Helping Your Baby Grow

0–3 Activities for 0 to 3 months

From birth, babies are interested in exploring your face, voice, and body. Your baby tells you a lot through body movements and sounds. Watch and listen to them during playtime and other daily activities. Who is this little person? Respond to sounds your baby makes, and let them know you are trying to understand. Through back-and-forth interactions with your baby, you become connected, or attached, to each other. Encourage family members to show love for the new baby (and each other). Your positive back-and-forth interactions with your baby are key to their social-emotional development.

Talk Time
Your baby can see your face, smell you, feel your skin, and hear your voice. They can even sense how you are feeling. Talk, sing, look at, and smile at your baby. Say their name. Watch and wait to see what your baby does. Do they look at your face and eyes? Is your baby listening to you? When you move, do they try to follow your voice with head movements? Your baby doesn’t like to be far from you.

Silly Faces
At 2 weeks, your baby can see clearly 8 to 10 inches away. Hold them close to your face and watch what they do. If your baby opens their mouth, open your mouth. Stick out your tongue. Watch and wait a bit. Does your baby try to copy you? They may not be able to copy you at first, but keep trying!

Tummy Playtime
Place your baby on their tummy on a clean blanket on the floor. Lie down next to them, talk, and watch what your baby does. When they start to pick up their head, let them know you noticed. “You picked up your head!” Celebrating new skills with your baby as they grow builds confidence. Now they can look at the world in a whole new way. Never leave your baby alone on their tummy.

Storytime
Your baby is never too young to listen to a story or look at pictures in a book. They will feel warm, safe, and calm in your arms. Reading books is an activity you and your baby can do every day as a routine, to help you get close and connect. Your baby listens to the tone of your voice and hears the words you are saying. At this age, they focus best on simple black-and-white pictures or big, brightly colored pictures.