Welcoming a new baby into your family is an exciting and joyous time, but it can also be a bit overwhelming when it comes to making sure your baby is meeting his/her developmental milestones. As a parent, you want to provide the best possible care and support for your little one as they grow and develop. One way to do this is by engaging in age-appropriate activities that can help stimulate your baby’s senses, improve their motor skills, and foster their overall development. In this blog post, we will explore some of the best developmental activities to do with 3 month old baby, to help you bond with them and support their growth and development.
What Milestones Should A 3 Month Old Be Doing?
At 3 months old, babies are still in the early stages of developing their motor, cognitive, language/communication, and social/emotional skills. Here are some of the developmental milestones you can expect to see in a 3-month-old baby:
Motor
- Lifting and turning their head when lying on their tummy
- Kicking their legs and moving their arms purposefully
- Pushing down with their legs when held in a standing position
- Rolling from side to back or front to side
- Bringing hands together and clasping them
- Grasping and holding onto objects
- Bringing hands to the mouth
- Swiping at and batting objects
Cognitive
- Recognizing familiar faces and may show a preference for them
- Responding to sound by turning their head and may also start to recognize familiar voices
- Exploring with their senses such as touching and mouthing objects to learn about their texture and taste
- Beginning to understand cause and effect such as shaking a rattle to make a sound
- Engaging in social interaction such as coo, smile, and make eye contact with others
Language and Communication
- Cooing and making vowel sounds
- Responding to voices by turning their head and looking towards the direction of familiar voices
- Recognizing their name and responding when they hear it
- Expressing themselves through cries and other sounds
- Engaging in back-and-forth vocalization such as cooing and gurgling in response to a caregiver’s vocalization
Social and Emotional
- Developing a social smile when they see their parents or caregivers
- Expressing a range of emotions such as joy, frustration, and sadness
- Responding to social interaction
- Developing attachments and may show a preference for familiar faces and voices
- Engaging in social play such as imitating facial expressions and gestures
It’s important to note that every baby develops at their own pace, and these milestones are just general guidelines so don’t freak out if your baby isn’t meeting every single bullet point (mine didn’t at 3 months old and he’s growing perfectly)! You can support your baby’s development by providing plenty of opportunities for interaction, exploration, movement, engagement, and stimulation.
Keep reading for 16 fun ways you can engage with your 3 month old baby at home and outdoors to ensure they are doing age-appropriate activities to help foster their growth and development.
16 Best Activities To Do With 3 Month Old Baby To Foster Growth And Development
Encourage grasping
At this age, babies are developing their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, and grasping objects can help them refine these skills. Offering toys or objects that are easy to grasp, such as rings or soft balls, can help the baby practice their grasping skills. Grasping also stimulates sensory development, as babies can explore the textures, shapes, and sizes of objects with their hands. Additionally, grasping can help babies develop their hand muscles, which are important for later skills like writing and using utensils. Place a small toy in your baby’s hand and encourage them to grasp it. You can also place a rattle or another small toy in front of your baby and encourage them to reach for it.
“My daughter LOVES this toy. Bought it for her when she was about 3 months old and she still loves it at 7 months old. It’s definitely her top favorite toy and it doubles as a teether.”
Play with sound-making toys
At this age, infants are fascinated by sounds and enjoy exploring new ones. Sound-making toys such as rattles, musical toys, and squeaky toys help babies develop their auditory senses and improve their hand-eye coordination as they try to grasp and manipulate the toys. Playing with sound-making toys can help babies learn cause and effect, as they discover that their actions produce sounds. This type of play also encourages exploration and curiosity, which are essential for a baby’s cognitive and social-emotional development. Give your baby toys that make different sounds, such as rattles and squeaky toys. This will help them learn about cause and effect and develop their listening skills.
“My daughter got these at 3 months and is still using them at 10 months. She has changed which ones she likes the best so the set has grown with her. It’s been a great variety and easy to pack in a go bag. I also noticed her physical therapist has the same set now. It’s popular at the docs office.”
