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21 Best Activities for 3-Month-Olds at Home (2024)

Kingsley and Aurora playing
seen in: national geographic, cnn, travel + leisure, new york times
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If I’m being completely honest, thinking back to when my daughter was 3 months old seems like only yesterday, yet so long ago. Was she really even doing any activities at 3 months? Mom-brain comes into play and it can often be difficult to think of activities that are age appropriate for a 3-month-old at home.
With my daughter now a toddler, I finally have the time to reflect on that period of motherhood and what our schedules were like back then. I know many of you are probably out there thinking, “there are tons of activities for toddlers, but are there really any for babies that young?” Short answer: DEFINITELY!

We also list free activities for 3-month-olds at the end of the page that your baby can participate in with either Mama or Papa at home.

aurora on a balance bike
Our toddler, Aurora, practicing on her balance bike.

21 Engaging Activities for 3-Month-Olds

  • 1. Tummy Time Water Mat

    A best seller and 100% leak-proof, BPA free, and non-toxic, this is a great tummy-time activity for your baby. This mat has water on the inside, so there’s no stress about a mess or anyone getting wet. The sea world graph and the floating toys will be sure to capture your baby’s attention. This activity helps promote development by strengthening their legs and arms in preparation for when they begin to crawl. It can also help your baby’s hand-eye coordination. So many key developments in one activity!

    Tummy Time Water Mat

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • 2. Sit-Me-Up Floor Seat

    My daughter was born on the smaller side weighing only 5 pounds and 13 ounces, so she was still too small for this activity. However, depending on your baby’s weight, this sit-me-up floor activity is perfect for babies who are 3-months old. This frog-themed floor seat helps your baby sit up, and will help support their position with its base. There are two toys attached to keep your little one amused while you do the dishes or throw a load of laundry in. As they play with their toys, they can crinkle the butterfly, along with putting the teether in their mouth to build those baby muscles!

    Sit Me Up Floor Seat

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • 3. Deluxe Kick ‘N Play Piano Gym

    This was one of my daughter’s favorite activities when she was a baby! The piano gym is a best seller and gives your baby 4 ways to play as they grow. As your baby gets older, the learning stages will change and they’ll even have a piano to play with that has real music notes. The piano keys light up, and when he/she gets older, the piano can be removed from the mat for them to carry around. This will improve their sensory development, gross motor skills, curiosity, and start them on early academics by showing them colors and shapes.

    Play Piano

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • 4. Foot Finders and Wrist Rattles

    This is an interesting activity I wish I would have known about when my daughter was 3 months old. This activity is designed for healthy sensory development. Designed with many colors that will catch your baby’s eye, this foot finder activity is perfect if you want to enhance your baby’s sensory development. If you have a baby shower coming up, this is a go-to baby gift for Mama! Its quality design is science-based, has natural cotton, is gentle on baby skin, safe for them to put in their mouth, and great for those who are teething. It will encourage your baby’s focus on colors, patterns, textures, sounds, and faces.

    Foot Finders and Wrist Rattles

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • 5. Sassy Developmental Bumpy Ball

    Little activities like these are great for long travels. When we would travel back home, our trip would be 5 hours. I remember the long car ride when my daughter was so young, we would try to think of things to keep her attention so she wouldn’t get fussy. This ball comes with many textures, and will teach your baby about variety. The bumps will also encourage reaching and grasping. The Sassy Developmental Bumpy Ball promotes fine motor skills, visual tracking, and gross motor skills.

    Sassy Developmental Bumpy Ball

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • 6. iPlay, iLearn

    This 10-piece baby rattle set is a perfect early education toy for your baby. It comes with 10 rattles/teethers for different learning stages of development. This activity makes for a great baby shower gift that Mama would appreciate. It promotes fine motor, tactile, hearing, and visual development. The various different grips, shapes, and tasks will also help with your baby’s hand-eye coordination.

    iPlay iLearn

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • 7. Peek & Play Baby Book

    This Peek & Play baby book comes with 6 pages of animal pictures and interactive features. The pages have fabric flaps that come with peek-a-boo surprises, buttons to introduce characters, colors and play songs. It comes with 50+ songs that will bring a smile to your three-month-old’s face and is sure to provide entertainment. The most convenient thing that I love about this activity is that it can be connected to car carriers if you have to take them on errands.

