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3 months old baby not feeding well


3 Month Old Baby: Development and Milestones

3-Month-Old Baby

What a charmer! At 3-months-old, baby is probably smiling plenty, and they’ve likely started to imitate what they hear and see (so watch what you do, mama!). You should chat with baby throughout the day, describing what you're doing, how you're doing it and where you're going—this is how they’ll eventually learn to talk! Just don't go too crazy though. Baby is a quick learner, but they need you to keep things clear and simple, and to recognize when they need a break.

As your 3-month-old baby continues to grow and develop, there are lots of things you’ll want to keep an eye on and a few key 3-month-old baby milestones to watch for. With a whole three months under your parenting belt, you may feel more confident in your child-rearing skills, but you likely have a lot of questions: How often do you feed a 3-month-old baby? How can you play with a 3-month-old? And let’s not forget: When will my 3-month-old sleep through the night? Ready for the lowdown? Here’s everything you need to know about your budding little person.

In this article.
3-month-old development
3-month-old health
3-month-old feeding
3-month-old sleep
3-month-old schedule
Activities for a 3-month-old
3-month-old baby checklist and tips

3-Month-Old Development

Baby is becoming even more active and social at the three-month mark, right? They’re more in control of their body and more aware of people and interacting with them, which makes for lots of fun at playtime.

3-month-old baby weight and length

Parents want to know: How much should a 3-month-old weigh and measure? The average weight of a 3-month-old baby is 12.9 pounds for girls and 14.1 pounds for boys; average length is 23.5 inches for girls and 24.2 inches for boys.

Whether baby’s close to the average or not, the important thing is that they’re growing at a healthy rate. They’ve likely gained another 1.5 to 2 pounds and grown 1 to 1.5 inches this month. The size of baby’s head may have gone up by a half inch too.

It’s common for a baby to experience a 3-month-old growth spurt. Signs of a growth spurt are having an especially hungry or cranky baby. Baby might wake more at night too. Don’t worry—growth spurts are temporary! Let baby eat, sleep or cuddle more if that’s what they seem to want, and try not to get too frustrated by the sudden change. It can be exhausting for you, but growth spurts usually only last one to three days at a time.

3-month-old’s five senses

At 3-months-old, baby’s senses have developed rapidly.

  • They’re working at becoming a great communicator, making eye contact with you, and they can now recognize your face.
  • They follow moving objects with their eyes.
  • They smile when they hear your voice.

3-month-old baby milestones

Read for all the cuteness to ensue? There are impressive developmental milestones approaching. So what should a 3-month-old be doing? Here’s a peek:

  • They’re mimicking some sounds, movements and expressions and starting to babble.
  • Let baby play on the floor or under a baby gym, since they love to kick up a storm and swing at things and bat at any dangling toys they see.
  • A 3-month-old at tummy time probably raises their head and chest, holding up their upper body with their arms.
  • They open and close their hands.
  • When you hold baby upright, they’ll push down with their feet onto the floor or your lap.
  • They bat at hanging toys above.
  • They can grasp and shake a toy.
  • You might be wondering, can a baby sit at 3 months of age? Every baby is unique, but many begin sitting up with support anywhere between the three- and five-month marks. The bigger and stronger baby gets, the easier it will be for them to sit up solo.
  • Another big question: Can a 3-month-old baby see the TV? At this age, babies are beginning to see more vivid colors and can recognize faces at a distance. Regardless, most experts advise against introducing television or digital screens at such a young age.

You’ll also want to look out for these signs of a developmental or medical problem at the three-month stage; they’re worth a call to the doctor:

  • Baby doesn’t respond to loud sounds or smile at the sound of your voice.
  • Baby doesn’t follow moving objects with their eyes.
  • Baby doesn’t smile socially.
  • Baby can’t grasp or hold objects.
  • Baby doesn’t bring their hands or objects to their mouth.
  • Baby’s eyes still seem crossed most of the time.
  • Baby doesn’t babble.
  • Baby doesn’t pay attention to new faces.
  • Baby doesn’t push down with their feet when they’re held upright and they’re placed on a flat surface.

