You're greeted with a happy infant when your 3-month-old wakes in the morning, and you find that your baby is playing more than ever. She is interacting with you all the time, cooing, gurgling, and smiling when she sees your face and hears your voice. Here are some ways to make playtime together even more fun.

Floor time
You're still working on tummy time, so she should be spending a lot of time on the floor working her muscles. Place colorful toys in front of her -- while she can't grab for them yet, she enjoys looking at the bold, bright colors. Toys with music and lights are entertaining, too, but be careful not to overstimulate your baby. She's still very young, so introduce things slowly to her and watch for her reaction.

Check her out
Your baby loves to look at faces, and she may start to be intrigued by mirrors, too. Attach an unbreakable mirror to your baby's crib so she can look at her own face. As the two of you are looking into the mirror, talk to her about her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and point to them, too.

Sing and move
Clap her hands together and recite nursery rhymes or sing. Your voice is the most important sound to your baby, and whatever you sing is music to her ears.

Reading rules
If you haven't started reading to her yet, now’s the time. She'll love brightly colored books like the ones that feature babies just like her.

Track the toy
A great activity to help your baby focus her eyes is to lay her on the floor and hold a toy about 10 inches above her head. Move it from side to side and let her follow it with her eyes.

As you and your baby are enjoying the fun and games, she is reaching milestones and accomplishing so much already. Go, baby, go!

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Good news for sleep-deprived new moms: Now that your baby is a few months old, he’s starting to develop regular sleep patterns that will help you both get more shut-eye. Babies this age need about 14 hours of sleep within each 24-hour period. You’ll probably find that it’s broken down into at least two (if not three) naps a day, plus seven or eight hours of sleep at night. Ensure that your baby sleep routine goes as smoothly as possible by keeping these tips in mind.

Establish a bedtime routine
If you haven’t already, start a calming bedtime routine to encourage blissful baby sleep. Have a set bedtime and keep the routine simple and relatively short. Some tried-and-true activities to consider: giving a bath, singing lullabies, reading a book, or rocking in a chair together. Whatever you choose, keep it consistent by performing the same activities in the same order each night. This will help set your baby up for a successful night’s sleep.

Readjust your feeding times
After four months, your formula-fed baby does not need to be fed more than four times a day, and breast-fed babies only need about five or six nursing sessions a day. Now that your child requires fewer meals, it’s a good time to start eliminating middle-of-the-night feedings. Transition your routine so the last bottle or nursing session is right before you go to sleep. Your baby may still cry out in the middle of the night, but at this age, you can comfort him with soothing words or a quick lullaby instead of a feeding.

Keep baby safe from SIDS
At this age, the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) is decreasing, but it’s still a must to put your baby down to sleep on his back and keep any soft objects (e.g., pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals) out of the crib. However, by 6 months, many babies are starting to learn how to roll over from their backs to their stomachs. If your baby is rolling over in the middle of the night, don’t worry: There’s no need to reposition him while he is sleeping.

You and your baby are probably both getting more sleep during the night, but hiccups are to be expected. If you do have any baby sleep disturbances, be sure to stick to your routine … and keep your fingers crossed that the following night will be more restful!

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The first year of your child’s life will be full of baby development achievements. Perhaps the most noticeable change will be the transition from a newborn with limited, jerky movements to a cruising, moving older baby.

Are you wondering what to expect from your baby’s next big move? Here, some of the major infant development milestones of his first 12 months, and when you can (roughly) expect them to happen. 

From 0 to 3 months, your baby may:

• Raise his head when placed on his stomach
• Stretch his limbs and kick his legs when lying on his back
• Open and shut his hands into fists
• Grip or shake baby hand toys

From 4 to 7 months, your baby may: 

• Roll back to front and front to back (Baby safety tip: Now that he’s moving side to side, prevent dangerous falls by never leaving him unattended -- even for a second -- on a changing table or other high surface.)
• Sit in a “tripod” position, supporting his weight on his hands, and later, without help from his hands
• Be able to stay up in a standing position (with help from you), supporting his weight on his legs
• Pass a toy from hand to hand
• Use a raking motion to try to reach objects

• Move himself into a sitting position without support or help
• Push himself up onto his hands and knees
• Move from a sitting to crawling position, and, with practice, propel himself around
• Pull himself up to stand (Baby safety tip: This is the time to double check your baby proofing. Stairs should be gated off, and because baby will likely fall from time to time, consider padding table edges to prevent injury.)
• Cruise around the room while holding on to furniture

Of course, all children are unique, which means they develop at different speeds. Don’t panic if your baby isn’t reaching milestones exactly on this timetable. But if you are concerned about a possible baby development delay, consider talking to your child’s pediatrician.

