Your 3 month old baby cannot move yet but they can do quite a bit staying in the same place. They are gaining strength and control over their body and will try to move, hold or even grab things. Babies are exploring their capabilities at every stage. Help them develop better by following some top activities for a 3 month old baby.
A 3 month old has better stability and strength. They can hold up their head well when you carry them. So, you don’t have to support their heads much and can move around freely with them. Their upper bodies are stronger too, enabling them to look up and hold themselves up for a few minutes during tummy time.
In This Article
- What Activities Can You Expect From a 3 Month Old Baby?
- Top 5 Fun And Engaging Activities For a 3 Month Old Baby
What Activities Can You Expect From a 3 Month Old Baby?
As they get stronger, babies will try to push themselves on their arms, roll, or reach for items within close proximity. Their motor skills – both gross and fine motor skills are developing at a good pace and will enable them to reach, grab and hold toys. When you carry them, they can grab a fist full of hair and you will have a tougher time than you imagined, getting your hair out of that tiny fist. That is how strong their grip will get.
Cognitive development also picks pace around this time. They will spend time looking at faces, trying to understand their musical toys, the words you speak, and just about everything around them. Your expressions, moving toys, the ceiling fan, and the light will excite them.
Top 5 Fun and Engaging Activities For a 3 Month Old Baby
Activities can teach your baby a lot. When their full focus is on an activity they do or you do with them, they understand it better and the brain gets multiple sensory inputs. It triggers and challenges the brain cells.
The more they use their hands, the better they will get. Giving them the right toys and exposing them to the right activities is very crucial for their development. remember, just because you are doing some activity with your baby, you cannot expect them to become an expert in it or excel in it unless they have the right cognition and interest in the same.
Aim to just expose your baby to various activities. Follow their lead. Let your baby show you what they like and are good at. Help them get better at it by doing more along the same line. It can be very rewarding for both you and your baby.
Here are some fun activities you can do with your 3 month old to keep them busy and help them develop –
1. Exploration Through Touch
A baby’s sensory development starts very early. They are constantly exposed to various textures like your skin, clothes, hair, the bed, and toys. The brain will try to make a connection and understand what is what. It is also a way for them to remember what is what.
Exploration through touch is a very effective learning method. When your baby touches some surface, it triggers a neural response.
What You Will Need?
Items with different textures like
- A soft towel
- A sandpaper
- A water-filled mat
- A bubble wrap
- Grains
- Salt or semolina, etc.
- Touch and feel books
Benefits of Exploration Through Touch For 3 Month Old Baby
Here are a few benefits of babies exploring through touch
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Sensory Development | Touching and experiencing various textures will stimulate the nerve endings and help improve the senses. Your baby will have a sensorial experience where they get to “like” or “dislike” certain textures based on how they feel when they touch them. |
| Form Association |
As you teach them the words for each texture, they form an association between the textures and words. They also understand what each item will feel like. For example – they will associate their towel or clothes with soft, bubble wrap with uneven texture and more. Though they may not learn the words yet, their brain will form a connection to help them understand if they like or dislike an item based on touch. |
Tips For Parents
- Provide different textures repeatedly.
- Teach them the words for the textures and address such textures only with the right words.
- You can put different items in a book – make a scrapbook yourself and let your baby explore it when bored.
- When you give them grains, salt, or other small items they can mouth, keep a very close watch on your baby.
[Read : Baby’s Sense of Touch Development]
2. Reading to Your Baby
Reading is a good habit that can benefit your baby if you start them young. It is a non-invasive method of learning and developing language skills in today’s gadget-dominant world.
What You Will Need?
- Few age-appropriate good books
- An animated reader who can read with voice modulations and expressions
- An attentive baby
Benefits of Reading to Your 3 Month Old Baby
Here are a few benefits of reading to your baby
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Language Development | As your baby keeps hearing words and sentences, they will pick up the language faster. They will learn the words and their pronunciation. and the usage, very quickly if you keep reading to them. |
| Improves Focus | Listening to a person’s voice without any images or colors to follow (on-screen) will sharpen your baby’s focus. They will pay attention to the words and the sounds you make. |
Tips For Parents
- Read in a well-lit room.
- Read when your baby is awake and pays attention – even if it is a bedtime story, start when they are attentive enough.
- Pick books with phonetic sounds and big pictures that babies will find attractive.
[Read : Speech And Language Development Milestones]
3. Get Together With Close Ones
Meeting people can be very exciting for babies. they get to see new faces, and expressions and hear new voices. Though babies might feel anxious or scared at first, they will warm up to it when they feel safe.
What You Will Need
- A safe toy to reassure baby
- Comfortable clothing for your baby
- A backup plan in case the baby doesn’t cooperate as expected
Benefits of Get Together With Close Ones For 3 Month Old Baby
Here are a few benefits of taking your baby for get-togethers
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Improves Social Skills | Meeting and playing with more people will improve their socializing skills as they grow up. They won’t feel very nervous or anxious when they are surrounded by unknown faces in a new place. |
| Reduces Stranger Anxiety | When they meet new people or see new faces smiling at them, on and off, they get better at handling strangers and crowds. It helps reduce their stranger anxiety and keeps the baby calm. |
Tips For Parents
- Start small. Do not take your baby to a big party for their first meet-up.
- Let your guests know it is the baby’s first time and they might get scared or anxious.
- Do not let everyone carry or handle the baby as it will increase their stranger anxiety.
- Ensure baby is comfortably dressed and well-fed.
- If it is too loud or bright, take a break and step outside every few minutes to reduce sensory overload for your baby.
[Read : Social Emotional Developmental Milestones in Infants]
4. Move Around With Baby
Your baby cannot move on their own yet. The only movement they get is when you carry them around.
What You Will Need?
You and your baby are comfortably dressed so that nothing from the clothing can hurt the baby.
Benefits of Moving Around With 3 Month Old Baby
Here are a few benefits of carrying your baby and moving around with them.
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Helps Understand Movement | When you walk or dance around with your baby, they understand how we can move in different ways. They enjoy the movement and develop a like or dislike towards different movements. The gentle sway of your body can be very calming and reassuring for a baby. |
| Exposure to Baby | When you take your baby out of the house or even for a walk, they get to see the outside world. Some babies will love the bright light, trees, and sounds of the birds. |
| Fresh Air For Baby | Going for walks or a stroll can give your baby some much-needed sunlight and fresh air. Babies need an open space and some time under the sun to absorb vitamin D. The fresh air can benefit their lungs in multiple ways. |
Tips For Parents
- Do not pick them up and move too much right after a feed.
- Do not shake your baby’s head vigorously no matter how much they seem to enjoy it. It can displace or disturb their brain cells.
Babies need activities to develop and learn, as they grow. Their physical and cognitive capabilities change as they grow and the activities you do with them should also change accordingly. Babies will love almost any activity you do with them.
