Things Your 3 Month Old Can Do

Are you feeling overwhelmed with the thought of caring for a three-month-old? Perhaps you’re curious about what kind of developmental milestones your little one is expected to achieve. Don’t fret, because while it may seem daunting, there are actually quite a few amazing accomplishments that babies in this age range can do! From expressive communication with their babbling and cooing to head control and more – we’ll cover everything you need to know as a parent in this blog post. So read on if you want to learn all the wonderful things your 3-month-old can do!

3 months is one of the most frustrating months for babies. They are cognitively and visually ready to move but their coordination is not quite there. Babies tend to be a little fussier when it comes to playtime, floortime, and tummy time skills. They have less tolerance which often leaves parents discouraged.

This is normal. Babies will be more temperamental and have opinions as they start to assert their personalities. There are many fun things parents and babies can do together to promote their development, but babies may not always enjoy these things. Don’t lose heart and don’t give up. If your baby hates a specific activity scrap it in the moment but come back to it at another time.

Things Your 3 Month Old Can Do 

Talking and Smiling

At 3 months your baby should be reciprocally engaging with you and cognitively intuned with you, your face, and the world around them. They should be doing lots of cooing babbling as well as smiling. You are also getting ready to hear those first big belly giggles that are oh-so-sweet. 

Floor Playing

Around 3 months is when you really want to start utilizing the floor and play mats when working with your baby.

Prior to 3 months, the majority of tummy time can be done chest to chest, however, around this time is when they should be transitioning to the floor.

Babies will also start to do lots of work on their reaching skills and swiping should be in full effect. You want to ensure that toys on their playmat arch are conveniently placed as they begin to make big swiping moves toward the toys.

This is also the time that you want to give them lightweight toys to hold onto so they can continue enforcing that brain-to-hand communication. Let them chew on toys and explore them orally.

Your baby's head control should also be much stronger by 3 months of age. It is not perfect but they should be able to lift their heads with an occasional drop down. The goal is to have full head control by 4 months of age.

This is especially true for tummy time. Your baby is determined to be strong and do all the big kid things, but they just aren’t ready. 

Standing

When you put your baby into a standing position you want them to put full weight through flat feet. However, around 3-4 months, a baby's body composition begins to change and put on weight.

Some babies who are a little higher on the weight growth curve may stop talking weight through their legs, but this will resolve itself in a few weeks as their muscles adjust to the extra weight. 

Pre-Rolling

By 3 months we want our babies to be rolling onto their sides. They are also gaining core strength and discovering their knees and legs. This core strength will eventually lead to rolling and crawling.

Introducing a booty roll is so helpful at this stage. Placing a roll right under their booty helps to tilt the pelvis back, engage the core, and lift the legs which helps with the pre-rolling magic so much!

Tummy Time

Tummy time should be completely shifted to the floor by 3 months of age. Your baby should be weight-bearing through their arms and lifting their heads. This can be very frustrating for many babies, so if you feel like they are hitting a hard point be sure to check out some of my tummy time freebies or my tummy time solutions course.

Now is also the time to begin to transition your babies out of containers like swings, bouncers, or the Snoo. It is also time to take them out of a swaddle because babies practice so much movement in the middle of the night.

At 3 months old you should be looking for the coordination lightbulb to go off! It is coming! By 4 months old your babies will have much better control of their bodies and you will see the hard work pay off. Stick with the activities. If they don’t work one day, try again the next day.

Want to be sure your baby is on the right track? Download my FREE milestone checklist HERE! All my favorite milestones, month by month in an easy-to-follow format. Plus, some of my favorite activities for each phase of development. This simple-to-follow guide will help keep your little one on track. 

Taking the mystery out of milestones is as easy as 1, 2, 3! Join me for this fast and furious mini workshop explaining the basics of newborn tummy time.