By 6 weeks your baby may:

• turn his head and eyes towards the light
• watch your face and try to respond to speech
• make cooing sounds
• quieten at sound of your voice
• smile at you
• lift his head briefly without wobbling, when placed on his tummy
• jump or blink if there is sudden loud noise, or stir in his sleep

You can encourage his development by:

• holding objects close (20-35 cms) from his face, and he will stare intently as he tries to focus
• letting him study your face as you talk to him, that will become his favourite object to look at!
• hanging large black and white images, with stripes or circles to look at eg. posters
• singing, reading, playing music quietly to him while you feed him or are working around the house.  Babies learn through hearing speech when people talk to them during the first year
• cuddling him
• hanging toys – mobiles, musical toys, rattles strung over the bassinette

All babies are very different and will develop at different rates.  That is normal – it is not a race. 

At about 2 months old your baby may:

• start to hold onto a rattle.
• have more control over jerky body movements.
• focus on objects 17-20cm away.
• enjoy watching mobiles.
• respond to noises nearby.

At about 3 months old he may:

• bring his hands together.
• laugh out loud.
• coo or smile at you when you talk.
• kick with more control and more forcefully.
• lift his head 45-90 degrees when lying on his tummy.
• stare at people’s faces when they are up close.
• turn his eyes towards voices.
• seem to know your voice.

You can encourage development by:

• interacting with him.
• holding out a toy and moving it up and down.
• playing “pat a cake” holding his hands.
• playing with rattles and bright coloured soft toys.
• laying him on a rug on the floor under a frame with dangling toys.
• reading to him, singing to him (time for those nursery rhymes!).
• putting him on his tummy to play.

Around 4 months – sociable time! Your baby may:

• grab at a toy if it is held close.
• smile at everyone, coo, laugh, especially for Mum or Dad.
• squeal happily.
• hold his head steadily when pulled into sitting position.

You can encourage development by:

• propping him up to see what is going on.
• sitting him in a bouncinette (not on a table or high surface).
• giving him tummy time on the floor.
• placing a plastic mirror in front of him.
• talking to him while you are feeding and changing him.

Around 5 months – getting ready to move

Your baby may:

• roll from front to back.
• do “press-ups” (pushing head and shoulders off the floor).
• bounce up and down on your lap, starting to weight bear.
• chew everything he can put in his mouth.
• make da, ba sounds.
• babble.
• grizzle when you take a toy away from him.

If you have any concerns, especially if you think your child may not be seeing or hearing well, talk to your health professional. At around 3 months old there is usually another growth spurt, resulting in a hungry baby who wants more frequent feeding for a while.

Remember the 3 month and 5 month immunisations are due.

See full immunisation schedule here