Milestones

Every baby grows at a different rate, but there are some general milestones to watch for over the first three months. By the end of three months, your baby will probably:

• Recognise familiar objects, people and sounds, and watch faces and moving objects
• Smile at the sound of your voice, and turn head toward sounds; babble and imitate some sounds
• Raise his/her head and chest when lying on his/her stomach, and use arms to support the upper body
• Kick legs when lying on stomach or back; push down on legs when feet are placed on a firm surface
• Bring his/her hand to mouth, swipe at dangling objects, and grasp/shake hand toys
• Enjoy playing, and even cry when playing stops; imitate some movements and facial expressions

Well being and Safety

It is important to keep your baby's safety in mind at all times, both at home and when visiting

• Handwashing: Hand washing is especially important in the early days. You or anyone else you touches your baby should wash their hands thoroughly first. Your should also wash your hands before preparing a feed, handling sterilised equipment and after nappy change.
• Hand Sanitiser: If you do not have access to soap and water, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser to help kill germs on your hands
• Avoid visitors who are sick
• Sterilise equipment: Until your baby is one year old, before every use, you need to clean and sterilise any equipment that will touch your baby's milk or go into their mouth, such as bottles, dummies, teething rings, toys, etc
• Food Preparation Surfaces: Always clean and disinfect surfaces before using them to prepare feeds
• Hand Contact Surfaces: To help stop germs spreading around your home, you need to clean and disinfect hand contact surfaces such as toilet seats, door handles and taps
• Nappy Changing Mats: After each nappy change, you need to clean and disinfect the nappy changing surfaces, and any surface you may have contaminated with germs
• Never leave your baby unattended: Even a newborn can roll. Take extra care during nappy changing and bathing