Week 14

Days 92 to 98 · 13 weeks 0 days to 13 weeks 6 days old · about 3 months Welcome to the second three months. Your baby now measures about 61 cm (24 in) and weighs roughly 6.2 kg (13.6 lb), though babies vary widely and what matters is that your baby follows their own curve on the growth chart. Many babies this age hold their head steady, push up on their forearms, grab at anything within reach and may be close to their first roll. For you, the fog of the early weeks is often lifting, even if sleep is still patchy and your body is still recovering. This week looks at what changes now, rolling and the new safety it calls for, the sleep shift many families notice around 3 to 4 months, your own rest, grabbing, colds and play that builds strength.

Day 92 · 13 weeks 0 days old

A new stage begins today

Three months ago your baby could barely lift their head. Today they may hold it up while you carry them, turn towards your voice and greet you with a wide, gummy smile. The fourth trimester is behind you both, and the next three months are often described as some of the most rewarding of the year. Between now and 6 months, most babies become much more alert and social. They laugh out loud, reach for toys and bring everything to their mouth. Many learn to roll, and some begin to sit with support. Their sleep starts to look more like an older child's, which, as you will read this week, can feel like a step backwards before it settles.

For you, this stretch often brings more predictability. Feeds may be faster and further apart. You may know your baby's cries and moods well by now. For many families it is also a time of change, with a return to work or the start of childcare on the horizon.

If your baby was born early, remember to think in corrected age for development. A baby born six weeks early is, for milestones, closer to 7 weeks old than 13.

Try this: Write down three things your baby can do today that they could not do on the day they were born.

Day 93 · 13 weeks 1 day old

Rolling changes the rules

Many babies roll for the first time somewhere between 3 and 6 months, often from tummy to back first, because a strong push on the arms can tip them over. Every baby gets there at their own pace.

The first roll almost always comes as a surprise. A baby who stayed exactly where you put them yesterday can tip off a bed or sofa today.

A few habits protect against this:

Keep one hand on your baby at all times on a change table, or change diapers on a mat on the floor.

Never leave your baby alone on an adult bed, sofa or any raised surface, even for a moment and even surrounded by pillows.

Put bouncers, car seats and baby seats on the floor, never on a table or counter, and always use the straps.

If you have not already stopped swaddling, now is the time, as you read a few weeks ago. A baby who can roll needs their arms free.

Get help right away if your baby falls and then vomits more than once, becomes very sleepy or hard to wake, is unusually floppy, has a seizure or cries in a way you cannot settle.

Try this: Walk through your home today and move every baby seat you use down to the floor.

Day 94 · 13 weeks 2 days old

Why sleep may change around now

Somewhere between about 3 and 5 months, many parents notice that a baby who had been sleeping in longer stretches starts waking more often, fights naps or wakes every 45 minutes. This is often called the "4-month sleep regression". It is better understood as a step forward in development. Newborns move between two simple stages of sleep and often drift off deeply wherever they are. Around this age, sleep reorganizes into cycles more like an adult's, with lighter stages between deeper ones. A baby's cycle lasts roughly 45 to 50 minutes. At the end of each one, your baby comes close to waking. If they notice that something has changed since they fell asleep, such as being in your arms and now in the crib, they may wake fully and call for help.

Adults do this too. We wake briefly many times a night, roll over and go back to sleep without remembering it. Babies are just learning how. At the same time, your baby is more aware of the world, practising new skills and sometimes hungrier. All of this can unsettle nights for a few weeks. For most families things improve as babies learn to link cycles, and you will read about different approaches to sleep in the coming weeks. Try this: Keep a simple note of sleep and waking times for three days, so you can see patterns rather than relying on how tired you feel.

Figure 7. How much babies usually sleep in 24 hours through the first year.

Day 95 · 13 weeks 3 days old

Your own sleep matters too

Three months of broken nights add up. Long-term sleep loss affects mood, memory, patience, appetite and how well you recover from birth. It also makes low mood and anxiety more likely, so protecting your sleep is part of looking after your mental health, not a luxury.

