Baby Development Activities 0-3 Months

Seeing my baby learn and grow is so exciting. She is changing every day, learning about the world and new things she can do!

You can help your baby learn new things right from the start! Playing games and setting up baby development activities for every age. It helps them develop mentally, physically, and socially. There is a lot babies can do under a year old!

Before trying these activities, think about what your baby is ready for. Each and every baby develops at a different rate and may or may not be ready to try every activity quite yet.

This post contains affiliate links which means that I will make a small commission if you purchase a product after clicking on any of them, at no extra cost to you.

Sing

I love singing to my baby. It can calm or excite her depending on what you’re trying to achieve. Sing calming music before naps or bed time or sing happy up beat music for play time! Before my baby goes to sleep, I sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. She has learned that when it is sung, it is time to sleep.

Talk

Talking to your baby helps them learn a larger vocabulary along with facial expressions. Talk to them as you are having a conversation and allow time for them to respond! It’s fun to see what they may do.

Read A Book

From the time my baby was in the womb, I read to her. It didn’t have to be a children’s book, it could have been something I was learning about online. I just read to her. I’ve continued reading to her most every day now that she’s here!

It’s another great way to help your baby build their vocabulary and learn to talk. I have a great list of books to start your baby’s library with that you can check out, great for babies one week old and up!

Contrast Books

When babies are first born, they see a blurred version of the world around them. They are able to see more clearly up close, within about a foot of space. That is why these contrast books are so wonderful.

These books have bold black and white images, catching the eye of your sweet little one. Babies are able to focus on the pictures more easily because of the contrasting colors and boldness of the pictures. You can find these awesome contrast books in the list of books I recommend for baby’s first library!

Contrast Cards

Similar to contrast books, are contrast cards. These cards can be purchased online or you can make your own and print/laminate these black and white contrast cards to use during tummy time.

It’s fun for your little one to look at the cards in detail since they can’t focus their eyes on much else in their world. A lot of things are hard to see for the first few months of life.

You can also lay them on their back, slowly moving the card left to right across their field of vision. This helps them to follow objects with their eyes.

Pre-Made Activity box

KiwiCo offers age-appropriate activity boxes for each developmental age range. It takes the guessing out of “what should I do with my baby today?”. The Panda Crate was made for ages 0-24 months. It was developed in partnership with Seattle Children’s Hospital. Each crate helps babies learn by doing what they do best — playing, exploring, and most importantly, interacting with the adults in their lives! Crates arrive every other month and are filled with two months’ worth of items for baby to learn and play with!

2022 Update : My daughter is now on to the Koala Crate (for ages 2-4) and recently had a visit at her pediatrician. He was thrilled with her mental and motor skill development, saying how advanced she is for her age! I’m sure some of these age-appropriate toys and activities as well as time spent working with her have attributed to her advancement!

Tummy Time

There are many ways you can do tummy time, and they are all great baby development activities.

1. The first, is laying them on a playmat. The baby may not enjoy tummy time at first, but over time it will become fun for them. When beginning tummy time, lay them on their tummy for a few minutes at a time, three times per day. Slowly increase the amount of time they spend on their tummy to enable them to strengthen their neck and back muscles.
2. Another way to do tummy time is by laying your baby on your chest/belly. Baby will try lifting their head for a few seconds at a time to look at your face and other things around them.
3. When the baby is around 3 months, you can try a fun version of tummy time! You (the parent) will lay on your back (on the bed or floor) holding baby. Lift baby up and put your knees to your chest. You can lay baby’s tummy on your shins (baby’s head facing you) and bring your legs closer and farther from your face while firmly holding your baby’s torso. This is fun for you and baby! You also get a little workout from it! If you don’t feel comfortable trying this one then don’t. I did want to mention it because it was a fun exercise for my baby and me.

Just have fun!

Keep in mind your child’s personal developmental stages and do the baby development activities you think they are ready for. As long as you are spending time with your baby, they are having fun. So relax and enjoy time with that sweet child of yours!