Your Baby: 0–3 Months – Developmental Milestones, Best First Toys

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Developmental Milestones

All babies develop at
different rates, but as long as your little one is reaching her
developmental milestones at roughly the appropriate time, you’ll have
nothing to worry about. Keeping track of her development is not only a
source of great pleasure, but also alerts you to any potential problems
in plenty of time to set things right.


By three months, your baby will likely be able to:



  • Grasp items reflexively


  • Lift her head

  • Suck well from your breast or bottle


  • Coordinate her sucking, swallowing, and breathing


  • Smile socially

  • Stop crying when she is picked up and held

  • Use a different cry when she is tired, hungry, or in pain


  • Coo when she is spoken to


  • Recognize her parents by sight

  • Visually track moving objects or faces from 8–10in (20–25cm) away


  • Look in the direction of sounds

  • Move her arms and legs to show interest in the action around her


  • Bring her hands and fingers to her mouth

  • Take some of her body weight on her legs when standing supported

  • Have some semblance of a routine, sleeping less in the daytime and more at night

  • Control the muscles in her arms and legs as she starts to grab or kick at toys or people


Best First Toys

Your new baby can see only a
short distance in front of her face, and she won’t see everything in
full color for another few weeks; however, her sense of touch and
hearing are very well developed, and she will enjoy experimenting with
different sounds and textures. Offer her the following toys in her first
few weeks:


  • A high-contrast mobile for her crib or bassinet

  • A light rattle—wrist or sock rattles are ideal

  • Soft toys that crinkle, ring, or rattle when touched, with a variety of different textures and surfaces to investigate

  • A washable soft toy—babies often form attachments in the early weeks that last well into childhood

  • Musical toys, particularly those that respond to her gentle kicks or touch

  • A baby mirror placed by the crib

  • Books with pictures or photos of brightly colored animals, or of faces

  • Books of nursery rhymes—your baby will love familiar, repetitive songs and stories…and the sound of your voice reading and singing them

  • An automated swing—your
    baby may enjoy this for her first six months, not only because she’ll
    feel soothed by the feeling of being rocked, but also because it will
    entertain her as the world goes flashing by