Month 3 of the Infant Development

• Weight Gain: On average, babies gain 150-200 grams per week this month.
• Height: Babies on average grow about 2.5-3.5 cm per month.

Average Measurements for Indian Babies:
 

Key Milestones:

Motor Development:

• Stronger Neck Control: Your baby can hold their head steady when sitting with support.
• Tummy Time Progress: During tummy time, they may lift their chest and support themselves on their forearms.
• Reaching and Grasping: They actively reach for and grasp toys or objects, demonstrating improved hand-eye coordination.
• Kicking and Rolling: Active leg movements and occasional rolling from tummy to back may occur.

Cognitive Development:

• Improved Attention Span: Your baby can focus on objects or faces for longer periods.
• Recognition of Caregivers: They recognise and respond to familiar faces, indicating their developing memory.
• Exploration Through Senses: Babies explore the world with their eyes and hands, observing and reaching for objects.
• Cause and Effect Awareness: They begin to understand simple cause-and-effect relationships, like shaking a rattle to make noise.

Communication and Language Development:

• Cooing and Babbling: More complex cooing and early babbling sounds emerge as your baby experiments with their voice.
• Imitation of Sounds: Your baby may try mimicking your voice's tone or pitch.
• Increased Vocal Interaction: They engage in “conversations” with you through vocalisations and eye contact.

Social and Emotional Development:

• Social Smiles and Laughter: Your baby smiles more readily and may giggle in response to playful interactions.
• Bonding Through Interaction: They thrive on social interaction and enjoy being held, talked to, or sung to.
• Expressing Emotions: Babies begin to express joy, excitement, and frustration through facial expressions and sounds.

Baby Feeding Techniques:

Breastfeeding:

• Maintain a proper latch for efficient feeding.
• Offer both breasts during feeding sessions.

Bottle Feeding:

• Use slow-flow nipples for controlled feeding.
• Hold your baby upright during feeds.

 Milk Supply in the Third Month

For Breastfeeding Mothers:

• Your body adjusts to your baby’s feeding needs, producing milk more efficiently, which may make breasts feel less full but still provide adequate milk.
• Be prepared for cluster feeding during growth spurts as your baby stimulates increased milk production.
• Drink plenty of water and maintain a balanced diet to support your milk supply and your overall health.

For Formula Feeding:

• Monitor your baby’s hunger cues to adjust formula amounts as their appetite grows.
• Maintain a regular feeding schedule, typically every 3-4 hours, depending on your baby’s needs.
• Continue to sterilise bottles and prepare formula as 

Age: 3-4 months
What: Breast milk 
How much: Nurse every 3-4 hours
How often: Feed 6-7 times a day.

Age: 3-4 months
What: Formula
How much: About half to three fourth cup (4-6 ounces)
How often: Feed 5-6 times a day.

Signs Your Baby is Hungry:

• Rooting: Turning their head toward the breast or bottle when you touch their cheek.
• Sucking: Sucking on their hands, fingers, or smacking their lips to signal hunger.
• Increased Alertness: Becoming more active or fussy as feeding time approaches.
• Crying: Still a late hunger cue but now more varied as they may use different cries to express their needs.

Signs Your Baby is Full:

• Relaxed Body: Hands unclench, and their body appears calm and content.
• Reduced Sucking: Slowing down or stopping sucking at the breast or bottle.
• Turning Away: Turning their head or pushing away the breast or bottle.
• Falling Asleep: This often happens after a satisfying feed, indicating they are full and content. 

Sleep Patterns in the Third Month

• Babies sleep 13-15 hours per day, including nighttime sleep and daytime naps.
• Daytime naps: Typically 3-4 naps, lasting 30 minutes to 2 hours each.
• Nighttime sleep: Many babies begin sleeping in longer stretches of 5-6 hours, though some may still wake for feeds.
• Sleep may start to follow a more predictable pattern, with regular times for naps and nighttime rest.
• Babies at this stage are developing their circadian rhythm, distinguishing between day and night.
• Frequent awakenings are still common, but some babies may begin to self-soothe back to sleep.

Baby Vaccine Schedule

• Ensure your baby receives the second doses of DTP, Hib, Hepatitis B, IPV/OPV, and Rotavirus vaccines as per the immunisation schedule.

Newborn Baby Essentials

• Lightweight, colourful toys or rattles to encourage grasping and hand-eye coordination.
• Use baby-safe products to keep your baby’s skin soft and hydrated.
• Stock up on diapers, wipes, and zinc oxide-based cream to prevent rashes.
• Engage their developing vision with black-and-white or bold-coloured books.

Baby Bath

• Bathe your baby 2-3 times weekly with lukewarm water.
• Use a gentle, fragrance-free baby soap to clean their skin.
• Avoid scrubbing; pat your baby dry with a soft towel after the bath.
• Keep their face and folds clean, even if they are not bathed daily.