“This is his favorite rattle. He’s 3 months old and reaches for this one over the others.”
Tummy time and practice rolling from belly to back
Tummy time encourages a baby to lift their head and develop the muscles in their neck, shoulders, and arms, which are important for crawling and sitting up. By practicing rolling from belly to back, babies can improve their coordination, balance, and overall body awareness. Rolling also strengthens core muscles, which are essential for sitting, standing, and walking. These activities can also help to prevent flat spots on the back of the baby’s head, which can occur when a baby spends too much time lying on their back. Place your baby on their tummy for short periods throughout the day. You can also show your baby an exciting toy to encourage them to roll from belly to back to build strength in their core, neck, shoulder and upper body.
“My 3 month old does the most tummy time she ever has with this! “
Bicycle exercises
By moving their legs in a pedaling motion, babies can strengthen the muscles in their legs, which are essential for crawling and walking. Additionally, bicycle exercises can help to improve flexibility and range of motion in the hips, knees, and ankles, which can aid in overall physical development. These exercises also encourage gross motor skills development and help babies gain better control over their movements. As a bonus, bicycle exercises can help to facilitate digestion, which can relieve gas and constipation in babies. Gently move your baby’s legs and feet in a bicycle motion to help them develop their leg muscles and coordination.
Fun with a play gym
Play gyms typically feature hanging toys and objects that encourage the baby to reach, grasp, and bat at them, which can help develop their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. The bright colors and textures of the toys can also stimulate the baby’s sensory development and encourage exploration. Play gyms can also promote tummy time, as the baby can lie on their stomach and reach for the toys. This can help develop the muscles in their neck, shoulders, and arms, which are important for crawling and sitting up. Place your baby in a baby gym that has hanging toys or objects that they can reach for and bat at.
My most recommended product that grows with your baby! Literally, all my mom friends own this versatile and fun play gym for their baby!
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Mirror play
Mirror play can be a fun and beneficial activity for a 3-month-old baby’s development. When a baby looks into a mirror, they can see their own reflection and begin to recognize themselves. This can help develop their sense of self-awareness and encourage social and emotional development. Mirror play can also promote visual tracking and eye coordination as the baby follows their own movements and explores their facial expressions. Hold your baby in front of a mirror and encourage them to reach for their reflection, make facial expressions and describe them, point and say out loud your facial features!
Sing nursery rhymes and dance to them
Singing helps to stimulate the baby’s language development, as they can learn new words and sounds through the rhythm and melody of the song. Dancing can promote the baby’s physical development, as they can develop their motor skills and coordination through gentle movements. Singing and dancing with a baby can also strengthen the bond between parent and child, as it provides an opportunity for interactive play and communication. You can hold your baby and dance and sing with them to music. You can also place your baby down while you dance and demonstrate the words to them such as the song “Heads, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes” and “The Wheels on the Bus”.
Respond to your baby’s coos and babbles
When a 3-month-old baby starts to make sounds and babble, it’s important to respond to them by talking back, making eye contact, and imitating their sounds. This helps your baby learn about conversation and turn-taking, as well as helps develop their confidence in their ability to communicate. By responding to your baby’s sounds and encouraging them to make more, you can help build a strong foundation for their language skills. When your baby makes sounds, respond to them with smiles, eye contact, and conversation.
Do chores with your baby and narrate them
This is something I wish I did more of as a first time parent! Kill 2 birds with 1 stone by doing chores and narrating them with your baby as an audience. Incorporating your baby into your daily chores can be a great way to promote their cognitive and language development. Narrating the tasks you are doing while including the baby in the process can help expose them to new words and sounds, which can help stimulate their language development. Additionally, observing the movements and actions involved in doing chores can help promote the baby’s visual and spatial awareness. Some simple chores that can be entertaining but still allows you to tend to your newborn include laundry, cooking, dishes, and vacuuming. Try to be extra enthusiastic with the narration to really capture their attention and interest! Now you don’t have to wait until nap time to do chores, and can actually nap with them 🙂
Give a tour of your house
Giving a tour of your house to your 3-month-old baby can help with their development by stimulating their cognitive and sensory skills. As you move around your house, your baby is exposed to different colors, shapes, textures, and sounds, which can enhance their ability to process and categorize information. You can also point out objects and describe them to your baby, helping them to learn new words and develop their language skills. The movement and change of scenery can help improve your baby’s mood and prevent them from getting bored or fussy. While carrying them around the house, you can talk about what each room is, what each furniture and appliance do, describe photo frames or items that are hanging, just anything you see in sight!
