Medically reviewed by Dr Amit Shah, a leading gynaecologist and co-founder of Harley St. clinic Fertility Plus.
Your baby is almost three months old, where has that time gone? By now you must have a lot of questions about what development milestones your baby should have reached. Here's what you can expect as they go from 10 weeks old to 11.
Of course, every baby is different, but there are some milestones to look out for, so here's everything you need to know about their week-by-week development, how much they "should" be sleeping and eating and anything else you may want to be aware of according to experts.
Your baby’s 11-week development and milestones
At this stage, your baby has likely grown nearly three inches since birth and may have gained about 2-3 pounds. If you’re noticing them outgrowing their newborn clothes and perhaps getting ready to transition from a Moses basket to a cot, it’s completely normal. Their arms and legs may start to straighten out, and those adorable chubby cheeks are filling in as they develop fat pads.
Movement milestones
As they start kicking and punching more, you’ll notice they’re gaining more control over their muscles and improving coordination. They may even have enough control to push up now during tummy time.
Reaching and grabbing
Your baby is getting more used to reaching and grabbing objects. Place toys within reach during tummy time or while they’re seated. This not only helps improve their coordination but also keeps them entertained. If they’re not reaching just yet, try not to worry. Developmental milestones vary, and reaching often occurs between three and six months.
11-week baby health and care
At 11 weeks, your baby is rapidly developing both physically and cognitively.
Cause and effect
While their coordination won’t be fully developed for months, they should be improving their movements so as to be less jagged and a tad more controlled. You’ll notice this when they reach out to hit something dangling above them. This early playtime is an important part of their cognitive development and helps them understand cause and effect – when they hit something, it moves.
Hand-eye co-ordination
Early play is a great time to test to hand-eye co-ordination, so keep them stimulated with hanging toys. Try hanging them over your baby’s chest, not eye level, as this will be easier for them to reach for as they play. It’s alsobeneficial to use noisy toys, as they help your baby understand where sounds come from. You may notice they’re much more engaged with different types of music. Additionally, you can use gestures to teach your baby sign language to enhance their communication skills and understanding of language.
Cooing and communication
While they won’t be talking for a while, by 11 weeks, you may notice they respond to your chatter in their own little way, cooing when you leave them time to reply. It’s a great start to developing language, as well as chatting to them when they’re happy and excitable, as your voice is by far their favourite to hear.
Personality development
As your baby starts to make regular faces and sounds, you’ll notice them developing a little personality. This is an adorable, special time when you’ll start to see your baby’s characteristics coming to life. Allow them to watch your facial expressions and respond to theirs, it will help them understand social interaction better.
11-week-old baby sleep
At this stage, your baby may begin sleeping in longer blocks at night, typically five to six hours. The average amount of sleep is about 15 hours in a 24-hour period, with around 10 hours at night and the rest spread over three or four daytime naps. By now, you'll hopefully be having more restful nights!(fingers crossed)
Establishing a routine
Finally, those sleep routines you started a few weeks ago should start to pay off. Your baby is starting to understand the difference between nighttime sleep and daytime sleep. If they still wake at night for feeding, take advantage of these nights of restful sleep if you’re lucky enough to be getting them. If you’re not, do not panic – you’ll get there eventually. Also, don’t worry if your baby is not fitting into one particular sleep routine; every baby is different, and they’ll still be waking up to feed during the day and night.
If you’re worried their daytime naps aren’t frequent enough or long enough, follow this advice from baby sleep expert Jo Tantum, "Watch for tired signs – rubbing eyes and ears, staring into space, getting grumpy, yawning, then take them into their room. Total blackout, sleeping bag and cuddles, try wave sounds to help calm them, too. Try giving them a comforter to hold – I suggest a muslin square knotted in the middle as this helps as their motor reflexes are wanting to grab things so this can really help comfort them."
Dummies and night wakings
If your baby is waking you up in the night when their dummy falls out, it may be time to stop using it at bedtime. Although they find it comforting, you want to try and avoid your baby becoming dummy dependent. You’ll have a few sleepless nights at first, but it will be worth it in the long run.
11-week-old baby feeding
By 11 weeks, your baby will be taking more at each feed and, therefore, feeding less frequently. About 5-6 feeds over 24 hours is average at this age, but if they’re feeding more or less than this, do not worry – as long as your baby is at a healthy weight, everything is fine! If you need a good guideline for feeding if you’re using formula or if you’re expressing, try 150-200ml per kilo of their weight.
Dealing with colic
If colic has been an issue, you might see some improvement now. As babies grow, colic symptoms often decrease, much to the relief of parents.
Baby’s digestive changes
Worried about what you’re finding in your baby’s nappy? Our baby poo guide should ease your mind. As your baby is feeding less, you may notice they’re not pooing as often. Some babies can go days without pooing – it might sound worrying, but is completely normal as long as the stool they pass is soft and painless. The only time to worry is if your baby seems constipated, or seems in pain while pooing.
Looking out for you - Concerns you might be having at 11 weeks
Flat head syndrome
If your baby doesn’t like spending time on their tummy (which is very normal – a lot of babies don’t), you may notice the constant time on their back is causing a flat spot to appear on their head. This is flat head syndrome and can be managed by reducing the amount of time your baby spends on their back and doing more tummy time.
Crying with purpose
Your baby’s crying may be louder and more purposeful now. They’re starting to understand they can get what they want, be it soothing or something else, by crying. You’ll start to tell the difference between what each cry means with time. Don’t worry if you’re finding this difficult, babies usually settle down with their crying around three months.
Postnatal depression
Postnatal depression can occur at any time in the first year of your baby’s life. Are you overwhelmed by guilt or feelings of failure? Do you feel like everything could go wrong and it’s all your fault? You may want to visit your doctor and talk about the possibility of postnatal depression. With it affecting between 10 to 15 in every 100 women who have a baby, you’re definitely not alone.
It’s always helpful to stay connected with other parents or support groups, as they can offer encouragement and practical advice. Remember, every baby is different, and comparing milestones can lead to unnecessary worry.
Additional things to keep in mind
11-week immunisations
Your baby’s 12-week immunisation is just around the corner. At eight weeks, they received their first round of vaccines, and in another week, they’ll receive the next round, which includes a second dose of the 6-in-1 vaccine, the Rotavirus vaccine, and the PCV vaccine for pneumococcal infections. Preparing yourself mentally for this appointment can make it a little easier, especially if you found the first experience difficult.
Babyproofing your home
If you haven't already, it’s time to clear away all those tiny or unsanitary objects that could be choking hazards – babies explore first and foremost with their mouths, so your baby is likely starting to chew almost everything it finds. Don’t be alarmed by this new-found habit, it's completely normal for babies to discover new objects in this way and they'll probably keep it up until they’re around two years old. There’s also a positive to this new trait – it can actually help your baby develop chewing muscles for when they move onto solid food in a few months’ time.
About the expert
Jo Tantum encourages confident parenting and gently guides parents to better understand their babies, based on their natural feeding and sleeping patterns. She spent 3 years studying and training for a Community Childcare Course and the NNEB diploma (Nursery Nurse Education Board) within that training she worked in the City Hospital’s paediatric ward, a Baby unit with babies from 6 weeks old and a Nursery for 3-5 years old.
About the author
Stephanie Spencer is the Deputy Digital Editor at Mother&Baby and auntie to four aged 8 to 6 months old. With a particular interest in health, she loves discovering products that make parent’s lives easier.