Birth to 3 months

Explore expert articles on newborn care, development, and parenting tips for babies from birth to 3 months. Practical advice for new moms at Hey Mom.

The sleep of a child on breastfeeding and formula feeding.

In this article, we aim to dispel the stereotype that "breastfeeding equals peaceful sleep," as the quality of a child's sleep does not depend on the type of feeding. A child can wake up frequently whether fed with breast milk or formula.

March 4, 2025•Noah Bennett

Hypertonicity in newborns

From birth to about 5–6 months, children often display a posture indicative of hypertonicity: fists are clenched; arms are bent at the elbows and held close to the body; legs are slightly spread and bent at the hips and knees; and the bent legs are drawn up towards the belly. This condition is known as physiological hypertonicity. It gradually decreases from top to bottom: trunk muscles around 2.5 months; upper limb muscles by 3 months; and lower limb muscles by 4 months. By 6 months, the tone in the antagonist muscles becomes balanced. Some infants may have higher muscle tone from birth, while others may have lower. Every child has some muscle tone. The most important factor to consider when assessing motor functions is the range of voluntary movements, meaning those that the child performs independently.

March 4, 2025•Noah Bennett

How to soothe without rocking? Tracy Hogg's calming method "Shushing and Patting."

We continue to introduce you to Elena Muradova's book "500 Answers from a Sleep Consultant," which will be available for purchase in February 2024. However, our readers can already explore excerpts from it now. Newborns often fall asleep during feeding, which is normal and natural in the first months of an infant's life. If your baby doesn't fall asleep while feeding, frequently cries, and struggles to calm down, there are effective methods for handling such situations with infants. For example, there is the Tracy Hogg method called "Shhh-Pat."

March 4, 2025•Olivia Patel

How to Ensure Your Child's Sleep Safety: Explanations of AAP Guidelines

Each year in the U.S., approximately 3,500 infants unexpectedly die during sleep. Most of these tragedies are caused by sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or incidents of asphyxiation. To reduce sleep risks for children, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated its safe sleep recommendations for infants, originally issued in 2016. The update includes additional strategies to lower the risk of SIDS, as well as some new guidelines. All recommendations are intended for children under one year of age. If you have questions while reading, consult a pediatrician.

March 4, 2025•Emma Thompson

Rocking the baby to sleep.

Rocking is a time-tested method for calming and helping infants fall asleep. What’s the secret? The simplest explanation is that gentle swaying mimics the sensations of the womb, returning the baby to a cozy and serene state. It's no wonder that renowned pediatrician Harvey Karp included rocking in his "5 S's" system.

March 4, 2025•Olivia Patel

Sleep deprivation in children

Sleep deprivation, or lack of sleep, is a common issue in today's world. A slight deficiency in sleep can be made up in a single day and may not negatively affect a person's quality of life and well-being in the future. However, chronic sleep deprivation can lead to undesirable and even dangerous consequences for the body, especially during childhood when the brain is rapidly developing.

March 4, 2025•Olivia Patel

Child's Sleep Diary

A sleep diary is a helpful tool that assists parents in establishing a stable and predictable daily rhythm. It records each period of wakefulness and sleep, as well as the daily need for rest and activity. As the child grows, the sleep diary makes it easier to monitor changes that occur throughout the day.

March 4, 2025•Noah Bennett

How to timely identify hearing problems in a child?

Even before birth, in the mother's womb, the baby can distinguish sounds. This ability develops around the 15th to 20th week of gestation. After 32 weeks, the baby can even turn its head toward the direction of a sound. During this time, the child most often hears the mother's voice, making it easier for them to recognize her voice from other sounds later on. A newborn enters the world with a fully developed auditory system.

March 4, 2025•Noah Bennett