Looking for activities for 3 month old babies? These fun things to do with your baby are perfect for nurturing their development and just having fun!
When I had my first baby I have to say I was so confused about what I was supposed to do with her all day. It’s not like I could ask her!
However I developed some simple games we could play involving her toys or just the two of us playing together on the floor.
You don’t need tons of expensive toys to keep your baby busy, and these simple baby activities prove that!
You may also like: 4 month old baby activities
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Things to do with your 3 month old baby
Here are some amazing activities that are perfect for babies in their third month.
It’s important to supervise babies at all times, especially with toys. These are all fun activities you can enjoy together with your baby.
They don’t just help with baby’s development but are also amazing for deepening your bond.
Play copy cat
Sit with your baby in your lap, facing you. You could lay down on the sofa with your knees up so you’re in a W position and prop baby up on your legs facing you.
Now copy their noises, expressions and movements. See what they do. Even if they don’t respond much at first, they will be fascinated with what you’re doing.
This is a great way to have an early “chat” with your baby, even if they don’t quite get the language just yet.
Tummy time
At this stage your baby may still detest tummy time, but it’s important to do a little every day.
Tummy time helps your baby to develop skills such as rolling over and crawling, as it builds strength in their neck, arms and back.
So you can make tummy time fun with these activities:
- A mirror to gaze at
- Ball or rolling toy you can pull or push in front of them
- Tummy time mat – you can get really cool mats with water, colourful fabrics and textures to engage baby with time on their tummy while exploring with their hands and eyes
- Lay them on your tummy – lay down on the floor and place your baby on their tummy on your tummy. It’s a good excuse for a cuddle!
Peek-a-boo
Baby may not be able to do peek-a-boo back just yet but they will find it fascinating when you do it!
Hide behind a scarf, cloth, muslin or item of furniture. You could also hide behind your hands.
You could also hide them under a blanket or muslin for a few seconds then whip it off and act surprised to see them. It may even make them laugh!
Hide a toy
Surprise them by hiding a toy away underneath a blanket or their play mat, ask “where is the toy” then whip it out again to reveal it and say “ta da”.
Keep repeating this activity and see how they respond, they may start to grab at the blanket to pull it away to reveal the toy.
Pass the ball
Using a ball or a toy play pass with your baby.
Place it in their hand and then take it back from them.
You could also lay them down on the floor and roll the toy towards them and then take it back.
They won’t have the co-ordination to hand the ball or toy back to you just yet, but this is showing them the ideas behind taking it in turns with a game.
Put together an exploration box
An exploration box or treasure box is something you can put together featuring their toys or a combination of themed objects.
There are really no rules. You can sit baby up in your lap and take things out one at a time to show them.
For example if you put together a seaside themed box then you may add some seashells of different shapes and sizes and toy fish.
Take a look in the mirror
Hold your baby in your arms, facing away from you, and stand in front of a mirror.
Point out features on their face and name them out loud – “nose”, “eyes”, “mouth” – and also point to the corresponding features of your own face.
You could also pull faces and smile at them.
Tie a balloon to their ankle
This activity is something my two babies absolutely loved!
It works best with a balloon filled with helium, but one you’ve blown up works fine too.
Tie it very loosely around their ankle so that it’s not too tight on their skin.
Your baby will love to see the balloon move and bounce as they kick their legs. It’s a good lesson in cause and effect for them.
Read simple stories
Reading as much as possible from an early age is absolutely full of benefits for your baby.
You’re helping them learn new words and getting them interested in books from an early age.
At this age it doesn’t matter too much what you read them – we sometimes read out loud from the paper when our babies were tiny.
However some great baby books include:
Sing
You don’t have to have the voice of an angel to entertain your baby with a few songs.
Sing nursery rhymes, your favourite tunes or songs that have sentimental value to you.
Your baby will love to hear the sound of your voice.
Dance
Hold your baby in your arms and have a dance party for two around your living room.
Play music they will love – there is tons of kid friendly music on YouTube such as ABCs, different colours and more. Or play music you like, they’re bound to enjoy the sounds and actions of dancing around in your arms.
Sensory play
Help and encourage your baby to check out different textures, scents and sounds.
I love toys like the Lamaze range, which feature crinkling, squidgy, noisy and soft parts for them to explore.
Try showing them different things from around the house, such as wooden spoons, metal spoons, or ribbons, and raid the garden for herbs to show them different scents.
If you want to create a new toy for your baby then try adding a little rice or dried pasta to an empty plastic bottle. Screw the lid on tight and you have a makeshift rattle!
What’s your baby doing at 3 months?
Here are a few 3 month old milestones you can expect from your baby during your play sessions that they may be doing:
- Responding to your voice and different music
- Smiling
- Lifting and turning their head during tummy time
- Laughing – some babies start to giggle at this age
- Follows moving objects
- Swipes at dangling objects
- Potentially rolling over
- Babbling
How long is playtime for a 3 month old?
Your baby will still get tired regularly and need several naps during the day.
In order to know how long playtime you’ll need to observe your baby and figure out their wake window – the amount of time they can comfortable stay awake.
For most 3 month olds this is roughly one hour to 90 minutes but every baby is different.
As a rough idea for your daily schedule, your baby may wake, feed and then play for around 45 minutes to an hour.
It’s important to add you don’t have to fill all of your baby’s wake time with fun activities for them.
Sometimes just bringing them along for the ride of whatever you’re doing – housework, gardening, shopping or even a little work on the computer – is fun!
Even just chatting away to them is valuable for your baby’s development and their bond with you.
Final thoughts
I hope these great 3 month old play ideas have given you some inspiration for what to do with your baby at home.
You may also find this 3 month old schedule useful.
