MONTH THREE



Your Baby's Ninth Week

Your little one is growing every day. He may seem even bigger as he begins to stretch out his body. He’s growing strong enough to roll over and move around. Be careful to supervise him closely, especially when he’s laying on a changing table, bed or other piece of furniture. Don’t trust safety straps to hold him in place. You’ll be amazed at just how mobile he can be even at this young age.

Life takes on a new perspective as his legs strengthen enough to bear most of his weight when supported. He’ll enjoy this new outlook. Offer him new views each day by wearing him in a sling or forward facing baby carrier as you go about your daily business. Continue to narrate your actions as you cook, clean and socialize. The more words he hears now the easier it will be for him to imitate sounds and build his vocabulary later. And, you just might teach him a bit about cooking and cleaning so he can help you when he’s old enough!

Your Baby's Tenth Week

A few weeks ago your little one discovered her hands. She probably learned how to suck her thumb for self-comfort and spent a great deal of playtime with her little arms flailing about. Now you’ll witness her reaching for specific objects. While she may not have the hand-eye coordination to aim correctly on the first attempt, you’ll quickly discover which items she wants to touch. Chances are she’ll continue to play with her own hands frequently, directly in front of her face. Or, she may enjoy those rattles for longer periods of time. Watch out! When in reach, you’ll discover little hands grabbing your hair and clothing.

She is now able to track an object with her eyes from one side to a midline (directly in front of her face). She may even continue following it all the way to the other side -- a full 180 degrees.

When your arms need a short break, or when your baby needs a little down time, try placing your little one in a semi-reclined sitting position. Many infant seats, bouncer chairs (some with a soothing vibrating motion) and infant swings are available. She’s now strong enough to sit in this semi-reclined position, especially when propped with a small pillow or rolled receiving blanket. Be certain these objects are not placed near her head where she can turn his face into them. While her neck and back have grown significantly stronger in the past few weeks, you may notice her head is still a bit wobbly. Keep her comfortable, by providing support as needed.

Your Baby's Eleventh Week

Your enterprising youngster is well on her way to mastering the concept of cause and effect. She’s already learned that her cries evoke a response from you and other caregivers. She’ll now begin to vary her cry to signal different needs. You’ll soon learn the difference between, “I’m hungry,” “I’m wet,” and “Someone pick me up, please.” Continue going to her before she begins crying whenever possible. You’ll continue to notice non-verbal cues that indicate hunger or discomfort. While she’ll cry sometimes, regardless of your actions, you can help her learn that she needn’t cry each time she needs your attention.

Your baby is also learning that she can physically effect her environment. She’ll discover that when she swipes at her mobile it moves! And, when she shakes her rattle, it makes noise!

Expect her to make noise as well. Her coos, squeals and throaty sounds will appear more frequently. She’ll begin using these happy sounds as she plays or socializes. Her smiles will become truly spontaneous. You’ll no longer have to work so hard to find one. You may even be surprised by her first wonderfully happy laugh.

Your Baby's Twelfth Week

The moment you’ve been waiting for is finally here! Sleep! Somewhere around the age of three months, most babies begin sleeping for extended periods of time each night. These stretches may last six hours or longer! While you may not consider this “through the night” you’ll certainly enjoy an uninterrupted stretch yourself. Your little one will be increasingly social. He’ll flash that wonderful smile and invite you and other caregivers to play. Try moving to a mat on the floor where you can both wiggle. Black and white or primary colored surfaces and toys will capture his attention. Baby gyms with mats underneath offer a comfortable place for overhead play as well as a festive padded area for tummy time.

Your baby’s thirteenth week

Take a moment to congratulate yourself on your breastfeeding accomplishment! The first several weeks are by far the most difficult as you try to balance recovering from childbirth to establishing your milk supply and caring for your new baby. It may have seemed that your little one was constantly attached to your breast! Still, you know that this arrangement is the best for your baby and for you as well. Now, the hardest part is behind you. While you’ll still want to feed your baby on demand, you may notice a primitive schedule emerging. She may begin to take a break now and again as other things distract her. If she has started sleeping longer stretches at night, you’ll probably enjoy sleeping right along with her. If you should experience engorgement due to a missed feed, try expressing a bit of milk and storing it as an insurance policy. You’ll be more comfortable while you sleep and you’ll know your freezer is stocked just in case you are called away unexpectedly.

Your little one takes comfort in the sound of your voice. She’ll enjoy listening to you read books out loud. Short stories with rhythmic verses are time-tested favorites. She may be too young to understand the story, but it is never too early to take up reading together.

Your baby is growing stonger and bigger each day. Take time out to document her development on film, video tape or in a written journal.

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