Week 16

Days 106 to 112 · 15 weeks 0 days to 15 weeks 6 days old · about 3½ months Your baby now measures about 62 cm (24.5 in) and weighs roughly 6.4 kg (14.2 lb). Babies vary widely, and following their own curve on the growth chart is what counts. You may notice wet chins and soaked tops as drooling picks up, and stronger, more purposeful movements on the floor. Nights may still be unsettled if the sleep change of the past weeks has arrived at your house. For you, this may be the week of practical preparation for work and childcare. This week covers drooling, coughs, pumping at work, getting through the sleep change, floor play, the morning routine and ear infections.

Day 106 · 15 weeks 0 days old

Drool is not always a sign of teeth

Around 3 to 4 months, many babies start to drool a great deal. Bibs get soaked, chins stay wet and you may wonder whether a tooth is on its way. Usually it is not, at least not yet.

At this age the salivary glands become much more active, getting ready for the solid foods that will come later. Your baby has not yet learned to swallow saliva automatically, and they spend a lot of time with their hands and toys in their mouth, which brings on even more. The result is drool, and plenty of it. Most babies get their first tooth around 6 months, though anywhere from about 4 to 12 months or later is normal. You will read about teething in a few weeks.

Constant wetness can irritate the skin on the chin, neck and chest, causing a red, bumpy rash. Pat the area dry often rather than rubbing, change wet bibs and tops, and use a thin layer of a plain barrier cream or ointment on the chin at nap and bedtime. Take bibs off before sleep, as anything around the neck is unsafe in the crib.

Call your baby's doctor if drooling comes with trouble swallowing, refusing feeds, noisy breathing or a fever, or if a drool rash looks raw, cracked or is spreading.

Try this: Buy or set aside a few absorbent bibs with snap closures and keep one in the diaper bag.

Day 107 · 15 weeks 1 day old

What a cough is telling you

A cough clears mucus and protects the airways. Most coughs in babies come with colds and get better on their own, though they can linger for two or three weeks.

The sound and pattern can give clues. A wet, loose cough usually goes with mucus from a cold. A dry, tickly cough often comes and goes. A barking cough, like a seal, can be croup, especially at night. Coughing in long fits that end in a gasp or a "whoop", or that lead to vomiting or a change in colour, needs to be checked, as it can be a sign of whooping cough, which is serious in young babies.

At home, keep your baby's nose as clear as you can with saline and suction, offer feeds often and let them rest. A cool-mist humidifier, cleaned daily, may make the air more comfortable. Cough medicines are not recommended for babies.

Call your baby's doctor if the cough lasts more than two weeks, comes with a fever, gets worse instead of better, or comes in long fits. Get help right away if your baby is breathing very fast, the skin pulls in between or below the ribs, you hear a high-pitched sound when they breathe in, they have pauses in breathing, or their lips or face look blue or grey. Try this: If your baby has a cough, record a short video of it on your phone to show the doctor or nurse if needed.

Day 108 · 15 weeks 2 days old

Pumping at work

If you plan to keep breastfeeding after going back to work, pumping lets you provide breast milk while you are apart and keeps your supply going. Many people manage it well with a bit of planning.

Before your first day, talk with your employer about when and where you can pump. In many places, workplaces are required by law or policy to give breaks and a private space that is not a washroom. A room with a lock, a power outlet, a chair and access to a fridge and sink makes things much easier.

As a rough guide, plan to pump about as often as your baby would feed, which for many is every three to four hours, or two to three times in a full workday. Each session usually takes 15 to 20 minutes plus setup. A double electric pump saves time. Looking at a photo or video of your baby, or smelling a piece of their clothing, can help your milk let down. Store milk in a fridge or an insulated bag with ice packs, as you read in the early weeks. A rough rule for how much your baby will need while you are away is about 30 mL (1 oz) for each hour apart, but every baby is different. Try this: Do a practice run this week: pump at the times you would at work, and pack your bag the night before as if it were a real workday.

Day 109 · 15 weeks 3 days old

Getting through the sleep shake-up

If your baby's nights have become more broken over the past few weeks, it may be the change in sleep cycles you read about in week 14. A few things can help while your baby adjusts.

