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Your baby at 11 – 12 weeks: development milestones & what to expect
Your baby is 11–12 weeks old and so much is changing. Here’s what to expect, from key milestones to sleep shifts and settling into life together.
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You’re coming to the end of the Fourth Trimester – a period of incredible change for you and your family. How are you feeling? Many new parents find it hard to know whether they’ve fully recovered from giving birth, simply because they’ve been so slammed by the sleep deprivation of these first 12 weeks. But as the nights (hopefully) become a little easier and your relationship with your little one grows, you might find this next bit sees you beginning to feel a bit more like yourself again.
Physical development milestones from 11 – 12 weeks
Every baby develops at different rates, but this is the point from which you might find yourself in a ‘baby race’ with friends or peers with same-age babies. The physical milestones start being a lot easier to measure once your baby becomes more mobile. Try not to get drawn into comparisons – your little one will get there in their own time.
At 11 – 12 weeks, if you lay your little one on their side, they might be able to roll themselves to their backs – a half roll. Some babies may even be able to achieve a full roll. This is a hugely exciting time, but comes with a few nail-biting moments. Time to start childproofing ! Think about cushioning edges that your little one might bump into, or cordoning off space that’s safe for them to play in. It’s never a good idea to leave your little one unattended on the floor – and absolutely never at height (e.g. on your bed or on their changing table) – but now that they’re on the move it’s more important than ever that you’re safe. Keep a hand on them while you’re changing their nappy and stay within reach while they’re on your bed. Your reflexes are about to get a lot quicker!
Milestone checklist
- Ready to roll – Your little one might be practicing the muscle movements that will lead to rolling. Keep them interested by placing toys nearby when they’re having tummy time.
- Giggles incoming – If you haven’t heard your baby laugh yet, you probably will soon. Try to get them going with silly faces, sounds and tickles.
- Nappy change challenge - well, wrigglier than ever, nappy changes might be becoming more difficult. Top tip for when impatience gets the best of you – let it out in a big, fat raspberry on their tummy.
Child brain development at 11 – 12 weeks
Your baby’s developing brain is more and more ready for play – meaning wake times are fun times! Choose toys that help develop their hand-eye coordination – like rattles – and encourage them to copy your movements and sounds. Play mats with overhead toys are also lots of fun and will encourage them to reach and grab. Everything is a toy to a baby and where they can, they will put it in their mouths. This is just another way of exploring their environment and doesn’t always mean they’re teething – though they certainly could start showing signs around now. Be aware of what’s within reach and make sure there’s nothing that presents a risk of choking.
Your little one’s hearing is well developed by now and their vision continues to improve. By the time they’re four months, they should be able to see all the colours of the rainbow, but for now they’ll still enjoy brightly coloured things and interesting patterns.
The big thing that’s happening right now is your little one beginning to learn about cause and effect: if I do this, then this happens. If I shake this rattle, I can make a noise. If I coo at mummy, she talks back at me. If I push down on my arms, I can lift my body. They’re literally learning something new every day – and it’s a treat to watch.
Social & Emotional Development
Feed your baby’s growing brain with simple songs, peek-a-boo, shakers and lots of chat. They relish these interactions and learn from everything you do, so even though it might feel a bit mindless you are building language, pattern recognition, and attachment, helping your little one feel loved and secure.
A secure attachment is the gift that lasts a lifetime. Responding to your baby’s needs – whether that’s feeding, cuddling, changing, or whatever – is not a sign that you’ve handed over all control to your baby. You’re not spoiling them and they’re not manipulating you. They’re learning they can rely on you and in doing so building the foundations for all future relationships.
Sleep & Feeding
Rhythms and routines at this stage
Sleep should be improving by this point, as your little one should be sleeping for between 10 and 12 hours overnight. Unfortunately this won’t be one continuous stretch, but they will get there! In the meantime, continue to feed on demand and watch for cues that your little one is sleepy so that you get them down for their nap before they’re overtired. They may still be having four naps a day for now, but this will soon drop down to three, making your days a little more manageable.
