What to Expect from a Newborn Ages 3-6 Months

Being a new mother, it can be tough to know what your child should and should not be doing. Talking to your pediatrician will help you to know what to expect from your little one. You should not feel bad or scared if your baby isn't doing what they should be at this age. All babies learn at their own pace. Some are born with teeth, some do not get their first tooth until they are 1 year old. If you are concerned, talk to your doctor and they may have some suggestions to help your baby get farther along. Here are a few guidelines as to what you may see your son or daughter start to do when they are between the ages of 3 -6 months.

They should be able to recognize the familiar faces such as mom, dad, siblings, or perhaps day care providers. When excited, they will be smiling more often. They will enjoy seeing the faces of everyday, but might not have any expression or even cry when they see faces they don't see very often. The older they get in this stage, the less they will cry. The main reason for this is because you will be able to see the signs of their demands. You will know when it is time to eat, get their diaper changed, and when it is time to sleep.

Your baby will start to make cooing sounds in response to sounds that they hear. This is just a sign that they are starting to communicate with you. Those sounds will later be replaced with words. He or she will now have a desire to grasp anything they can get a hold of. This can range from a toy, small teether, or even mommy's sunglasses or earrings. This would be the best time to invest in hair scrunchies for mommy to put her hair up in a pony tail. Speaking of teethers, your little one may start to get their teeth in during this time period. Do not be alarmed if they do not, some babies do not get their first teeth until they are one.

You might want to talk to your doctor about starting your baby on solid foods. Most will recommend that you wait until they are six months of age, some may suggest earlier. Make sure they are still getting plenty of milk as well as trying a variety of jar foods that are available. If they seem to have a hard time with the jar food, wait a week or two and try again. Do not force the food, they may not be ready for it but will be eventually. Continue the jar foods until they are at least one, and have teeth to be able to chew more solid foods.

You baby will be easily entertained at this age, and will laugh when they find something funny. This is a good age to invest in a baby swing if you have not already. They like movement, and they will be quieted when they hear soft sounds or music. You also could purchase a lighted mobile for their crib, this will put them to sleep in a heartbeat. Between 5 and 6 months of age, they will become very adventurous. They will want to put their feet up to their mouths and suck on toes. They will think that meal time is play time. I think that this is one of the best ages of babies because they are so easily entertained. You can actually start to see your baby's personality. If you are lucky, they may even begin to hold their own bottle.

You will be able to see huge changes in your baby between the ages of 3 and 6 months. He or she will show excitement and laughter. It is a great age to get your baby's pictures taken as you will get to see their personality shine through. Enjoy this time as it will go by really fast. Congratulations on your new little one.