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.
11-week-old baby milestones - physical development
11 weeks old baby growth
By now your baby will have grown almost three inches since birth. They should have also gained about 2-3 pounds if not more. They’re probably outgrowing all of their newborn clothes and are on their way to sleeping in a cot as opposed to a Moses basket. Their legs and arms should be straightening out a bit as they grow, and they’ll be filling out too, with fat pads developing in their cheeks.
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
As your baby is getting used to reaching and grabbing, try helping their development at playtime by placing toys within their reach when they lie on their stomach. This will help them practice reaching from a more complex position and is great if they’re already pushing themselves up. Try this when they are sitting in their chair too, although don’t make it too difficult or your baby will soon lose interest.
11 week old baby not reaching for toys
If your 11-week-old baby is not reaching for toys just not yet, try not to fret. All babies develop at their own rate and generally, this can happen between three and six months old. If you are concerned though, have a chat with your doctor.
Start to babyproof your home now
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.
11-week-old baby milestones - cognitive development
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 also beneficial 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.
Cooing
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.
Your baby’s personality
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 jabs
You're one week away from your second immunisation appointment, as they should have had their first vaccinations at eight weeks old.
At their first appointment, they received their first dose of the 6-in-1 injection against diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, whooping cough, polio and Hib (haemophilus influenza type B). The 12-week immunisation will call for a second dose of this plus a second dose of the Rotavirus vaccine.
Your baby will also have their first dose of the PCV vaccine, which will protect them against pneumococcal infections. Sometimes referred to as the pneumonia vaccine, it is designed to prevent potentially serious infections caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae which can lead to pneumonia, blood poisoning (sepsis) and meningitis. They will receive their second dose of the PCV vaccine once they've turned one.
Don’t worry, you still have a week to wait before you have to worry about their immunisations, but it may be best to start preparing yourself now, especially if you found the experience tough last time round.
11-week-old baby sleep
You’ll notice your baby is sleeping a lot less than they did ten weeks ago, usually around 15 hours over 24 hours. By now, you'll hopefully be having more restful nights, with your baby sleeping ten hours (fingers crossed), the remaining five will be spread out over three or four naps throughout the day.
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."
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.
How much should an 11-week-old baby be eating?
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.
11-week-old baby crying: Dealing with colic
Good news, if you’ve been dealing with colic, it should be starting to settle down.
How much should an 11-week-old baby be pooing?
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.
What problems should parents of an 11-week-old baby be aware of?
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.
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.
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. Jo was a Maternity Nurse for 10 years travelling around the World looking after newborn babies including twins. She then was asked to sleep teach several set of twins that weren’t sleeping and this Gentle Sleep Training (teaching) continues now online.