    Peek & Play Baby Book

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • 8. Baby Einstein Octoplush Toy

    The Octoplush is a friendly baby toy that will introduce colors, music, and fun. Each time your baby gives them a squeeze they will be introduced with new colors and sounds. Under each leg is an image, and once they squeeze the leg they’ll hear corresponding color and a melody to go with it. One of the main things I love about this little activity is that it also comes in two other languages, Spanish and French. Plush toys always end up growing to be one of baby’s best friends.

    Octoplush Toy

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • 9. Prop-A-Pillar Tummy Time

    We received this Prop-A-Pillar for Christmas and my daughter loved it! It can be used for supportive seating and tummy time. It supports your baby during their tummy time and will support the muscles for their head and neck. Attached includes a crinkly sun toy, and BPA-free silicone teether.

    Prop A Pillar Tummy Time

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • 10. Playful Pinwheels Bouncer

    This was one of my favorite baby shower gifts I could have ever received. We got so much use out of this and my daughter absolutely loved it. The vibrations enabled will help relax your baby and the attached toys will cheer them up with their spin moves! It includes a lightweight frame that is removable when picking up your baby, has colorful fashion, soothing vibrations, and comfort and support.

    Playful Pinwheels Bouncer

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • 11. Wooden Baby Gym

    This wooden baby gym is 100% non-toxic and environmental natural wood. At this stage of your 3-month-olds life, their intellectual development is taking off. This play gym will exercise your baby’s body and mental ability. It also comes with 3 hanging toys with cartoon shapes to enable grasping and further their exercising abilities. This makes for the perfect nursery room purchase!

    Wooden Baby Gym

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • Asher And LyricOn An Important Side Note… Asher and I (pictured) feel it’s necessary to highlight the value of life insurance for parents with young kids. After extensive research, we discovered that parents can get insured for as little as $10 per month. We use Ladder Life who offers coverage up to $3M per parent (without a medical exam, just a few health questions) and you can apply 100% online.

    Get a quote in less than 30 seconds at LadderLife.com ➜

  • 12. Newborn Boppy

    The Boppy is a go-to baby shower gift for a momma-to-be. This boppy is the perfect place for your baby to kick their legs, lay in comfort, and provides hands-free movement. It’s easy to care for and machine washable, making for easy wipe ups of messes.

    Newborn Boppy

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • 13. Multi-Sensory Soft Activity Shape

    This sensory activity comes with three shapes that have different textures for stimulation. It has hidden sounds such as crinkling, rattling, and chime ball to teach cause-and-effect. This sensory activity encourages playtime with Mama and Papa. In addition to promoting visual development, it also promotes hand-eye coordination, gross motor skills, and self-awareness.

    Soft Activity Shape

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • 14. Twist and Fold Activity Gym

    We received this as a baby shower gift and we put it to good use too! My daughter was never a fan of tummy time and also struggled to hold her head up when on her tummy. This activity really helped her with holding her head up and rolling over. Her favorite part was the mirror attached. She would always look right in it and smile. It was the cutest thing that I probably took about 10 videos of her doing it! This activity is easy to store as it folds up in two easy steps. It can be used all the way up until your baby’s first birthday and includes a mirror with linkable toys. This activity encourages sensory play with colors, mixed textures, rattling, and crinkling sounds.

    Twist Fold Activity Gym

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • 15. On-the-Go Baby Dome

    This activity dome was one of our favorites when we went to the beach, but it can easily be used in your backyard. It comes with a soft pad that will let your baby nap comfortably, and a canopy that will protect them from the sun or any outside bugs. The canopy has UPF20 protection, which provides baby with a UV shield. Two toys are attached overhead that encourages eye-tracking. These toys are also removable so baby can feel the different textures in their hands while lying down. This activity promotes fine motor skills and will keep baby busy on days you’re outside.

    On the Go Baby Dome

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • 16. Baby Spring Float

    Another one of our personal favorites that we used for our pool was the baby spring float. We go to the pool a lot in the summer and even though we didn’t keep her in the water long, I wanted something to introduce her to the water. This activity is great for babies who are 3-6 months of age. The octopus on the front of the float provides your baby with play, a squeaker fish, fish teether, and more! This float will create a secure experience for your baby. The canopy overhead provides your baby with UPF 50+ sun protection and the mesh siding allows you to keep eyes on your baby at all times. This is a great interactive and first swim activity for your little one!

    Baby Spring Float

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • 17. My First Soft Book

    My girl just LOVES books! Even when she was around 3 months and we had these soft books for her, she always had them in her hands. These soft books come with six different themes: sea world, animal world, number, vegetable, and vehicle. These books are a great way to stimulate your baby’s memory. They include colorful illustrations, soft fabric, touchable textures, and are easy to carry. Your baby will be off to a flying start with the encouragement of key skills such as language and sensory.