You cannot always get more hours, but you can often get better ones. Go to bed soon after your baby's first long stretch of the night, rather than using it to catch up on chores or scrolling. Keep your bedroom dark and cool, and leave your phone out of reach so night feeds do not turn into an hour on a screen. If someone else can take one feed, by bottle or by bringing the baby to you and settling them afterwards, try to protect one block of four or five hours.

Daytime caffeine is fine in moderation, but a coffee after mid-afternoon can make it harder to fall asleep when you finally get the chance. A short nap of 20 to 30 minutes can help more than a long one that leaves you groggy. Call your care provider if you cannot sleep even when your baby is sleeping and someone else is caring for them, or if tiredness comes with persistent low mood, worry or thoughts that frighten you.

Try this: Choose one night this week to go to bed within 30 minutes of your baby, and ask someone to cover anything that would keep you up.

Day 96 · 13 weeks 4 days old

Little hands that hold on

In the early weeks, your baby's grip was a reflex. Touch their palm and the fingers closed on their own. Now that reflex is fading and something more deliberate is taking its place. Your baby is starting to reach for things on purpose, close their hand around them and hold on.

At first the movements are clumsy. Your baby may swipe at a toy several times before catching it, or grab it and seem unsure how to let go. Both hands often work together, pulling an object towards the middle of the body and, before long, straight to the mouth. Over the coming weeks the reaching becomes smoother and more accurate.

Good things to hold at this age are light, easy to grasp and safe to chew: a soft rattle, a fabric book, a ring with bumps on it, a clean silicone spoon. Hair, earrings, glasses and necklaces will also be grabbed with surprising strength, so many parents switch to simpler accessories for a while. Watch for anything small enough to fit inside your baby's mouth. You will read more about small objects and choking hazards in a few weeks. Try this: Hold a light rattle about 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 in) in front of your baby, just within reach, and give them time to work out how to get it.

Day 97 · 13 weeks 5 days old

Your baby's first cold

Many babies catch their first cold around now, especially if they have older siblings or are around other children. Most babies have several colds in their first year, and more if they are in childcare.

A cold usually brings a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, a mild cough and sometimes a low fever. It often lasts 7 to 10 days, and the cough can linger longer. Because young babies breathe mainly through their nose, a blocked nose can make feeding harder. Saline drops in each nostril before feeds, followed by gentle suction with a bulb or nasal aspirator, can help. Offer feeds more often if your baby takes less each time.

Cough and cold medicines are not recommended for babies and young children. They do not work well and can cause harm.

Call your baby's doctor if your baby is feeding much less than usual, has fewer wet diapers, has a fever (you will read more about fever by age in week 15), seems to have ear pain or is not improving after about 10 days. Get help right away if your baby is working hard to breathe, with the skin pulling in between the ribs or at the base of the throat, has pauses in breathing, or looks blue or grey around the lips.

Try this: Check that you have saline drops and a nasal aspirator at home now, before you need them at 3 a.m.

Day 98 · 13 weeks 6 days old

Play that builds a strong body

Your baby is getting stronger every day, and the best way to help is simply time on the floor. A firm, safe surface lets them push, stretch, kick, twist and eventually roll, which car seats, bouncers and swings do not.

Tummy time remains important. Many babies this age can stay on their tummy for longer, pushing up on their forearms and lifting their chest. Aim to build up gradually, in several short sessions spread through the day, towards a total of about 30 minutes or more. If your baby still dislikes it, try lying on your back with your baby on your chest, or place a rolled towel under their chest for extra lift.

Back time is useful too. Lying on their back, your baby can kick, grab their feet, swipe at hanging toys and practise turning to the side. Placing a toy slightly to one side encourages them to reach across the body, the beginning of a roll.

A useful rule is to limit time spent strapped into seats and carriers while your baby is awake and not travelling. Floor time is where the strength comes from.

For your partner: Take charge of one floor play session every day this week: get down at your baby's level, talk, sing and let them watch your face while they work.