babies may progress at different rates, the following are some of the common milestones in this age group:
- Knows familiar voices, especially those of their parents
- Smiles in response to others
- Responds to social contact, may coo
- Moves arms, legs, and body in rhythm with others’ voice
What Can My 1- to 3-Month-Old Baby See?
Babies at this age can focus on shapes that are close by, but see distant objects as blurry because they are nearsighted. As babies grow, their eyesight improves. By the end of 3 months, they can follow a moving object, are more interested in shapes and patterns, and can spot familiar faces, even at a distance. Human faces are one of their favorite things to look at, especially their face or a parent’s face. Installing a baby-safe crib mirror at your baby’s eye level can be great for development at this age.
Your baby’s color vision is also developing at 1 to 3 months, so brightly colored wall hangings or toys will help develop your little one’s ability to distinguish color. Soft pastel colors, though, are hard for a baby to distinguish — something to keep in mind when buying toys and books.
What Can My 1- to 3-Month-Old Baby Hear?
Your baby has been hearing sounds since way back in the womb. Mother’s heartbeat, the gurgles of her digestive system, and even the sounds of her voice and the voices of other family members are part of a baby’s world before birth.
Once your baby is born, the sounds of the outside world come in loud and clear. At 1 to 3 months, your baby may startle at the unexpected bark of a dog nearby or seem soothed by the gentle whirring of the clothes dryer or the hum of the vacuum cleaner.
Your baby loves to hear your voice, so talk, babble, sing, and coo away. Take special advantage of your baby’s own “talking” to have a conversation. If you hear your baby make a sound, repeat it and wait for them to make another. You are teaching your baby valuable lessons about tone, pacing, and taking turns when talking to someone else.
Babies this age seem to respond best to a higher-pitched voice, which is why most people naturally raise the pitch of their voices and exaggerate their speech when talking to a baby. This is fine — studies have shown that “baby talk” doesn’t delay speech development. In fact, responding to your baby encourages speech. Feel free to mix in some regular adult words and tone with the baby talk. It may seem early, but you’re setting the stage for your baby’s first words.
Besides voices, your baby will probably enjoy listening to music (play a variety of styles) and may be fascinated by the routine sounds of life as well. Keep your baby nearby as you rattle pans while making dinner, and let them sit in a baby seat within earshot of older siblings laughing and playing. Baby rattles, musical mobiles, and toys are other good ways to stimulate your baby’s hearing.
Your newborn probably had a hearing screening before being released from the hospital. If not, or if your baby was born at home/a birthing center, it’s important to have a hearing screening as soon as possible. Most children who are born with a hearing loss can be diagnosed through a hearing screening.
