A complete guide to baby’s developmental milestones from 3-6 Months

Watching your baby growing and changing is always exciting and if you have been watching this space, you were already awaiting this article! So, here’s the complete guide on your baby’s upcoming developmental milestones between 3-6 months, start noting them today!

3 – 4 Month:

Physical Milestones:

Growth: 

This month you can expect a weight gain of 250 grams to 500 grams, which is comparatively less than the first three months.

1. Motor Skills: 

• Improved neck strength and head movements
• Raises chest and head up while lying on tummy with arms support
• Grabbing and tries to mouth a toy or object 
• Stares and shakes nearby objects
• Rolls from tummy to back
• Sits with pillows’ support
• Using one hand at a time to reach toys

2. Sleep:

• In the age of 3-6 months, babies tend to sleep for 14-16 hours a day, which includes a 7-8 hours night sleep and 2-3 naps during daytime.

Cognitive development Milestones: 

1. Eyesight: 

• Improved vision by 20-40% 
• Able to focus on primary colours
• Able to see across the room
• Crosses eyes while focusing on objects
• Follows moving people and objects by turning head side-to-side

2. Touch

• Responds to affection and soft touch with smile or babble

Eating/Feeding Milestones:

1. Breastfed babies – 8-10 times a day or on demand (after every three to four hours)
2. Bottle Fed babies – 6-8 times a day (150-200ml per kg of body weight in a day) 
(This will remain same during the 3-5 months)

Communication and language milestones:

1. Starts babbling with vowel sounds
2. Cries to get a response

Social and Emotional Milestones:

1. Uses face to express different emotions
2. Understands your emotions from your voice and face expressions
3. Deliberately drops objects to communicate and play
4. Smiles more often, especially at human faces
5. Mimics movements and expressions

4 – 5 Months:

Physical Milestones:

1. Growth:

• In this month, your baby will probably go through a growth spurt which means an increased diet

2. Motor Skills: 

• Able to sit without support for a few seconds
• Starts rolling from back to tummy
• Passes objects from one hand to another hand
• Uses palm and index finger to hold objects

Cognitive or Mental Milestones:

1. Eye Sight:

• Focuses on objects without crossing eyes
• Able to differentiate two different shades of the same colour

2. Hearing:

• Starts responding to own name and loud noises

Communication and language milestones:

1. Makes continuous sounds to get a response
2. Babbles as in making real words’ sound

Social and Emotional Milestones:

1. Laughs on showing funny faces or making different sounds
2. Smiles while looking in the mirror
3. Looks at new people in a public place 

5 – 6 Months:

Physical Milestones:

1. Growth:

• Most babies are likely to double their birth weight by the end of this month, however, you may find a dip in their weight and height increasing trend. 

2. Motor Skills: 

• Able to sit without support
• Rolls in both directions
• Slides backward and forward with the help of tummy
• Tries to rock like a four hand animal, first, attempt towards crawling stage

Cognitive or Mental Milestones:

1. Eye Sight:

• Focuses on all nearby objects
• Tries to grab things even when not in reach

2. Taste

• Tries to taste every object to feel the texture

Eating/Feeding Milestones:

1. With breastfeed or bottle, may take 1-2 teaspoon of cereals

Communication and language milestones:

1. Responds to sounds by making sounds in return
2. Understands the word “no” and stops when hears “no”
3. Babbles and make sounds in turn with parents
4. Actively responds when his/her name is called out

Social and Emotional Milestones:

1. Shows early signs of stranger anxiety
2. Loves to play with parents or with familiar faces

Red Flags: When to contact your paediatrician

Also read more about: Development of the baby: 0-4 weeks, Development Of The Baby: 4 Weeks To 8 weeks, Development of your little one – Birth to 36 Months, A complete guide to baby’s developmental milestones from 0-3 Months 

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