    My First Soft Book

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • 18. Rainforest Jumperoo

    Depending on if your baby can hold their head up by themselves at 3 months, which some can do, this Jumperoo is another personal favorite of mine! This rainforest Jumperoo comes with exciting lights and sounds with every jump. I remember settling down each night with some of the tunes stuck in my head. This infant jumper has 360 degrees of play including peek-a-boo, bat-at-monkey, and rattle lizard. It comes with 3 adjustable positions that will grow with your baby to get the most use out of it as possible. It promotes comfort and security, interactive play, and encourages healthy development.

    Rainforest Jumperoo

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • 19. Spiral Bed Stroller Toy

    Another great baby shower gift, this toy attaches right on to your stroller. It can also attach to crib rails, baby seat handles, and shopping carts. These bright colored hanging animals will help stimulate and help with your baby’s vision. This is a great sensory toy for your child that will help promote the use of hands muscles, and encourage them to reach and pull.

    Spiral Bed Stroller Toy

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • 20. Soothing Teething Mitten

    It may not sound like an actual activity, but believe me, this mitten is. This mitten has a soft silicone surface that will help ease the pain of your baby’s sore gums. It can easily be worn on either the left or right hands, and also protects baby from chewing on their hands. It’s very easy to clean as it can be thrown right in the wash. It also stimulates the senses through crinkling sounds that will keep your baby entertained.

    Soothing Teething Mitten

    View on Amazon.com ➜

  • 21. Balls, Blocks, Buddies Activity Toy Set

    This activity set comes with 20-pieces and is perfect for your baby. It comes with 8 textured sensory balls, 8 number counting blocks, and 4 animal buddies. These colorful shapes and textures are sure to keep your little one entertained when they’re seated. My daughter got a big kick out of watching the balls roll back and forth when she was on her tummy.

    Buddies Activity Toy Set

    View on Amazon.com ➜

7 Free Activities For Three-Month-Olds

Your 10-month-old will need a lot of attention and you won’t be able to wait until your Amazon toys arrive to give it to them! Here’s a list of 7 free activities you can do with your toddler at home without waiting or spending a dime!

  • 1. Tummy Time

    Tummy-time is a key sensory activity for your 3-month-old’s every day routine. It builds the muscles in your baby’s head, neck, shoulders, and arms. These are key muscles that your child will use when they begin to roll over and crawl. It’s important to keep practicing tummy-time daily to transition your little one into those developing stages.

  • 2. Dancing

    By the time my daughter was a month old, she was already smiling so much. I would think of so many ways to keep her happy. Every single day I would turn on music, hold her in my arms, and just dance with her to see her eyes light up and smile. As you’re dancing around, believe it not, your baby is registering the movements that you make.

  • 3. Peek-a-boo

    Peek-a-boo is something we still play up until this day. This little activity teaches your baby that things still exist even if they cannot be seen. As you cover your eyes, then uncover your eyes, you’ll see the interest in your baby’s eyes trying to register what is going on. Sometimes I would take her hands, put them over her eyes, and let her play peek-a-boo with me. She LOVED it!

  • 4. Singing

    When I was baby, my grandmother always sang to me, “You Are My Sunshine.” I would sing this to my daughter whenever I was changing her diaper or getting her dressed, and she would be so focused on my singing. This is key to developing your baby’s listening skills and develops a strong emotional connection.

  • 5. Learning

    Practicing tracking toys is a great activity you can do with your baby at home. We used to do this by laying our daughter on her tummy, then rolling a ball back and forth for her to follow. This will encourage your baby to follow the ball with her eyes. This can be done with toys or even people.

  • 6. Playing With Textures

    At 3 months of age your baby should be feeling different things like stuffed animals, different toys, teethers, or wooden blocks. Having your baby experiment with different textures helps them enjoy the different sensations and helps with the discovery of their hands. Having a variety of textures is important for this activity.

  • 7. Look in Mirrors

    Having your baby look into mirrors at 3 months of age helps them with learning reflections and facial recognition. My daughter would always smile when we stood in front of the mirror and was very fascinated by it.

Conclusion

Finding activities for 3 month olds isn’t as difficult as it may seem. It’s important for you as a parent to not overthink this stage in your baby’s life. These activities will help you develop a great bond with your child as he/she continues to grow. Bonding is essential to your baby’s development. Just remember, that it is a process and not something that has to be limited. Enjoy these beautiful times with your baby.