Keeping Track of Baby Milestones: 0-3 Months Old

After you bring your baby home, your priorities are likely getting food and sleep—for parents and babies alike! But as the fog clears, you begin to notice how your baby is changing, even after a few short weeks. It’s exciting to watch as your newborn grows and blossoms and to keep a note of those remarkable early milestones in baby’s development. I kept a notebook by my bedside with both of my children and jotted down observations daily when I had a moment.

Sometimes my notes were no more than a sentence or two. But having a journal or baby book to write in helped me keep track of my newborn’s feeding schedule and bowel movements during those early, sleep-deprived weeks. As we got the hang of that schedule, I made notes of other developmental milestones. The journal was helpful because I brought it to the pediatrician’s office. So when our doctor asked me how often my baby was feeding, if she was opening and closing her fists, and if she was making eye contact, I had a definite answer. If you don’t want to keep a journal, you can always use an app to track your baby (there are plenty!).

Typically, the first three months of your child’s development will be marked by key developments, including control and lifting of their head, a first smile and even a first laugh, and making eye contact. It’s an exciting time when bonding is important and your baby changes rapidly before your eyes. Pediatricians will go through developmental milestone checklists with patients (see an example), asking parents about their child’s sensory, communication, and movement changes and keeping an eye out for any red flags, such as developmental delays. Generally, it’s not concerning if a baby isn’t hitting one or two milestones on time. Be sure to adjust for prematurity or stress factors. If your newborn is missing multiple abilities or you feel concerned, check in with your child’s pediatrician.

Baby Milestones from Birth to 3 Months

0-1 Month Milestones

Feeding Milestones

Latches onto nipple or bottle
Sucks and swallows well during feedings
Feeds about six times per day
Tongue moves forward and back while feeding

Movement Milestones

Makes jerky, quivering arm thrusts
Brings hands in the range of mouth or eyes
Lying on tummy and moving head from side to side
Keeps hands balled up in tight fists
Strong reflex movements
Head flops backward if not supported

Visual Milestones

Sees bold patterns
Prefers high-contrast or black-and-white patterns
Eyes wander and occasionally cross
Can focus 8-12 inches away
Prefers human faces above all else

Hearing Milestones

Hearing is fully mature
Recognizes some sounds
May turn toward a familiar voice or sound

Smell and Touch Milestones

Sweet smell preference
Knows the scent of their mother’s milk
Dislikes acidic or bitter smells
Prefers soft to coarse touch
Dislikes rough or abrupt handling

The following developmental signs during weeks 2-4 may indicate developmental delay and require further assessment by your pediatrician:

if your baby doesn’t respond to loud sounds
feeds slowly and has trouble sucking
lower jaw trembles constantly
is stiff with rare movement
is excessively loose and floppy
doesn’t focus on a nearby object moving side to side
doesn’t blink when shown a bright light

1-3 Months Milestones

Movement Milestones

While lying on tummy:
- lifts chest and holds head up
- supports the upper body with arms
- stretches legs out and kicks
Opens and closes fists
Pushes down on legs when feet are placed on a firm surface
Brings hands to mouth
Uses hands to swipe at dangling objects
Grasps and shakes hand toys

Visual Milestones

Intently watches faces
Follows moving objects
Recognizes familiar objects
Recognizes people at a distance
Starts using hands and eyes in coordination

Hearing and Speech Milestones

Turns head toward the direction of a sound
Smiles at your voice
Begins to make babbling sounds
Begins to imitate some sounds

Social and Emotional Milestones

Begins to smile socially
Enjoys playing with others and may cry when it stops
Face and body become more expressive and communicative
Imitates some facial expressions and movements

Babies develop at their own rate, but failure to meet important developmental milestones can indicate developmental problems requiring special medical attention. Notify your pediatrician if you observe that by 3-4 months, baby doesn’t reach for and grasp toys, doesn’t pay attention to or seems overly frightened by new faces or surroundings, doesn’t seem to respond to loud sounds, crosses his eyes most of the time, or doesn’t smile at people.