What to look for in the first 3 months
Welcoming a newborn into the world is one of the most exhilarating and amazing experiences in life, and watching an infant grow and develop is an incredible journey for parents and caregivers alike.
However, it can also be overwhelming to keep track of your baby's progress and know what to expect at different stages – especially if you’re a new parent. This guide will provide an overview of the essential milestones for newborns between 0-3 months of age, along with some red flags to watch out for.
Why Track Developmental Milestones?
Monitoring a baby's development is crucial, and not just for the immediate benefits. Systematic check-ups help identify potential learning delays and issues early on, allowing for early intervention and ultimately delivering a much greater chance of recovery or treatment.
Milestones also provide parents and caregivers with a reference point to track their baby's progress, so they can understand their pace of development and identify potential problem areas. And last but most certainly not least, it reinforces the relationships between parents and child, with time spent interacting, playing, and growing familiar with each other.
For more information, read our thorough blog post about baby milestones and developmental stages from 0-5 years.
Reflexes, hearing, and tummy time for newborns: age 0-3 months
Before the age of three months (and for a while after), babies are completely dependent on caregivers for their basic needs. But that doesn’t mean they’re a complete “blank slate”. All newborns have a set of reflexes – automatic actions that help them eat, react to threats, and gauge their physical surroundings in some way. They also have basic senses and the ability to be on their stomach for a few minutes at a time.
Reflexes in Newborns
A good first step in checking milestones is ensuring your baby has all of their major reflexes:
Rooting: A reflex that causes babies to turn their head towards a touch on their cheek or mouth.
Sucking: An eating reflex that helps babies feed from the breast or bottle.
Startle (or Moro): Occurs when a baby is startled by a loud noise or movement. They extend their limbs and then bring them all close to the body again.
Grasping: A hand reflex that causes babies to grab onto objects placed in their palms, often with surprising strength.
Stepping: A reflex that makes babies move their legs, as if they are walking, when they are held upright with their feet touching a surface.
Tonic: thought to play a part in hand-eye coordination, this reflex causes one arm to be outstretched, with the head facing the same way and the other elbow bent.
Hearing in Newborns
Babies are born with the ability to hear, though it is not as refined as an older child’s or adult’s sense. This is because of more fluid in the middle ear canal, and a general immaturity of the necessary tissues.
Even so, babies will often turn their head in response to sounds, especially voices – and especially “motherese”, the style of high-pitched, exaggerated speaking that people often use around babies.
As for familiarity, newborns have been shown to prefer their mother’s voice over any other, because they heard it most often while in the womb. They can distinguish her speech from other people and respond to it specifically, which can have some amazing learning effects! In the first few months, a newborn should start to recognize other familiar voices and sounds – the father, a sibling, a favourite toy, and so on.
Tummy Time for Newborns
Immediate tummy time – lying flat on the stomach instead of the back – is recommended to help develop head control and the cervical curve. By placing the baby on their stomach for short periods, they can gradually build the muscles necessary for head control.
With that in mind, remember that very young babies do not have those muscles yet. They may not like tummy time at all, because they cannot lift their head, or they might find it new and exciting. But being on their stomach is vital to encouraging neck control and eventually learning to crawl. It’s generally safe as soon as you come home from the hospital, but don’t overdo it at first; just a minute or two, 2-3 times throughout each day, is enough to start building the habit.
Also remember to never leave a baby unsupervised on their tummy, and to always place them safely on their back to sleep.
developmental red flags for newborns
It is essential to keep an eye out for indications of developmental delays or issues that require further assessment. While sometimes these resolve themselves, and sometimes they are the result of an altered timeline due to premature birth, these are the most common scenarios to monitor. If they present in your child and persist over time, it’s a good idea to consult your pediatrician.
Improper Latching
A newborn should be able to latch onto a nipple or bottle correctly to feed. Signs of improper latching include obstructive tongue movement, chomping, an inability to be satiated, repeated pushing away or resistance, and difficulties with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), which is the hinge of the jaw.
It’s also a good idea to watch for passive feeding. This is a phenomenon where the baby is not actively sucking or swallowing, and therefore getting no nutrition. They may even fall asleep at the nipple! Watch for telltale signs of active feeding, like the chin moving up and down and audible swallowing.
Lack of Weight Gain
A newborn should be gaining weight steadily in the first few months of life. A lack of weight gain could indicate feeding issues or other underlying health problems, which would be best assessed by a pediatrician that can identify the root cause.
Lack of Auditory Response
While newborns may not yet be able to speak, they should be able to respond to sounds and voices around them (see the startle reflex above). A lack of response to sounds could indicate hearing issues, which may lead to other developmental problems in language, emotions, and socializing throughout the next stages of life.
Visual Impairment in Newborns
Blinking in response to bright lights is a protective mechanism that helps to prevent damage to the sensitive eyes of an infant. It is also an indicator of a healthy visual system. If a baby does not blink in response to bright lights, it could be a sign of a visual impairment, such as a problem with the cornea, retina, or optic nerve.
Similarly, watch to see if your child can track objects in front of them. Tracking objects with their eyes is another critical visual ability that helps infants explore and learn about their environment. While this ability takes time to develop, the overall inability to do so could be an indicator of problems with the visual system, such as strabismus (a misalignment of the eyes) or amblyopia (where one eye has weaker vision than the other, causing compensation and eventual worsening of the poorer eye).
the importance of checking for birth trauma and tension
Getting newborns checked for any birth trauma or tension in the nervous system is important because it can affect their overall health and development. Birth trauma can range from minor injuries such as bruising or swelling to more serious ones like fractures, nerve damage, or brain injury. In addition, the birthing process can impact the nervous system, leading to problems with breathing, digestion, and sleep.
If left untreated, this may affect a newborn's growth and development – as complications with feeding and sleeping can lead to a host of other issues. For example, a baby who is not sleeping well may be more irritable and fussy, which can make it harder for them to learn and develop.
Chiropractors and other healthcare professionals trained in pediatric care can perform gentle and safe evaluations to identify issues and provide treatment. These proactive steps ensure the best possible start for a newborn's health and development.
Celebrating Your Baby’s Development
Your child’s first three months of life is a precious time filled with plenty of memories. As a parent or caregiver, it's important to understand the typical behaviours and achievements that babies exhibit during this period – but remember that every one is unique, and it's a privilege to witness their first coos, reaching grasps, and adoring smiles.
This is our second entry into this blog series that began with our Comprehensive Guide to Baby Development Milestones where we had briefly touched on all of the major stages of development from birth all the way up until the expected milestones by 5 years old.
Whether you're a new parent going through “the 4th trimester” or an experienced caregiver, we're here to support you and your baby during these first few months in your greatest adventure. Contact Cameron Family Chiropractic today to learn more about how we can support your whole family as it grows!
