What should a 3 month old be doing?

Read next: 2 months · 4 months · 6 months

A 3 month old should be sleeping roughly 14 to 16 hours in 24, feeding every 2 to 4 hours, holding their head steady and starting to laugh and reach out at the world. This is also the month the PHN does the 3-month development check.

The ranges below are consistent with HSE and WHO guidance and they are deliberately wide. Your baby only needs to be somewhere inside them, and only on average.

How much should a 3 month old sleep?

Roughly 14 to 16 hours in 24, usually 3 to 5 naps plus the night. Wake windows have stretched to about 75 minutes to 2 hours, so the day starts to have a bit more shape: a feed, a proper play, then a nap.

Many 3 month olds do one longer stretch at night of 5 or 6 hours and some do more. Others still wake every 3 hours, and that is not a problem to fix. One thing to know: the so-called 4-month sleep regression can begin from around 14 to 16 weeks, so a 3 month old who was sleeping well and suddenly is not may simply be a few weeks early. The wake windows chart shows where the windows go next.

How much should a 3 month old drink?

For a formula-fed baby the guide is still around 150 ml per kilogram of body weight per day. At 3 months many babies are around 5.5 to 6.5 kg, which is roughly 800 to 950 ml a day in total. The formula by weight guide has the full table.

A breastfed 3 month old feeds every 2 to 4 hours and takes what they need. Feeds are often faster now because the baby is a more efficient feeder, so a short feed is not a sign of a problem. Milk is still the only thing a 3 month old needs. No water, no juice and no solids yet.

How many feeds for a 3 month old?

Most 3 month olds feed every 2 to 4 hours, roughly 6 to 8 bottles or 7 to 10 breastfeeds in 24 hours. Some babies drop a night feed around now and take slightly bigger feeds by day to make up for it. Others keep two night feeds for months yet. Both patterns are fine.

The 3-month growth spurt is a real thing. A few days of wanting to feed constantly, then it passes. Follow the cues and do not change the routine permanently on the strength of one hungry week.

What milestones should a 3 month old have?

The 3 month old baby milestones the PHN will be looking for, and that you will probably have noticed already:

• Head control. Holds the head steady when held upright, with much less wobble than at 2 months.
• Laughing or squealing. The first real laugh often lands somewhere around 3 to 4 months.
• Batting at objects. Swiping at a toy on the play gym, not yet grabbing it reliably.
• Pushing up on the forearms in tummy time and holding the head up to look around.
• Recognising familiar faces and settling more easily for you than for a stranger.

Rolling, sitting and grabbing come next. Drooling and chewing on fists at 3 months is far more often a normal stage of hand discovery than teething. The 0 to 6 month milestones guide has the rough order.

What is a normal day with a 3 month old?

A 3 month old baby sleep schedule is still loose, but a shape is appearing. A typical day might be something like this.

• Wake and feed around 7am, play and tummy time, nap around 8.30 to 9.
• Feed around 10.30, awake for an hour and a half, nap around 12.
• Feed around 1.30, a walk or a play, nap around 3.
• Feed around 4.30, a short catnap late afternoon.
• Feed around 6.30, bath, down for the night between 7 and 8.30.
• One or two night feeds, often one around 11pm or midnight and sometimes another around 4am.

Some days the afternoon nap disappears and everything shifts an hour. That is not a failed routine, it is a 3 month old. Look at the shape over a week.

What checks or vaccines happen around 3 months in Ireland?

The main event is the PHN 3-month development check, usually at the local health centre. The PHN measures weight, length and head circumference, checks the hips, asks about hearing and vision (does the baby startle to sounds, follow a face, turn to your voice) and looks at head control, smiling and how the baby uses their hands. They will also ask about feeds, sleep and how you are doing. Our guide to PHN visits in Ireland covers what to expect.

There are no vaccines due at 3 months. The first set was at 2 months and the second set (6-in-1, MenB and the last rotavirus drops) comes at 4 months. The Irish vaccine schedule guide has the full timeline.

What is not normal at 3 months?

The 3-month check exists to catch these, so bring them up there, or ring sooner if something is bothering you:

• The head is still floppy when you hold the baby upright.
• No smiling at all, or no response to your face and voice.
• Not following a moving object or face with their eyes.
• Not startling or reacting to sudden loud sounds.
• Feeds that are getting fewer or smaller over a week, or poor weight gain.
• A fever of 38°C or above is still a same-day GP call at this age.

How do I know if my 3 month old is on track?

Compare your baby against the ranges above over a week, not a day. A single short night or a hungry afternoon tells you nothing, but a week of the same thing is a pattern worth mentioning, and the 3-month PHN check is the perfect place to raise it. Lullagram shows the baby's exact age, logs feeds, sleep and milestones in a tap and turns a week of logging into the averages the PHN asks about, so you are not guessing in the waiting room. It is free to try on Android, iPhone and web.

Every baby has their own timetable. This is a guide, not medical advice. If you are worried, ask your PHN or GP.