A short, predictable bedtime routine gives your baby clear signals. A bath or wash, a diaper and sleep clothes, a feed, a song and then into the crib in the same order each night is enough. Keep the room dark and quiet, and a white noise machine at a low volume, placed away from the crib, may help with lighter sleep stages.

When your baby stirs, pause for a moment before going in. Babies often grunt, whimper or even cry briefly between cycles and settle again on their own. If they keep crying, go to them. At night, keep lights low and talk to a minimum, so waking stays calm and boring.

Watch the daytime too. An overtired baby often sleeps worse at night, so keeping an eye on wake windows can make a difference.

There are several approaches to helping babies learn to settle, from very gradual to more structured. You will read about them and what the evidence says in a few weeks, so there is no need to decide anything today. Try this: Write down your bedtime routine in four or five steps and stick a copy where whoever does bedtime can see it.

Day 110 · 15 weeks 4 days old

Strength comes from moving freely

Watch your baby on the floor now and you may see how much has changed in a few weeks. Many babies this age push up high on straight arms during tummy time, lift their head and chest to look around, rock on their tummy, kick hard and twist their hips towards one side.

These movements are building the strength and coordination for rolling, sitting and eventually crawling. You can help by giving your baby plenty of floor time and small reasons to move.

Some simple games to try:

Place a toy just out of reach to one side during tummy time, so your baby pivots or stretches for it.

On their back, hold a toy above the chest and slowly move it to the side to encourage a turn.

Gently pull your baby up to sitting by holding their hands or forearms, watching that the head comes up in line with the body.

Sit your baby on your lap facing out, supporting their trunk, so they can practise holding their back steady.

Keep sessions short and stop when your baby gets tired or cross. Bare feet and loose clothing let them feel the floor and move freely.

Try this: Spread a blanket on the floor in a room where you spend time, and make it your baby's main play space for the week.

Day 111 · 15 weeks 5 days old

Making mornings work

When you go back to work, mornings tend to be the pressure point. A baby who needs feeding, changing and dressing does not care that you need to leave by 7:45. Some planning the night before can turn a frantic start into a manageable one.

Pack the childcare bag in the evening: labelled bottles or expressed milk ready in the fridge, spare clothes, diapers, wipes and anything else your provider needs. Lay out your own clothes, prepare breakfast you can eat quickly or take with you, and keep keys, pass cards and the pump bag in one spot by the door.

Decide who does what. If two adults are at home, split the morning so one person handles the baby while the other gets ready, then swap. Single parents may find it helps to get themselves fully ready before the baby wakes, even if that means an earlier alarm.

Build in more time than you think you need. Diaper blowouts and spit-up on clean shirts happen at the worst moments. Plan for at least one extra change of clothes for yourself in the car or at work.

Expect the first couple of weeks to feel rough. Routines get smoother with practice.

Try this: Do a full morning rehearsal this weekend, from wake-up to arriving at childcare, and time how long it really takes.

Day 112 · 15 weeks 6 days old

Ear infections in babies

Ear infections often start a few days into a cold. The tube that connects the middle ear to the back of the throat is short and nearly flat in babies, so fluid and germs can get trapped behind the eardrum.

Signs in a baby this age can be hard to spot. Look for fussiness that is worse when lying down, waking more at night, crying during feeds, a fever, or fluid draining from the ear. Pulling or rubbing at the ears is not a reliable sign on its own, since many babies play with their ears when tired or teething. Only a doctor or nurse can tell, by looking at the eardrum. Many ear infections clear up on their own, and in older children doctors often wait and watch before giving antibiotics. Young babies are more likely to be treated. For comfort, ask your pharmacist about pain medicine and the dose for your baby's weight.

Babies who are exposed to second-hand smoke, who feed lying flat with a bottle or who are around many other children have more ear infections. Breastfeeding and keeping up with vaccines may lower the risk.

Call your baby's doctor if you think your baby has ear pain, has fluid or pus coming from the ear, or seems unwell after a cold.

Try this: If you bottle feed, hold your baby semi-upright for feeds rather than lying flat, and never prop a bottle.