“My three-month-old is so inviting,” exclaimed one mother. “Mine seems so responsive,” said another. “I just love the way he waves his arms at me,” added another best planar magnetic headphones. The third month is a fun period for both baby and parents. Your baby is more alert,
active, organized and responsive. Communication is better by the third month because both parents and baby have become comfortable with each other’s cues. For these reasons, parents often describe the third month as easier.
Handy HandsThose adorable little hands. How often you’ve played with them, prying open tightly curled fingers and rubbing the soft palms over your face. Now baby can play with his own hands. The beginning of hand play is the most note-worthy feature of the third month. The previously clenched fists unfold, and the hands remain half-open most of the time.At this stage babies realize their hands are familiar and easily accessible toys and, most important, part of themselves. Watch baby play with his hands in front of his face. He may explore one hand with the other, sometimes holding the whole fist, other times grabbing just one or two fingers. Of course, these curious hands find their way to their familiar target, the mouth, as baby delights in fist and finger sucking. These are baby’s first tools, and now he begins to use them.Reach out and grab someone.Watch out, hair and clothing, here come the hands. Everything in grabbing distance is fair game. Babies love to pull hair, grab glasses, grab daddy’s tie, and, a favorite, pull on mommy’s blouse during nursing. These first grabs are powerful and not very polite. Once baby gets hold of a fistful of hair, he doesn’t easily let go.The first reaches are not very defined either. When trying to reach and grab a dangling toy, the arm movements are still short, boxer like karate chops, swiping and still often missing. Next month he’ll be more on target.
