How old is 12 weeks

Today's Parent October 1, Well, huzzah, the worst might be over! As you head into the next phase of infancy, your baby is no longer a little tree frog, curled up on your chest, and is so much more alert and responsive than even a month ago. The next three months will fly by just as swiftly, and your baby is ready for the next leap. Digestion troubles have eased, feeding is more efficient and, for those who suffered from colic , the worst is typically over.

Tummy time has given your baby enough upper body strength to support their head, shoulders and chest with their hands on the ground and enough lower body strength to stretch their legs and kick while on their bellies. Physical feats aside, your baby is poised to take their third mental leap to smooth transitions as they use all their senses to figure out the world around them and decode some of the mysteries that once fooled them. If you have a spouse or partner, the first three months with a new baby are a great way to discover failings and weaknesses you never knew your partner had.

Too harsh? Tummy time is important, so spend a few minutes each playtime on your tummy with your little one and then build this up to minutes. Choose a brightly coloured rattle to engage their vision too, and look for how they react when they make the rattling sound. With their movements becoming more controlled, your baby is starting to understand cause and effect. Try baby massage , it also increases bonding and can help their digestive system.

At their first appointment, they received their first dose of the 5-in-1 injection against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and Hib Haemophilus influenza type B. The week immunisation will give your baby a second dose of this injection, plus another dose of the Rotavirus vaccine a liquid dropped straight into their mouth. You may be expecting a meningitis C vaccine, but thanks to the success of the immunisation programme here in the UK, this jab was discontinued in July At 12 weeks, your baby is likely to be sleeping around 12 hours at night broken up by two feeds.

Sleep patterns are different for every baby but there are certain things you can expect between three months and twelve-months-old. Their daytime naps will vary in length, but they will usually have at least three. Baby sleep is a problem for many new parents. It can take you a while to understand your baby's sleep patterns and get them into a routine.

If you're having ongoing issues with sleep, there are certain tips and tricks you can use to get them snoozing. Try boosting your baby's sleep hormone naturally to help regulate their body clock with the help of sunlight. Now that your baby is becoming an expert in feeding, they will finish much faster, sometimes in as little as minutes. For the next few weeks, your baby may start to become distracted during feeds, this will peak at around four months old.

When it comes to formula-fed babies, they will still need around ml per kilo of their body weight, although this will decrease over the next few weeks. When it comes to baby poo, the spectrum of normal is pretty varied — your baby could be pooing after every feed or once every few days. If they do seem uncomfortable, they may be constipated and need to see a doctor.

At a glance Baby can track moving objects smoothly It's time for their second batch of immunisations Another growth spurt is on the way. Give lots of cuddles and take loads of photos as they grow way too fast.

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