0-3 Month Overview
Do you have a baby between 0-3 months? First of all, congratulations! What an exciting time! You may also have a lot of questions and feel overwhelmed in these first few months. That’s ok! We’re here to help.
Below are some popular and important topics that will help with your baby’s development and hopefully help with your journey as a parent to. This information will help get you through the first 3 months.
Don’t forget to check out our Milestones and Abilities and Games pages. The milestones and abilities will help you track your baby’s development, so you know what they should be doing. The games section will help baby reach their milestones and abilities with activities created by physical and occupational therapists, and speech language pathologists.
Sleep
What to Know About Sleep:
- 3 Easy Tips to Make Sure Baby Sleeps Safely
- Pro Parenting Tip: Do the “Sleep Switch”
- How Much Will Baby Sleep?
- Should I Use a Swaddle, Sleep Sack, or Something Else?
- Bath Before Bed
- Video: Your Guide to Baby’s Sleep in the First Year
3 Easy Tips to Make Sure Baby Sleeps Safely
Sleeping soundly starts with safety. Follow this easy A-B-C Rule to make sure your little one is safe while they slumber:
- Baby Sleeps Alone. This means they sleep alone in a crib or bassinet, with nothing else inside it. However, baby may sleep in the same room as their caregiver.
- Baby Sleeps on their Back
- Baby Sleeps in a Crib (or Bassinet)
Buying your first crib? Learn these crib safety tips to make sure your baby’s sleeping space is safe.
Pro Parenting Tip: Do the “Sleep Switch!”
Whenever you lay baby down to sleep in their crib, there is one simple step you can take to help prevent two common conditions: positional plagiocephaly (flat spots on the head) and positional torticollis (tight neck muscles on one side). Try doing the Sleep Switch: Right, Left, Repeat!
How Much Will Baby Sleep?
Ok, we don’t have a magic formula to help baby nail their sleep schedule (sorry!), but we have a lot of tips to help them get the sleep they need!
- How Much Sleep Should Baby Get and Why Is Sleep So Important?
- Why Baby Wakes Up So Much in First Few Months of Life
- Is Baby Going Through Sleep Regression? What It Is and How to Help
What about napping? Baby will nap throughout the early years to help them get all the sleep they need! Typically, napping at this age looks like this. Learn more.
Swaddle, Sleep Sack, or Something Else?
Just like all of us, baby has sleep preferences too! Learn more about swaddles, sleep sacks, and other alternatives.
- Swaddles vs. Sleep Sacks: What’s the Difference?
- Other Swaddling Alternatives
- Watch how to swaddle baby:
Bath Before Bed
Ahh, nothing better than a warm bath before bed! Setting up a bath time routine with baby can help them regulate and get prepared for sleep. Learn more about creating a bath time routine for baby.
How can baby stay safe during bath time? Go through this checklist before baby scrub-a-dubs!
Watch: Your Guide to Baby’s Sleep in the First Year
Feeding
What to Know about Feeding Your Newborn:
What Baby’s Feeding Will Look Like
At this age, baby’s stomach is small, so they’ll only be able to digest small amounts at a time. This means feedings will probably be more frequent (around every 1-3 hours).
Learn more about Baby’s Feeding.
Should I wake up baby to feed them? In some cases, yes. This helps baby gain weight in the early months. Learn more and talk to baby’s healthcare provider to see what’s right for them.
How to Tell if Baby’s Hungry
Welcome to the world of hunger cues! Before your baby can say “I need to eat!”, they’ll tell you this through various cues.
Learn baby’s hunger cues and what to look for!
How can I tell if my NICU baby is hungry? Hunger cues in the NICU may look a little different. While baby’s feeding may be through a tube at this time, it’s still important to look for and respond to their cues. See what baby’s hunger cues might look like in the NICU.
The Low-Down on Spit-Up
Spitting-up may be a little icky, but it’s really important for baby’s digestion!
Important note: Spitting up should happen pretty easily for baby. If you notice they seem uncomfortable or are spitting up a lot, they may be dealing with something called GERD. Learn what to look out for.
