Your Three Month Old Baby's Needs and Development

Care for your three-month old baby is an evolving thing and depends on developmental patterns and personality. One of the personality traits that a baby might develop by three months of age is to become “fussy.’  Some experts prefer to refer to babies with these personality characteristics as high-needs babies.  These babies most often become high-needs toddlers and high-needs children.  There is nothing wrong with a high-needs child, nor is it a deficiency in parenting that causes them to develop these mannerisms.  High-needs babies simply have personalities that demand attention.

High-needs babies are very sensitive to their environment and the people around them.  These babies are the most difficult to adapt to feeding and sleeping patterns.  Parents with high-needs babies quickly learn to get their own rest whenever they can.  You will find that a high-needs baby wants to be held a lot, needs frequent feedings, and the knowledge that you are quickly responsive to their cries.  Since a high-needs baby can be very demanding on a parent’s time and patience, it is important for parents of a “fussy” child to take time out for themselves and get enough rest.

This brings us to a discussion about three month old babies and sleep.  It is becoming a popular opinion that children up to six months of age share a family bed with their parents.  There are many reasons to conclude that such an arrangement is positive for the child.  Proponents of the family bed say that this way of sleeping guarantees the child safety, security, warmth, comfort, and breast milk in the measures intended by nature.  UNICEF has gone so far as to publish a guide for mothers and babies sleeping together.

Opponents of such tactics point out that adult beds are not designed for babies and that they would do better to sleep on their own.  They also advise that you never sleep with your baby in the event that you have been drinking alcohol or taking drugs, are unusually tired, are smoking in bed, or have an illness your baby could contract.  They also firmly state that you should never sleep with your baby on a couch or pull out sofa, as babies can become lodged in the edges of such furniture and suffocate.

In the end, it is recommended that you read and research information on both sides of the “family bed” issue and decide what is best for you and your baby.

Your three-month old baby may have already grown into his or her personal sleep pattern.  Generally, a three-month old baby will begin to stay awake for longer spells during the day and begin to sleep for periods of four to six hours straight at night.  Your baby will probably sleep for a total of twelve to twenty hours in a given twenty-four-hour period.

When observing any behavioral developments of your three-month old baby, it is important to note that all babies progress at different rates and that you should not become unduly alarmed if your baby has yet to move onto something someone else’s child is doing.  He or she will get there at their own speed.