In the first month of life, parents of a newborn have a hard time. The child sleeps, eats and is regularly naughty. Mom belongs almost entirely to the child and obeys all his desires. As you grow older, you should bring the baby to a routine that promotes full development and gives some peace and freedom to parents.
Physiology
A three-month-old baby is significantly different from a newborn. The kid at this age already knows how:
- Good hold head. If you put the crumbs at the age of three months on the tummy, then he will easily pick it up and will be examined around.
- Manages his legs and arms. Reacts to sounds, plays with rattles, pulls them into his mouth.
- If you take the baby by the hand, then he will try to rise. Despite this, it is rather early to start sitting down the baby at this age.
- Most babies already know how to roll from back to stomach and back.
- Almost all babies aged 3 months are able to smile and laugh.
It should be noted that parents will have to pay maximum attention to children at this age. Leave the crumbs can not even for a short time. Since a curious baby can make several sharp turns and fall to the floor.
The regimen of a 3-month-old baby on breast and artificial feeding is very important. At this moment, the development of vision and hearing is actively taking place. In order for these organs to develop fully, you can use a variety of rattles and toys with melodies. It is best to purchase a children's mobile that can be hung above the crib. Children are happy to examine such objects, and also discover a lot of new and unknown.
Approximate daily routine of a 3-month-old baby
Consider the first version of the regime for a baby of this age category.
- 6 a.m. Awakening and morning feeding.
- 6: 30–7: 30. Carrying out hygiene procedures. Games with the baby.
- 7: 30–9: 30. Sleep.
- 9:30 a.m. Feeding.
- 9: 30–11: 00. Games and activities.
- 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Sleep in the fresh air (walk).
- 13:00. Feeding.
- 13: 00-14: 30. Games and activities.
- 14: 30-16: 30. Walk in the fresh air. It is advisable that the baby sleep during this period of time.
- 16:30. Feeding.
- 16: 30-17: 30. Games and activities with the baby.
- 17: 30-19: 00. Sleep.
- 19: 30–20: 00. Water treatments. Dressing in sleepwear.
- 20:00. Feeding.
- 20: 30–06: 00. Night sleep.
- 23:30. Night feeding.
- 02:00 or 03:00. Night feeding.
Now let's move on to the daily routine of a 3-month-old baby according to the second option.
- 8 a.m. Awakening and morning feeding.
- 8: 30–9: 30. Carrying out hygiene procedures. Games with the baby.
- 9: 30–10: 30. Sleep.
- 10:30 a.m. Feeding.
- 10: 30–12: 30. Games and activities.
- 12: 30-14: 30. Sleep in the fresh air (walk).
- 2:30 p.m. Feeding.
- 14: 30-16: 00. Games and activities.
- 16: 00-18: 00. Walk in the fresh air. It is advisable that the baby sleep at this time.
- 6 p.m. Feeding.
- 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Games and activities with the baby.
- 19: 00–20: 30. Sleep.
- 20: 30-21: 00. Water treatments. Dressing in sleepwear.
- 9 p.m. Feeding.
- 21: 30–08: 00. Night sleep.
- 23:30. Night feeding.
- 03:00 or 04:00. Night feeding.
The above day regimen for a 3-month-old baby is usually set independently. This can easily be seen if you fix a schedule for several days, that is, record everything that the child does at a specific time every day. Enough monitoring for 3 days to draw conclusions.
Babies at 3 months no longer sleep every time after feeding, like newborns. The child needs to move, he is interested in learning the world around him. But, it should be remembered that he is not yet strong enough, which means that he cannot be awake for a long time. A longer sleep compared to the active period of the crumbs is the absolute norm. After an hour of playing with mom, the baby can sleep for two hours. Parents should not be alarmed, let alone frighten.
Do not panic if the baby's mode is slightly different from the previous day. Sometimes the baby can sleep 4 times for 2 hours. And sometimes it can fall asleep for 3 hours at lunchtime, and in the evening he will have to sleep only 1.5 hours. All of these options are the norm and depend on the impressions and emotions that the baby receives during the day.
Mommy can independently adjust the approximate daily regimen of a 3-month-old baby. Komarovsky supports changes in the mode of the baby, which will be carried out by parents. Moreover, this is considered normal practice, as as you grow older, wakefulness periods in relation to sleep will only increase.
Optimal sleeping conditions
Parents must provide the baby with a full sleep.
To do this:
- Preventilate the room in which the baby sleeps.
- Constantly monitor the level of humidity in the room. It is especially necessary to do this in the cold season, when the air is dry due to the operation of heating devices. Modern humidifiers or hanging wet towels on heating radiators can solve a similar problem.
- Provide silence. In the first months of life, the children's nervous system is not yet able to ignore extraneous sounds. Therefore, it does not make sense to accustom the baby to noise. This approach will simply prevent him from fully getting enough sleep.
- If the child is worried about discomfort in the tummy due to colic or gas, then before going to bed he should be given a tummy massage. Or give a special tool that fixes this problem for some time.
- If your baby sleeps restlessly and constantly wakes himself up due to sharp movements of his hands, then perhaps you should try a light swaddling.
In order for the baby to sleep well, you can use daily rituals that can set up the baby for peace and tranquility. Mommy can sing a lullaby or read a bedtime story. Over time, the baby will get used to certain actions and it will be easier to adjust to sleep.
The main problems with a baby’s sleep
Parents may be faced with the following:
- The baby began to sleep very little during the day, so the daily regimen of a 3-month-old baby on artificial or breastfeeding is very different from the schedule that the baby kept before.