Read to your baby
Reading to a 3-month-old baby is an excellent way to promote their cognitive, language, and social-emotional development. Even though the baby may not yet understand the words, they can still benefit from the sounds and rhythm of the story, which can help stimulate their language development. Additionally, looking at pictures in books can help promote the baby’s visual and spatial awareness. Reading to a baby can also strengthen the bond between parent and child, as it provides an opportunity for interactive play and communication. Since a 3 month old baby’s vision is still developing, they are particularly attracted to high-contrast patterns, such as black and white images. Black and white books are often simpler and have fewer distractions, which can help keep the baby’s attention and focus on the images.
“I LOVE this toy… and so does my two month old! I wish I had this for my other children when they were babies. It’s so versatile and has so many set-ups all-in-one. “
Play with a mobile
Mobiles can help stimulate the baby’s visual senses, as they move and sway, capturing the baby’s attention and encouraging them to track the movements with their eyes. This can help promote their visual and spatial awareness, as well as their ability to track and follow moving objects. Mobiles can also help promote the baby’s cognitive development, as they begin to learn cause and effect, and understand that their actions can influence their environment. Playing with a mobile can also help promote their motor development, as they begin to reach and grab for the moving objects. Hang a colorful mobile above your baby’s crib or diaper changing station and encourage them to follow the movement of the objects.
“This was the first toy that the baby got excited about. She’s 3 months now and she’s still mesmerized.”
Play peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo is a classic game that can help with a 3-month-old baby’s social and emotional development. The game involves hiding and then revealing one’s face, often accompanied by a playful sound or phrase, which can encourage a response of surprise, laughter, and joy from the baby. This can help promote the baby’s emotional development, as they begin to learn about the connection between their actions and the reactions of others. Peek-a-boo can also help promote the baby’s social development, as they begin to learn about the concept of object permanence, understanding that people and objects continue to exist even when they are not in sight.
Go outside for walks
Going outside for walks can provide a wealth of benefits for a newborn baby’s development. Firstly, it can help with their physical development by giving them an opportunity to experience new environments and sensations, such as the breeze, the warmth of the sun, or the sounds of nature. This can help with their sensory processing skills, which are crucial for cognitive development. Being outside can also provide opportunities for social and emotional development, as babies may have the chance to interact with other people or observe new sights and sounds, which can be stimulating for their growing minds. You can take your baby out in a carrier or a stroller and allow them to observe their surroundings while you take a nice stroll yourself.
Go on a picnic
Laying outside such as on a picnic blanket on grass can help with their sensory development, as they take in the world around them and process new information. Additionally, laying on a blanket outside can also support a baby’s physical development, as it gives them an opportunity to move their arms and legs freely and explore their environment. This can be beneficial for their gross motor skills, as they practice reaching, kicking, and stretching. Finally, laying on a blanket outside can be a relaxing and enjoyable bonding experience with your baby, which can support social and emotional development.
Take baby to a public space and people watch
Babies at this age are starting to become more aware of their surroundings and are curious about the people and things around them. By going to a public place and people-watching, the baby can observe a variety of different people, movements, and sounds. This can help with their cognitive development, as they learn to recognize patterns and make connections between different experiences. Additionally, people-watching can also be beneficial for a baby’s social and emotional development, as they learn to interact with others and develop a sense of empathy and understanding. You can also use this opportunity to engage with your baby, pointing out different people or objects and describing what they see. Some exciting places you can bring your baby to include playgrounds, cafes, breweries, stores, and malls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Babies See TV At 3 Months?
