Babies like to kick
Development
Setting aside time a couple of times each day to have fun with your baby is important both for your baby’s development and for your relationship with your baby.
Babies need to play on their tummy to encourage them to develop head and neck control, and most should be able to lift their head up slightly by three months of age. They need this strength to learn to roll over and then crawl which can occur as early as eight months. However babies with reflux may not be happy lying on their tummies and can prefer sitting up with your support.
Three month old babies also like to kick and straighten their legs when on their back, often quite vigorously. Place your baby in the middle of a room on the carpet, or on a bed or on a blanket in the yard so he can be exposed to a variety of settings while lying on his tummy.
Watching your baby interact with their own reflection a mirror is entertaining because they do not realise it is actually them and not another person at this age. Some babies will stare, while others will coo. Through cooing, babies begin to make vowel sounds and directing their speech at people around them and toys and listening to themselves pleases them. You can encourage this language development further by talking, singing and reading to him as you go about your daily routine, as well as reacting when they make noises and providing positive reinforcement with hugs, kisses and claps, when they accomplish things.
Medical
Babies who have colic will cry differently to other babies. The signs for colic are characterised by intense cries of pain and discomfort that last for at least three hours, three times every week, as well as a red face, legs drawn up tightly to the body and clenched fists. Colic will begin in the first few weeks and reach a peak around six weeks and start to diminish by twelve weeks, although it can continue for longer than this. This constant crying does not scar babies emotionally – it is specific to the length of time that your baby has colic so try not to become anxious.
Sleep
By this time, it is not unusual for a baby to have settled into a sleep pattern and be sleeping for extended periods. During the day she will stay awake for longer periods and at night she may sleep for 4-6 hours at a stretch but many will still feed throughout the night. Baby should sleep for 12-20 hours in a 24 hour period.
Teaching your baby to fall asleep independently (and this includes being fed before being put in the cot) should wait until your baby is older than six months and is consuming less breast milk in exchange for solids. But by increasing the amount of milk your baby has at night and slowly reducing the number of late night feeds your baby has before six months is good preparation for when this time comes. It will also cut the number of times you need to change your baby’s nappy each night. You can do this by waiting an extra half hour between feeds each night, or until your baby cries.
It is important to note that by the time a baby weights five kilograms, a night feed is no longer necessary for growth, but a baby who is accustomed to feeding during the night may wake out of habit and demand to be fed. Phasing out night feeds by the fourth month is fine, provided your baby is getting an adequate amount of milk during the day. It is however not unusual for babies to have night feeds for much longer than this!
