Activity guide for babies 1-3 months old
At this age, your baby is expressing comfort and discomfort through sounds.
Later on, squeals of joy and gurgles of pleasure will surface, particularly in social settings.
Initial vocalizations are random and not intended to engage with the environment. As parents, it's your responsibility to respond to and interpret these vocalizations.
During this period, the baby's crying will begin to vary in tone, based on situations such as hunger, thirst, pain, and boredom.
Around the age of three months, the baby begins to engage in "conversation," responding to speech with sounds.
From an initially unfocused gaze, the baby begins to focus, smile voluntarily, and even track objects from side to side with their head.
At three months old, when lying on their stomach, babies can lift up their head and chest and look around for longer periods.
While lying on their back, babies learn to move their legs and arms voluntarily.
By the third month, the baby's palms, typically fisted in the first month, will more often be open, and they may even begin grasping objects placed in their hand.
During these months, the baby perceives the environment through their senses and learns their body’s limits.
This is the ideal time for you to support and encourage your baby's development.
For this purpose, we have prepared several tips for oral-communicative and sensorimotor development.
The following instructions will help you enjoy quality time with your child, promoting their growth and development:
Tips for oral-communicative development:
- Hold and hug the baby while feeding with both hands to encourage touch and connection.
- Proper holding promotes better oral coordination and communication during feeding.
- While feeding, maintain eye contact with the baby and avoid distractions like using your cell phone; the baby needs your full attention during meals.
- Respond to the baby's vocalizations; they need adult responses to develop social skills.
- During diaper changes, massage the baby's hands, legs, back, and stomach with a face towel and natural oil to help them become aware of their body. Name the body parts as you massage them.
- The baby prefers in-person voices over voices coming from electronic devices - talk and sing to the baby often, making eye contact as a foundation for building a relationship.
Tips for sensorimotor development:
- Carry the baby in various positions - both horizontally and vertically - taking care to support their head.
This diversifies the baby's visual experience and aids in developing physical awareness. - Several times a day, place the baby on their stomach, on both a hard surface and a blanket with different textures. This helps the baby lift their head, strengthen neck muscles, and observe their surroundings.
- Gently move the baby's legs in a bicycling motion while they are on their back several times a day to help strengthen their leg muscles.
- Encourage the baby to grasp their feet by putting colorful socks on them.
- Lay the baby on their right and left sides on a hard surface with a small, firm pillow supporting their back to encourage the use of all their muscles.
- Dress the baby in slightly loose clothing to allow for easy movement.
- Play music for the baby to aid in auditory recognition development.
- Hang a mobile above the baby's bed that plays soothing music to stimulate curiosity and enhance visual skills.
- Roll a colorful ball slowly in front of the baby's eyes while they're lying on their stomach (from two months old) to develop eye-tracking skills.
- Take the baby for walks outside in a stroller. Being outdoors can bring babies enjoyment and help them relax.
- Give the baby a small, gentle rattle with various textures to encourage grasping and develop their sense of hearing.
- Introduce the baby to the "play arch" from the first week, starting with one or two items. Initially, the baby will only observe, but eventually they will learn to reach and interact with hanging items. It's important to place toys on both the right and left sides.
- Place the baby in an infant car seat (from two months old) or on a trampoline two to three times a day for up to 10 minutes to allow them to see the world from a different perspective.