From crawling to improved hand-eye coordination, your baby is advancing in leaps and bounds during the last legs of his first year, and sleep is no exception. By now, he’s probably been weaned off his nighttime feeding routine, and you may notice that his sleep pattern is changing, too. These baby sleep solutions will help ensure that your little one gets the rest he needs during the last few months of his first year.

Put in the hours
Your older baby requires less sleep than he did as a newborn -- about 14 hours in a 24-hour period. However, he’ll still be taking his usual two naps per day, which are important for growth and development.

Keep it consistent
A regular bedtime routine is a big step toward no-fuss nights. However, you may notice that as your baby gets older, his interests change. If your routine isn’t working as well as it used to, consider switching one of the activities in your bedtime routine (say, read a book instead of singing lullabies). Just remember to keep the activities quiet and calming, and do them in the same order every evening so your baby knows to expect bedtime at the end of the nightly ritual.

Don’t linger in your baby’s room
At this age, one developmental milestone is that your baby starts understanding object permanence, or the fact that people and things still exist even when they can’t be seen. Knowing that you’re somewhere else in the house, your baby may make a fuss when you leave the room in an attempt to get you to come back. If you do hear your baby cry out, poke your head back into the room but avoid turning on the light, picking him up, or staying too long. This will help teach your baby to soothe himself back to sleep on his own.

Ensure your baby’s room is safe
At around 12 months, another developmental milestone your baby may reach is the ability to pull himself up to a standing position without help. Be aware of this when evaluating the area around your child’s crib. Remove any artwork or decorations that he may be able to reach.

For older babies (and babies of any age), consistency is key, so aim to keep your child’s bedtime routine constant each day of the week -- even when away from home. A well-rested baby will make for a happy, well-rested mom!

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Your newborn’s sleeping and waking cycles can be unpredictable. During the first three months of your baby’s life, it’s best to accept the fact that you’ll be getting very little shut-eye. But know that soon enough, your baby will settle into a sleeping routine that’s more manageable for the whole family. For now, check out some baby sleep solutions to help you manage the early months while setting your child up for sleep success in the future.

1. Master the signs of sleepiness
During his first month, your baby will probably sleep at least 16 hours a day. After about 4 to 6 weeks, you might start to notice a pattern in his sleep, and you’ll be able to better anticipate when he needs to nap -- usually, a few times a day. However, his timing won’t be consistent yet, so be alert for signs that he’s getting sleepy, such as fussing or crying, rubbing his eyes, or staring off into space.

2. Avoid day and night reversal
A common newborn sleep issue is mixing up days and nights. This happens when your baby gets the bulk of her sleep during the day and then wants to stay up longer at night (and play) while everyone else is trying to snooze. There’s no overnight fix for this, but you can help get your baby back on track sooner by clearly differentiating night from day. Encourage wakefulness during the day by keeping the shades open to allow bright light in. Then, during the evening, use a soft, calm voice and keep the lights dimmed.

3. Start a bedtime routine
By the time your baby is about 6 weeks old, you can establish a consistent and calming bedtime ritual. Keep it simple, short, and sweet. Read and sing to your baby, feed him, and gently rock him. After the first month, try to move him to his crib -- instead of letting him fall asleep in your arms -- while he’s sleepy but still awake so he can get accustomed to falling asleep in his own bed.

4. Consider baby sleep safety
The greatest risk for SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) occurs in the first few months of life. You can help reduce this risk by making sure your baby is always placed on his back to sleep and that he sleeps on a firm mattress -- either in a crib or bedside bassinet. Because blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals can pose a suffocation risk, keep them and other soft objects out of the crib. Also avoid using crib bumpers.

Remember: Your sleep is just as important as your child’s! A good rule of thumb is to nap when your baby naps. This way, you’ll both wake up refreshed and ready to go.