3-Month-Old Health

There are lots of health questions parents of 3-month-olds have. Below are some of the most common, with links to detailed articles to help you answer them:

3-Month-Old Feeding

In the last couple months, baby’s appetite has certainly increased! And they know how to tell you when they’re hungry. Of course, you’ve probably gotten in such a routine with feeding that you know when they’re about to do that hungry cry.

How much should a 3-month-old eat?

  • Bottle feeding: How much formula for a 3-month-old baby? Typically five ounces about six to eight times a day will suffice.
  • Breastfeeding: How often should a 3-month-old nurse? Feedings are typically about every three or four hours at this age but each breastfed baby may be slightly different. What’s important is that baby seems content, your boobs seem to have been emptied (they’re soft) and baby’s gaining weight healthily.

To double-check that baby’s getting enough breast milk, you can also track their diapers. How many wet diapers for a 3-month-old baby? About four or five very wet ones per day indicate that your little one is getting ample milk.

Three-month-old babies may start eating less than they did previously. Breastfed babies do get more efficient, so it’s normal for your baby to feed in about half the time it took them to feed as a newborn. If you see all the signs that baby’s getting enough to eat, it’s perfectly normal. If not, it could be a sign of a problem, so talk to the pediatrician.

What can baby eat this month?

Baby is still only able to eat breast milk and/or formula. Many parents ask: “Can I give my 3-month-old water?” Nope! Most doctors recommend parents wait until baby’s ready for solid foods before they get water. Don’t worry, baby’s getting plenty of hydration from breast milk or formula and needs the nourishment it provides.

How often do you feed a 3-month-old baby?

Three-month-olds will likely still need to be fed every three to four hours during the day. When in doubt, look for hunger cues. Before crying for their food, baby may lick their lips, stick out their tongue, repeatedly open their mouth, suck on things or touch their hands to their mouths. These can all be signals that it’s feeding time.

3-month-old feeding schedule

Image: Megan Rubey

3-Month-Old Sleep

Three months in and you’re ready to get this whole sleep thing settled. Want answers to the most common sleep questions among parents of 3-month-olds? Curious minds want to know:

How long do 3-month-olds sleep and nap?

Three-month-olds typically sleep about 15 hours a day, and more of those hours are falling at night. In fact, it’s common for 3-month-olds to sleep about 10 hours at night, maybe with at least one five- or six-hour stretch. Baby is probably taking three naps totaling five hours of daytime sleep.

How can I get my 3-month-old to sleep?

It’s harder than you might think to get a tired baby to actually go to sleep! You’ve probably heard the usual advice: Keep the room dark and cool, rock and sing to your baby, and put baby to sleep while they’re sleepy but not yet asleep. Still, there are some nights when none of that seems to work. Try some other parents’ tried-and-true tricks for calming a fussy baby; they just might help you get your little one to snooze—finally.

What should my 3-month-old’s bedtime be?

The ideal bedtime for a 3-month-old baby depends on your family’s schedule, but many experts believe 7:30 p. m.—give or take—is ideal at this age. As baby begins to sleep for longer stretches at night, you’ll want to gradually make bedtime earlier, which (surprisingly!) encourages baby to sleep even longer.

Does my 3-month-old baby have sleep regression?

You may notice a bit of 3-month-old sleep regression. Baby might be waking more often at night because of a growth spurt, or it might be a developmental thing. Around 3 or 4 months, babies’ brains are becoming more alert and because of that, they want to be using that brainpower more often. Growth spurts can last a few days but true sleep regression (which typically happens closer to 4 months) can last two to six weeks.

3-month-old sleep schedule

Here’s a peek at a typical 3-month-old sleep schedule:

Image: Megan Rubey

3-Month-Old Schedule

Three-month-old babies are creatures of habit—bedtime, nap and feeding routines keep them happy.