Sleeping after rolling
Having been religiously laying your little one down on their backs to sleep for the past 12 weeks, that first roll can leave you on edge. What if your baby chooses to roll onto their front to sleep now? The fact is, once they can roll, many babies do choose to sleep on their fronts. But because they can roll, this is not so much of a worry as far as safe sleep goes. Still put them down on their backs to go to sleep, and if you notice them on their front, pop them back onto their back while they’re still getting the hang of rolling both ways. But don’t feel you need to stay up all night watching them, missing out on what precious little sleep you get.
Feeding on demand
As your little one chunks up, you might start wondering ‘should I be feeding my baby less?’ ‘Is my baby overweight?’ The NHS still recommends feeding on demand at 11 – 12 weeks and beyond, so you can continue to do this with no worries. If you’re concerned about your baby’s weight, take them to a weighing clinic or see your health visitor to check their weight and see how it tracks on their growth charts. Some other things to bear in mind:
- Don’t automatically offer a bottle or the breast if your little one is fussing – look for hunger cues first.
- If your baby turns away from the bottle or breast during a feed, take that as a sign they’re done. Don’t try to overwrite their natural sense of when they’re full.
- Make sure your little one is getting plenty of opportunities to move during their waking periods.
Appointments in this period
The 12-week immunisations are all second doses of vaccinations your baby had at 8 weeks. The 6-in-1 vaccine, which protects them against diphtheria, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type B, polio, tetanus and whooping cough; the MenB vaccine, and the rotavirus vaccine.
Once again, this means two injections – one on each thigh – and the oral vaccine for rotavirus. Having been through this at 8 weeks, you know what to expect this time around. Side effects of the vaccines include high temperature, upset tummy and sore legs. Make sure you have baby paracetamol to hand to treat the high temperature, if needed, but don’t administer pre-emptive painkillers – wait until after the vaccines have been given and see how your little one is doing.
Some babies are unfazed by vaccinations, while others find the whole ordeal upsetting. It's the same for parents. If you need a little extra care after this appointment, make sure you rope in some moral support from your partner, friends or family.
Looking after yourself
Fitness may be the furthest thing from your mind right now, and we’re absolutely not going to advocate for post-baby diets or rigorous fitness regimes. Your body is changed by birth and the idea that you should shrink back down to your pre-baby appearance is unhelpful and unnecessary. What we will say, though, is there are things you can do for yourself now that might help reduce the long-term ramifications of bearing children.
Pelvic floor exercises , for example, but also a healthy stretching and self-care routine. Pregnancy and labour are hard on the body – but so is feeding, changing and carrying a growing baby. Your back, neck, shoulders, hips and pelvis can all end up giving you trouble if you don’t take a little time to look after yourself.
- Pelvic floor exercises – Your midwife and GP will likely both have spoken to you about pelvic floor exercises and for most new parents this information goes in one ear and out the other. Now that you’re getting into the swing of things, though, it’s time to refocus on yourself. Pelvic floor strengthening now will prevent bladder weakness later in life, so how about each time you change your baby’s nappy you give yourself a little talking to and then do some kegels.
- Stretching – Postnatal yoga classes specialise in helping you strengthen and tone your body after birth. You can join a class near you – or try mummy and baby yoga if you want to do this with your little one – or look for fitness classes online that you can do at home (doubling up as baby entertainment). Strengthening your core will help support your back, while working on your posture will help realign your neck and shoulders, which tend to take a hit from all those many hours spent crooked over a feeding baby.
Fitness should be about what makes you feel good, so please don’t put pressure on yourself to look a certain way. Talk to yourself the way you would your best friend – it’s the very least you deserve after all you’ve achieved.
A Note on Development Milestones
Developmental milestones are guides – not deadlines. If your baby isn’t ‘keeping up’ with your friends’ babies, it isn’t an immediate cause for concern. Every child develops at their own pace. That being said, your health visitor and GP are there to support you with any queries you might have and will always be happy to see you with your baby if you have any worries.
