Your baby's growth and development - 3 months old

By 3 months old, your baby’s mind and body are developing quickly. They are becoming more alert and aware of the world around them. Your baby may respond to faces, familiar voices and gentle interaction. 

By the time your baby is 3 months old, the posterior fontanelle (soft spot at the back of their head) has usually closed. There will still be a soft spot on top of their head. 

Many babies are more settled at this age. Crying is still common, but for many babies it has eased compared with the early weeks. Crying is your baby’s main way to communicate needs such as hunger, tiredness, discomfort or wanting closeness.

Babies often still wake during the night at 3 months old. You may also notice your baby straining or crying before passing a poo. This is common and happens as babies learn how to use their muscles.

In the first 3 months, your baby grows quickly. Every baby grows at their own pace. Some babies grow a little faster, while others grow more slowly.

Your baby’s weight and length will be checked at regular health checks. These measurements are compared with standard growth charts to make sure your baby is growing steadily.

Babies may have a growth spurt at about 3 months old. This might make them fussier because they want to eat more than usual.

While every baby develops at their own pace, there are things that babies and children are generally expected to be doing at each age. These are called ‘milestones’.

Physical development

At 3 months old, your baby is gaining muscle strength. They may reach out for objects and try to put things in their mouth to explore.

Many babies can lift their head during tummy time and may start to lift their chest a little. 
They may also bring their hands together near the middle of their body. When lying on their back, they may wave their arms and kick their legs strongly. 

Safety is very important — even though your baby may not roll yet, they may kick and wriggle. Never leave your baby alone on a change table or any raised surface.

Social development

Your baby learns about people through close contact with you. Looking at your face and sharing eye contact helps your baby learn that people notice them and respond.

Your baby may:

• smile back when you smile at them
• look at your face and make eye contact
• enjoy interaction and settle more easily when they hear familiar voices
• copy simple facial expressions
• begin to show more regular patterns of feeding, sleeping and being awake

Cognitive Development

At 3 months old, your baby begins to understand the world by looking to you for cues about what feels safe and familiar.

They may enjoy looking at faces and listening to you speak.

Emotional Development

Your baby is learning to settle with support. They may calm when you hold, comfort or speak to them. Responding to your baby’s signals helps them feel safe and understood. Over time, this helps your baby build emotional security.

Your baby may:

• respond to facial expressions
• recognise your voice 
• turn to look for you when they hear you

Language development

Your baby communicates before they can use words. They use:

• sounds
• facial expressions
• eye contact
• body movements

Your baby cries to tell you they are hungry, tired or need a nappy change. 

Your baby may also make more cooing or gurgling sounds when calm and content.

As your baby starts to settle into a daily routine, they are often awake more during the day. This gives you more time to interact and bond with them. 

You can support your baby’s development by:

• playing with them 
• letting them look at and touch objects with different colours, shapes, designs and textures 
• reading, singing and talking to them — this helps their language development over time 
• spending time looking at them, smiling and responding to their sounds

Help your baby build neck strength with tummy time. Place your baby on their tummy for short periods during the day. Aim for a few minutes each time, adding up to at least 30 minutes across the day. Always stay with your baby during tummy time and place your baby on their back for sleep.

Read more about how your baby learns and what you can do to support their development.

Talk to your doctor or maternal child health nurse if your baby:

• isn’t feeding well
• cries a lot or is hard to settle
• isn’t moving their arms or legs
• isn’t responding when you play with them
• doesn’t react to loud sounds
• has sleeping patterns that worry you
• isn’t showing social engagement, such as smiling

At any age, it’s important to speak to your doctor if your baby has stopped doing something they had already learned to do. This is sometimes called ‘regression’.

Read more about common worries and fears for parents.

If you are worried or would like to discuss any issues with your baby’s development, speak to your doctor or maternal child health nurse.

You can also try these support groups:

• Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (Opens in new tab) has information about your child’s development from birth to 4 months old.
• Australian Breastfeeding Association (Opens in new tab) has information about weight gain and growth patterns in breastfed babies.
• Children’s Health — Queensland Hospital and Health Service (Opens in new tab) has a fact sheet on development skills and activities from birth to 4 months old.
• Tresillian (Opens in new tab) has information on baby milestones and development.
• Child Health Info (Opens in new tab) has a child development guide from birth up to 12 months old.

Subscribe (Opens in new tab) to Pregnancy, Birth and Baby’s monthly newsletter for more information about your baby.

Languages other than English

Find information in a range of community languages (Opens in new tab) about your 3-month-old baby’s development.

The Government of Western Australia Child and Adolescent Health Service has translated child health fact sheets (Opens in new tab) in languages other than English.

Information for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

Get Up and Grow (Opens in new tab) is a resource for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples about the first foods you will feed your baby.

Australian Breastfeeding Association (Opens in new tab) has breastfeeding resources for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples.

SMS4 Deadly Dads (Opens in new tab) helps First Nations dads connect with their bub, support mum and look after themselves.