At 3 months, babies are still developing their visual and cognitive abilities, and their eyesight is not fully developed yet. While babies may be able to see a TV screen at this age, it is not recommended to expose them to it for extended periods of time.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children under the age of 2 should not have any screen time, including TV, because it can interfere with their development. This is because babies learn best from interacting with people and their environment, rather than passive viewing of screens.
But let’s be real, we all need a break sometimes as being a mom is a busy and tiring job. If you do choose to let your baby watch TV, it is important to limit their exposure and choose age-appropriate programming that is specifically designed for babies. It is also recommended to watch TV with your baby and engage with them, such as talking to them about what is happening on the screen, to make it a more interactive and educational experience.
What Should A 3 Month Old Do During The Day?
A 3-month-old baby’s day should consist of a balance between sleep, feeding, playtime, and social interaction. Here is a general routine that a 3-month-old baby may follow during the day:
- Sleeping: A 3-month-old baby needs around 14-17 hours of sleep per day, including naps and nighttime sleep. At this age, they may take three to four naps during the day, each ranging from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- Feeding: A 3-month-old baby may be breastfed or bottle-fed every 2-4 hours, or on demand.
- Playtime: A 3-month-old baby can play and engage with their environment, such as looking at toys, practicing tummy time, and exploring different textures and sounds. It is important to provide safe and stimulating toys and activities that encourage their development (ideas as mentioned above).
- Social interaction: A 3-month-old baby may enjoy spending time with their caregivers, siblings, or other family members. Social interaction can help them learn about communication, emotions, and relationships.
- Personal care: A 3-month-old baby’s day will definitely require time for personal care, such as diaper changes, baths, and getting dressed.
Do I Need To Play With 3 Month Old All Day?
No, you do not need to play with a 3-month-old baby all day. While playtime and social interaction are important for a baby’s development, they also need time for rest and quiet activities.
At 3 months old, babies need plenty of sleep and may spend up to 17 hours a day sleeping. During their waking hours, they can engage in playtime and exploration, but it’s not necessary for you to be actively playing with them every moment.
It is important to provide a safe and stimulating environment for your baby, but they also need some time to explore and play independently. For example, you can place your baby on a blanket or mat with age-appropriate toys, and let them explore on their own while you supervise.
Are Baby Toy Subscription Services Worth It?
Baby toy subscription services can be worth it for some families, depending on their needs and preferences. These services typically offer a monthly or quarterly delivery of age-appropriate toys, curated by experts and tailored to a baby’s developmental stage.
Here are some potential benefits of using a baby toy subscription service:
- Convenience: With a subscription service, parents don’t have to spend time researching and selecting toys, and can instead rely on the expertise of the service to provide appropriate and stimulating toys for their baby.
- Variety: Subscription services can provide a variety of toys, which can help prevent boredom and encourage exploration and learning.
- Savings: Some subscription services offer discounts or cost savings compared to purchasing individual toys.
- Eco-friendliness: Some subscription services use environmentally-friendly materials or offer toy recycling programs, which can be appealing to families who prioritize sustainability.
However, it is important to note that baby toy subscription services may not be necessary or suitable for every family. Some families may prefer to choose and purchase toys on their own, or may not have the budget to commit to a subscription toy delivery.
Final Thoughts On Activities To Do With 3 Month Old Baby
In conclusion, there are many fun and engaging activities that can be done with 3-month-old babies to support their development in various areas such as motor, cognitive, language, and social skills. From tummy time and practicing rolling, to playing with sound-making toys and singing nursery rhymes, there are many opportunities to foster growth and learning in young infants. It’s important to remember that every baby develops at their own pace and in their own way, so it’s okay to modify activities to fit their needs and interests. By engaging in these activities and providing a nurturing and stimulating environment, parents and caregivers can help set the foundation for a child’s future growth and development.
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Sources
https://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/milestones-3-months
https://www.forbes.com/health/family/3-month-baby-development-milestones/