Your baby 1-3 months
Your baby will begin to be awake for longer periods and will take more interest in his
surroundings. He will smile in response to your smiles. By now he will know you well and
will complain if you put him down when he wants to play.
What your baby can do
- He is beginning to uncurl. His closed fists are now more open and will readily grasp a
rattle if you touch one to his palm
- He can press his palms together and play with his hands
- He can hold a toy in his fist, but he cannot look at it as he does so. He has yet to
make the connection between the toy he is holding and what he is doing with his hands
- He can move his arms around randomly but quite energetically which helps to build up his
muscles
- He may now suck his thumb or his fingers
- By three months your baby will have discovered his hands; these will continue to be
invaluable play things for many months. He hasn’t yet realised that his hands are a
part of him, but within a few weeks he will gradually understand this
Language development
It may seem a little early to think about language skills, but babies can and do
communicate. It’s never too early to talk to your baby and you are laying down the
foundations for his language development later.
- Initially he is startled by loud sounds
- At first your baby will stop still and listen intently when you talk, but won’t
look your way
- By six weeks your baby will turn to sounds, and begin to watch your face when you talk
and smile
How you can help
- Carry him around and show him shapes and colours and lights. Everything is fascinating
the first few times you see it!
- Make conversation whenever you have the chance, but particularly when he makes noises or
looks your way
- Talk as you do everyday things: ‘Into the bath you go’, ‘Here’s your
blue rattle’
- Talk to your baby as though he understands you
- Try to have at least some of your chats quietly, with just the two of you
- Share a book, ideally with simple black and white pictures. Even the youngest baby will
gaze at the pictures and enjoy listening to your voice
Toys for this stage
- Rattles: as he holds a rattle and waves his hands he will hear the noise and start to
make a connection between his moving hand and the rattle; he’s learning that if you
can hear something you can probably see it too
- Baby gym: he can lie on his back and focus on the brightly coloured shapes
Developmental tests
at 6-8 weeks
The timing and the range of these tests do vary a bit from one health authority to
another. But your health visitor will be able to tell you what happens where you live.
The six to eight week checks include:
- Eyesight tests
- Hearing tests
- Smiling
- A range of physical measurements and checks including weight, joints and the fontanelles
Some health visitors will formally ‘test’ your baby, others will simply watch
him at play and ask you questions about his development.
In addition to these reviews your health visitor will encourage you to have your
baby’s height and weight measured regularly at your local child health clinic. These
measurements give you and your health visitor a good indication of how your baby is
developing, so that any problems can be identified early on, and the appropriate help
sought if necessary.
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