Playing With Your Baby While Promoting Development at 3 Months

6  Characteristics of Your 3 Month Old Baby’s Development

1. Briefly follows objects with eyes and head

2. Vocalizes when spoken to

3. On tummy, raises and lowers head

4. Uses hand to explore face, eyes, mouth

5. May reach for objects

6. Now developing patterns of sleep and patterns of alertness

Suggested Play Activities at 3 Months

Interactive Visual play

1. Hold bright,  simple objects or colored scarves at the center of baby’s vision, slowly moving objects or scarves to the left and to the right, up and down while baby follows to work on tracking and coordination.

2. Use mirrors and brightly colored toys to entertain during “Tummy Time”

Interactive auditory Play

1. Reinforce any speech sounds by immediately repeating baby’s sounds when he makes them.

2. If baby sticks out his tongue, mimic and see if baby will do this again. try to keep this back and forth interaction going as long as possible.

3. Talk to baby at close range

4. Introduce “raspberries” as part of vocalization

5. Sing to your baby. Add shakers, hand movements, and signing for increased auditory and visual variety.

6. Encourage your baby to follow your voice as you move

Interactive Movement

1. Continue 2 month activities but expect better head lifting when your baby looks at people and interesting toys.

2. Encourage reaching towards objects by gently swiping the back of your baby’s hand with a toy  such as a shaker with handle.

3. Hold objects at chest level while baby is lying on his back to encourage reaching.

4. Help bring your baby’s hands together to midline both during “Tummy Time”  play and back lying positions.

5. Add the  “pat-a-cake” game to play time.

6. Continue “Tummy Time” and utilize side-lying positioning for play as well.

7. In sitting position on your lap, while supporting head and neck, add gentle back and forth movements in addition to side to side movements while singing songs such as “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”, “Rock-a-bye baby”, and “Wheels on the Bus”.

8. While on back,  practice slow rolling, helping baby roll with support at the hips.

9. Allow time for bare feet.

10. Place a ball in kicking range, encouraging baby to move the ball with his feet while lying on the floor on his back.

11. Continue dancing with your baby because this helps balance and provides good vestibular input.  For many babies the movement of dancing  is very calming.  You may want to incorporate this into your baby’s bedtime routine.

12.  More activities are learned and experienced in our “First Weeks” group

Dancing with your baby helps with balance, provides good vestibular input and is  very calming for many babies.  In our “First Weeks” class we use dancing also as a way to encourage socialization.

Parents and babies love to dance together!

While supporting baby’s head & neck Daddies  in our “First Weeks” group sit babies on their laps and add gentle back and forth movements in addition to side to side movements while they sing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”.

Additional verses include “Rock, Rock, Rock Your Boat”  and  “Bounce, Bounce, Bounce your Boat”.  Daddies watch their baby’s facial expressions and decide which type of movement their babies like the best.

This activity is great for facilitating engagement and bonding while working on head and neck control, balance, and providing great vestibular input.

Holding bright, simple, objects and colored scarves in the center of your baby’s vision works on tracking as well as visual coordination and parent-infant engagement and attachment.

Great fun!

Look for play activities at 4 months in tomarrows blog

Marilee Hartling RN, MFT

Infant/Child Development Specialist

Licensed Child and Family Therapist