How to Stimulate a 3-Month-Old's Senses
Your 3-month-old baby will be far more awake, alert and interested in the world around her than she was even a month ago. By this stage, she will be responding to you with facial expressions, smiles and giggles that will make your heart melt. She is growing stronger all the time and learning how to coordinate her movements. By stimulating your infant's senses, you will boost her development and make her world even more exciting.
Things You'll Need
- Picture books
- Baby gym
- Plastic bowls and cups
- Silky scarf
- Leather purse
- Beads
- Colored ball
Instructions
Talk to your baby constantly. Whenever he makes a sound, respond to him to teach him how conversation works. Point out everyday objects throughout the home to get him used to the names such as "bath," "cot," "dog" and "bowl." Show him picture books with large, brightly colored images and say each item as you point to it. These techniques will stimulate both his sight and hearing. Sing lots of songs to your baby. Use funny voices and make silly sounds to keep her interested and stimulate her hearing. It won't be long before she's reacting positively to the songs she likes the best. Add some hand clapping and dance moves to your songs to really entertain her. Keep up the musical routines and she'll soon be trying to clap and move along with you. Heidi Murkoff, author of "What to Expect When You're Expecting," recommends including songs with a surprise element at the end -- such as "Pop Goes The Weasel" -- to help boost brain development. Replace a word in the song with your baby's name to get her used to hearing it. Provide your baby with range of colorful objects of different textures to stimulate his sense of touch. He might like lying beneath a baby gym, gazing at and trying to touch the objects dangling above him. Teach him about textures, using everyday items. For example, plastic cups and bowls from the kitchen and silky scarves, leather purses and chunky beads from your closet will fascinate him. Place your baby on her tummy and roll a brightly colored ball 2 feet in front of her. She'll try to reach out and grab it, which helps develop her hand-and-eye coordination. Throw the ball high in the air and catch it. She'll be mesmerized by the movement and get those cognitive juices flowing as she tries to work out exactly what's happening.
