Your Baby’s Day 3-6 Months

Baby holding feet. By three to four months your life’s probably become a lot easier, with your baby settled into a routine and hopefully sleeping through the night. Time now to put your baby into a cot, if you haven’t already.

Feeding

This will now take less time. Baby should have five feeds in 24 hours. During the day, they’ll be every three to four hours, and at night every six to eight hours. Many babies will now be “sleeping through”, having their last feed at 10pm, and the first at 5 - 6am.

Sleeping

By 3 months, baby should be sleeping for one to two hours after each feed during the day, and from five to seven hours at night.

By 6 months, baby still needs one to two hours sleep after daytime feeds, as their playtime is more active. At night, they’ll sleep eight to ten hours (i.e. 13 - 15 hours sleep in 24 hours).

Tips for sleeping:

Settle baby as soon as you see signs of tiredness.
It is best to stick to the same settling routine.
Remember to put baby to bed in the same place, both day and night.
Put baby in the cot while still awake, and then leave, so they can learn to go to sleep by themselves.
If baby becomes distressed, they need to be soothed and reassured that you will return.

Playtime

By three to four months, playtime may be 30 minutes, several times a day, including at least five to ten minutes of tummy time. Baby can now push up on his or her arms and hold that position for a short time. Their interest in coloured toys and objects is increasing as they start to reach, grasp and explore objects in their mouths. They’ll be responding to your voice, interacting more, and using a wider range of sounds. By six months, playtime may be one hour several times a day. Baby will be more interested in exploring his or her world by rolling and moving around the floor in preparation for crawling.

Ideas for play at home

While cradling baby in your arms, give them toys to hold.
During tummy time on the floor, place toys on the rug close to baby, so he or she can reach for them.
When baby is in the bouncer (to be used with caution) or rocker, use an activity gym with toys or rattles that dangle within reach. Or hang toys from a clothes airer.
Place the rocker where baby can watch you, and talk to them while you work.
Place the pram in the garden or by a window where they can watch the trees.
Make sure toys don’t have sharp edges or small pieces that could come off easily and be swallowed.
If you allow pets near babies or small children, ensure they are constantly supervised.

A typical day – around 3-4 months

5:00am Breast/bottle feed (120-180mL)
6:00am Back to sleep (mother & baby)
9:00am Baby wakes, breast/ bottle feed
10:00am Play
10.30am Settle baby in pram if you’re going out, or put back to bed
11:00pm Baby sleeps
1:00pm Breast/bottle feed
2:00pm Play
2.30pm Settle and sleep
5:00pm Bath (or earlier if unsettled)
6:00pm Breast/bottle feed
7:00pm Play
7.30pm Settle and sleep
10:00pm Breast/bottle feed. Some babies also have a 2am feed.