3-month-old schedule example

A 3-month-old’s daily schedule might look something like this:

Image: Megan Rubey

Activities for a 3-Month-Old

Be sure to squeeze in some playtime with your 3-month-old baby each day. So how can you engage and play with a 3-month old? There are tons of ways to entertain your cutie pie at this stage.

  • Give baby a mirror and let them admire their reflection.
  • Sing, read and talk to your 3-month-old baby; encourage them to make sounds of their own. This sweet back-and-forth is the basis of an early conversation!
  • Place a soft and colorful toy on baby’s chest and let them look, touch and play with it. A play gym or mobile can also provide plenty of amusement.
  • Continue to put baby on a mat for tummy time. The more baby gets used to being on their tummy, the more they’ll be inclined to start working toward a scoot or crawl.

3-Month-Old Baby Checklist and Tips

  • Make sure you have your four-month baby checkup scheduled.
  • Look for signs of readiness for eating solid foods. The pediatrician may recommend you start as early as the four-month mark.
  • If you’re going back to work after maternity leave, best wishes! You’ve got this!
  • How often should I bathe my 3-month-old baby? Don’t worry about giving baby a bath more than once every few days.
  • Find some new things to do with your 3-month-old baby.
  • Take baby’s 3-month-old baby milestone photo.

A heads up that in the coming weeks, you’ll be entering new and exciting territory. Baby will work on those important 3-month-old baby milestones, and you’ll have even more to look forward to as they approach month four. Baby will master the art of holding their head up and maybe even begin rolling over from their tummy to their back.

Medical content was reviewed by Dina DiMaggio, MD, a board-certified pediatrician at Pediatric Associates of NYC and NYU Langone Health in New York City, and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is also the coauthor of The Pediatrician’s Guide to Feeding Babies and Toddlers.

Feeding Your 1- to 3-Month-Old (for Parents)

During your baby's first 3 months, breast milk or formula will provide all the nutrition needed. Doctors recommend waiting until your baby is about 6 months old to start solid foods. Some babies may be ready for solids sooner than 6 months, but wait until your baby is at least 4 months old.

What Changes Should I Expect?

As your infant grows, feeding will change. Babies will start drinking more milk during each feeding, so they won't need to feed as often and will sleep longer at night.

Your baby's appetite will increase during growth spurts. Continue to feed on demand and increase the number of feedings as needed.

Your infant also will become more alert as the weeks go by, cooing and smiling. So there will be more interaction between you and your baby during feedings.

The following are general guidelines, and your baby may be hungrier more or less often than this. That's why it's important to pay attention to your baby's signals of being hungry or full. A baby who is getting enough might slow down, stop, or turn away from the breast or bottle.

Breastfeeding: How Much and How Often?

As babies get older, they will start to breastfeed less often and sleep for longer periods at night. Your infant probably is eating enough if he or she:

  • seems alert, content, and active
  • is steadily gaining weight and growing
  • feeds six to eight times per day
  • is wetting and soiling diapers on a regular basis

Babies might not be eating enough if they:

  • don't appear satisfied
  • cry constantly
  • are irritable, even after feeding
  • are not making wet diapers

Call your doctor if you're concerned your baby isn't eating enough.

A few weeks after birth, breastfed babies tend to have fewer bowel movements (BMs, or poop) than they did before. At around 2 months of age, your baby may not poop after each feeding, or even every day. During growth spurts, you may notice that your little one wants to feed more often. This frequent nursing sends a signal to make more milk. Within a couple of days, supply and demand will get into balance.

Babies who get breast milk only should get vitamin D supplements within the first few days of life. Other supplements, water, juice, and solid foods aren't usually needed.

Formula Feeding: How Much and How Often?

Babies digest formula more slowly than breast milk, so if you're bottle-feeding, your baby may have fewer feedings than a breastfed infant.

As babies grow, they can eat more at each feeding and may go for longer stretches between feedings. You'll also notice that your baby is starting to sleep longer at night.

During the second month, infants may take about 4 or 5 ounces at each feeding. By the end of 3 months, your baby may need an additional ounce at each feeding.

