Clothing and Toys for Your Baby

As your baby grows and you go out more together he will probably need more clothes. He may require warmer, thicker stretch suits or jogging suits for daytime wear in the winter, or larger woolen cardigans and sweaters. If it is cold, a snow suit will keep the baby warm and dry outdoors, without wrapping him under layers of blankets in a pram (but see below).

Don't make the mistake of overdressing your baby, especially when he is in a warm house. As babies get bigger they do learn to adjust to warm or cold conditions. Always wrap him up warmly when going out in the cold, however; hats are very important as most of a baby's heat loss is through his head. When you come into a warm house again, always unwrap your baby, even if he is fast asleep. This may be a reason for using blankets rather than a snow suit, so that you disturb him as little as possible.

Many babies overheat easily and can readily develop a heat rash, so be sure not to put too many clothes on a summer baby, especially if the weather is hot. Babies have cold hands and feet most of the time, so feel the back of his neck if you want to check how warm he is overall. 

Around the age of three months, your baby will start taking more interest in the objects around him. He will love to watch brightly colored mobiles; you can hang one over his changing mat and another in the kitchen or living room so he can look at it from his bouncing cradle. Your baby will start to reach out for things he can see and will enjoy swiping at an object dangled within his reach. A toy fixed to the bouncing cradle is a good idea at this age. 

Rattles now start to come in too, although it will be another few weeks before your baby can actually grasp one and shake it in a controlled way. At this stage he is quite likely to bang his head with it or poke it in his eye. However, you can string rattles and other brightly colored objects across the cot so that he can look at and reach out for them while lying on his back. He will watch rattles with interest if you hold them and shake them near his face.

A baby of this age is probably too young to cuddle soft toys although he may respond to those that squeak or rattle. He will probably enjoy looking at colorful pictures though, so you can try tucking some cards between the mattress and the side of his cot or pram. 

Your baby may start to roll from her back to her side at this time, and it is doubly important that you do not leave her, even for a moment, lying down on the changing table or on the bed.

When lying on her tummy, she may make 'swimming' movements with her arms and legs. And if you hold her upright on your knee, she will enjoy 'bouncing' and taking some of her weight on her legs.

Once your baby can roll over, it won't matter which way you put her down at night. You may lie her on her back and later find her on her tummy. Occasionally, though, a baby who has learned to roll from tummy to back may get stuck, and wake up crying. If she does this, you can try wedging a blanket down the side of the cot to prevent her rolling over. 

Some babies become mobile through rolling over and over long before they learn to crawl. If you have an active baby, you will need to adopt some of the safety measures in Weeks 15 and 38, as a rolling baby can move a surprising distance in a short space of time. In particular, beware of your baby rolling off a bed, chair or other raised surface or rolling towards dangerous objects such as a fire or ironing board.