Can baby drink water? At this age, no. Baby shouldn’t drink water until they are 6 months old. Learn more about drinking water, and see below for more foods and drinks to avoid in their first year.
Bonding
How to Bond with Your Newborn:
- It’s Always a Good Time for Tummy Time!
- Bonding with Baby in the NICU
- Bond and Help Development with Massage+ 30, 10, 5
- Playing with Baby
- Communicating with Baby
- Baby’s Developing Senses
- Social-Emotional Development
It’s Always a Good Time for Tummy Time
Yes, even at 1 day old baby has an exercise routine!
Learn everything you need to know about Tummy Time here!
What if my baby hates Tummy Time? That’s ok! So many babies have trouble with Tummy Time. Try out some of these alternate positions, to see if baby likes them better. Work to build up to 1 hour of Tummy Time per day by 3 months.
Bonding with Baby in the NICU
If baby is in the NICU after they are born, there are still so many ways to bond with them!
Through massage, music, communication, and games, you can keep baby active, developing and bonding with you. Learn how to bond with baby if they are in the NICU.
Why is skin-to-skin contact so important? This helps with bonding and reducing stress levels in the early months of life, especially if baby is in the NICU. Learn more.
Help Baby’s Development with Massage+ 30, 10, 5
Massage+ 30, 10, 5 is a simple, quick, and powerful intervention using massage to help improve the health and development of premature and full-term infants. This is a massage of baby’s head, arms, legs, belly, and back, and also incorporates communication, the sensory system, and movement. Watch the full massage below, and learn more here!
Playing with Baby
Even at this age, you can play with baby every day! See below for some ways to play with baby, and how to find game ideas for their age.
- Download the Pathways.org Baby Milestones App to get daily activity suggestions for baby’s age and abilities.
- Explore 0-3 month games
When is the best time to play with baby? Baby goes through different stages of alertness throughout the day. The quiet alert phase is when baby is most ready to play! Learn what to look for.
Communicating with Baby
Baby can’t talk yet, but they still have a lot to say! And they want to hear from you.
Learn more about baby’s communication development.
How can you help baby’s language development at this age? Even as young as 2 months, baby can start processing rhythmic patterns in speech. Learn more about using a sing-song voice and nursery rhymes with baby.
Baby’s Developing Senses
Baby has 8 senses that begin developing as soon as they are born. Check out these activities to promote their sensory development!
Baby’s Social Emotional Development
Even at this young age, baby is feeling emotions!
Learn more about their social-emotional development.
When will baby start to smile? Baby will smiling at you around 6-12 weeks! Here are some ways to bring out the sunny side of baby.
What Every New Parent Should Know
Pathways.org Recommendations
- Download the Pathways.org Baby Milestones App
- Preparing for Baby’s Arrival?
- Support for Preemies & NICU Babies
- How to Track Milestones
- Well-Baby Visits
- Newborn Reflexes
- Why You Should Limit Baby’s Time in Strollers, Carriers, and Car Seats
Download the Pathways.org Baby Milestones App
Everything you need to support baby’s development, all in one app.
Preparing for Baby’s Arrival?
Support for Preemies & NICU Babies
If baby is born early or requires extra medical care, it can be a scary time for parents. We have materials to help support you and your little one during this period!
Did you know you need to adjust your premature baby’s milestones for 2 years after they’re born? See the chart to the left for more details.
How to Track Milestones
Let the tracking begin! Baby’s milestones change every 3 months, and we provide a variety of materials to help track them.
We have 4 categories of milestones: Motor, Communication, Sensory and Feeding.
Check out some of these resources to track baby’s milestones!
- Download the Pathways.org Baby Milestones App
- 0-3 Month Milestones & Abilities
- Assure the Best Brochure
- Milestone Checklist
Well-Baby Visits: What Every Parent Needs to Know
Do You Notice Any of These Newborn Reflexes?
There are 6 common reflexes baby may show in the early months!