It's easy to overfeed a baby when using a bottle because it easier to drink from a bottle than from a breast. Make sure that the hole on the bottle's nipple is the right size. The liquid should drip slowly from the hole and not pour out. Also, resist the urge to finish the bottle when your baby shows signs of being full.

Never prop a bottle. Propping a bottle might cause choking and it increases the chances of getting ear infections and tooth decay.

Should I Worry About Spitting Up?

It's normal for infants to "spit up" after eating or during burping. Spitting up a small amount — usually less than 1 ounce (30 ml) — shouldn't be a concern as long as it happens within an hour of feeding and doesn't bother your baby.

You can reduce spitting up in these early months by:

  • feeding before your baby gets very hungry
  • keeping your baby in a semi-upright position during the feeding and for an hour after
  • burping your baby regularly
  • avoiding overfeeding
  • not jostling or playing vigorously with your baby right after a feeding

If your baby seems to be spitting up large amounts, is spitting up forcefully, is irritable during or after feedings, or seems to be losing weight or is not gaining weight as expected, call your doctor. And if your child has a fever or shows any signs of dehydration (such as not wetting diapers), call the doctor right away.

Call your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about feeding your infant.

Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD

Date reviewed: November 2021

90,000 3-month child poorly eats

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Guest

I also had this at 3 months. at 3 months, lactation usually settles down, milk no longer flows, milk becomes smaller. Therefore, many people stop feeding at this age - "the milk is over." My milk began to go worse, and the child got used to it pouring by itself, taking a boob, sucking and spitting a couple of times - milk does not go. I myself expressed a little so that the milk would flow, then I would give it to him. He realized that there was food there, and then for up to a year they fed without problems. Or maybe you ate something, so the taste of milk has changed - it won’t get into it

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Nastya77

Thank you yet! We will be suffered by breasts for longer!

It also happened to me: the child sucks out the first "light" milk, and spits out the boobs - then the milk flows already difficult and he is too lazy to suck, but there is milk in the chest. then I also strained a little so that the milk would flow and give him a boob, he sucked further. if he does not eat up to the end, then each time there will be less milk and it will burn out. nine0005

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#12

. I need milk, but curiosity outweighs. Curiosity makes babies move forward, crawl, walk, grab, scatter, paint... Until he gets used to the new visual sensations, feed "around sleep" before and after, and during sleep.

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    • #25,0005

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    Nastya

    I have the same problem, we have been eating the mixture since 2. 5 months, now 4 months, I began to eat badly ... I also feed immediately after waking up, or when almost I’m rocking to sleep ... it’s hard, now the doctor told us to give porridge, so she doesn’t want to eat them at all even in a sleeping state, and with a spoon, and through a bottle ... not into any ... I don’t even know what to do, in weight Gaining little, lost weight ....((( CAN ANYONE TELL YOU HOW TO BE???? PLEASE ...

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    #30

    katya

    And I have the same thing, 3 months to us. For 2 weeks now she eats only 60 ml and then pushes out the bottle with her tongue, turns away! We are on iv. But he behaves well, agukae, gurgles, smiles ... What can it be, can the mixture be changed? nine0005

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    Katya

    We are 3.5 months old, formula-fed baby, eats only 90 ml. Very worried. Has anyone had a similar experience?

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    Christina

    2.5 months old baby we eat formula, we ate well everything by the hour, day and night, already like 4 days at night she wakes up to eat, hysteria wants because you bring the bottle right away and rushes at it as soon as you start to feed it turns away and does not allow to feed ... today, for example, at 2 am I barely fed 125 ml, although it was supposed to be 180 ml and now it was 8. 00 the second time I fed 15.00, only the third time we ate and again 125 ml and then within an hour I ate it in several visits .. tell me why it can be like that, otherwise I'm worried ... 911 May 2018 Very worried. Has anyone had a similar experience?

    #34

    valentina

    my son is also 3 months old, we are artificial people, I don’t know why, but he began to refuse to eat, he can eat in the morning and then only starts asking again at 15:00 playing gurgling smiling that it could be no idea who knows tell me please

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