- The kid began to respond to any stimuli.
- Very often wakes up in the middle of the night.
- He does not want to get off the handles during laying.
- The baby requires a breast or pacifier every time after waking up.
- Refuses to sleep in his crib.
- The child can fully sleep only in a moving stroller.
Feeding
The regimen of a 3-month-old baby breast-feeding does not differ significantly from the daily routine of the crumbs, which eats the mixture. On average, children in this age category require 2 to 4 feedings per night. It is worth noting that babies eating the mixture are asked to eat during night sleep much less often.
The baby is already able to eat more breast milk than before. And this means that he can be full for a longer time. Moreover, the intervals between feedings are significantly increased, and the duration of feeding itself, on the contrary, is reduced.
The 3-month feeding schedule is still based on the “on demand” regimen. Most likely, your baby will ask you to eat every 2-3 hours during the daytime and every 3-4 hours at night for some time to come.
If a three-month-old baby wakes up very often in the middle of the night, then you should not immediately resort to the introduction of early feeding. Alas, this practice began to be encountered quite often. This will not solve the problem! Moreover, children of this age category are not yet ready for adult food, so now the main source of nutrition for them is breast milk or a mixture for the newborn.
Face wash
Hygienic procedures are carried out as soon as the baby woke up. The face of the baby is wiped with a cotton pad dipped in warm water. First clean the eyes, then go to the nose, ears, cheeks and neck. Do not forget about the skin behind the ears, this area must be kept clean. This will prevent diaper rash. Moreover, milk often flows over the ears during feeding. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the cleanliness of this area regularly.
Bathing
The baby is taken to bathe in the evening, when all family members are assembled. A baby should be bathed in a baby bath with a slope or with a special hammock. Some parents bathe a child using a circle around their neck.
Not everyone supports this method, but it is believed that this device allows the child to be in the water without additional adult assistance.
Washing
Each time you change the diaper, you need to rinse the crotch area of the crumbs under running water. Then gently pat dry with a towel and dry all the folds. At the end of the procedure, you need to spread the skin with cream under the diaper. This procedure will help avoid skin diaper rash and irritation.
Walks
The daily routine of a 3-month-old baby includes a mandatory stay in the fresh air. One of the tasks of parents is the proper organization of daily walks from the first day of life of the crumbs. With a three-month-old baby you can already walk not only around the yard, but also in the park and square. In the summer, the list of places is replenished. Time can be spent at sea, in the country, in the forest, near a river, and so on.
Options for walking at different times of the year:
- Winter is not a reason to stay at home. Walking a child in the cold is just as necessary as in the warm. Sunlight in winter allows the baby's body to produce vitamin D. The frequency of walks should be changed depending on the air temperature. On average, being in the fresh air should last from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours twice a day.
- In autumn and spring it is better to choose the afternoon for walking. Since it is damp during this period, part of the morning walks can be replaced with “balcony” ones or their duration can be reduced to half an hour.
- In the warm season, the child should walk as often as possible. If you have the opportunity, then you can walk with your child for 2-3 hours twice a day. It is especially useful to open the visor of the stroller for 10-20 minutes so that the crumbs are soaked in the sun. But do not forget that direct sunlight can have a negative effect on the delicate skin of the baby. Therefore, during the walk, make sure that the crumbs are in the shade.
Massage and gymnastics
Physical activity for the health of the baby is the main component. Gymnastics helps the harmonious development of the child. Moreover, it helps to establish closer contact with mom.
Consider the basic exercises that are recommended to be carried out regularly with the baby:
- The arms of the baby are raised up, then bred and crossed in the chest area.
- The legs in the knees are bred to the sides, and then returned to their original position.
- At the end, the baby is laid out on the tummy.
This set of exercises helps to prevent dislocation of the femoral joints. In addition, such gymnastics helps to improve blood circulation and digestive processes. At the age of three months it is already possible to slightly rub the arms and legs of the crumbs, warming them.
Massage can be carried out by a mom or a specialist. Such procedures help relieve excess stress. In addition, gymnastics helps to remove excess tone, which is often found in children under the age of one year.
Massage is a stroking of the feet, hands, back, tummy, arms and legs. Before starting, mom should lubricate her hands with oil or baby cream. The duration of one procedure is about 15 minutes. Give preference to air baths combined with massage. Moreover, all massage specialists first completely undress the baby, and then proceed to the procedure.
Advice
As mentioned above, the regimen of a 3-month-old baby on artificial and breast-feeding is practically the same. In order to formulate the correct daily routine for crumbs, you should:
- Observe his behavior in order to understand what mode his body adheres to. Pay particular attention to activity. Since in some children it manifests itself during the day, and in others in the evening. When planning, be sure to consider these features.
- It is best to start setting up the baby's regimen with feedings. Moreover, timely feeding by the clock is exclusively beneficial for the children's body. Accustomed to eating at the same time, the body starts the process of secretion of gastric juice and saliva. Thanks to such processes, digestion and well-being improves.
- Some children are able to develop a mode on their own. Thanks to the “internal clock”, the time for feeding and sleeping is adjusted. For other kids, on the contrary, it’s very difficult to get used to a certain routine, they confuse night and day. And the life of parents becomes like chaos. Unfortunately, the formation of the schedule can take a long time, sometimes it takes about a year. Adults need patience during this period. Sooner or later you will realize that your efforts were not in vain.
A well-designed daily routine for a 3-month-old child allows parents to conveniently plan their day, and the baby to fully develop. Accept the fact that planning a regimen is not only a requirement of modern pediatricians, but also a necessity for both the child and his mom and dad.