To communicate means to share thoughts, ideas, and feelings. We communicate through sounds, words, facial expressions, and touch. At this age, your baby will start to enjoy the back and forth of sounds and expressions (such as smiling) between you.

• Talk to your baby as much as possible. Give your baby time to respond to you. If you hear your baby make a sound, repeat it and wait for an answer. You're teaching your baby about the flow of conversations.
• Notice when your baby needs quiet time. Sometimes babies need to take a break from stimulation. Babies might turn away, close their eyes, or become fussy or irritable. If this happens, let your little one rest or just try cuddling.
• Read to your baby every day. Show them the pictures in the book and describe what you see.
• Hold your baby often. It helps your baby feel safe and comforted.
• When your baby cries, see if they need to eat or have a diaper change, are cold, or just want to be held. If your baby is still crying, try these ways to calm your baby:
  • Rock or hold your baby while you walk.
  • Take your baby for a walk in a stroller.
  • Sing or play music.
  • Turn on a fan or other calming noise.
  • Give your baby a pacifier.

• Your baby:
  • doesn't respond to sounds, especially parents' voices
  • isn't making sounds
  • isn't smiling by 3 months
  • is crying for a long time or the crying sounds odd to you
  • is crying and has other symptoms, like low activity, poor feeding, a fever, or trouble breathing, or seems to be in pain
• You're worried that your baby isn't seeing or hearing normally.
• You feel very frustrated, sad, or out of control.

You know your baby best. If your baby has signs that concern you, call your health care provider.

How do I know if my baby's communicating normally for their age? There is a wide range of normal development in babies. In general, by the end of the third month, a baby will:

• turn their head toward a parent's voice or other sounds
• make sounds
• cry to communicate a need (to be held or fed, to have a diaper changed, or to sleep)
• smile
• hold a finger placed in their palm
• look at and follow faces when quiet and alert
• stare briefly at brightly colored toys or pictures placed in front of their face

Talk to your health care provider if you have questions or concerns about your baby's development.

Is my baby crying too much? Most babies have a fussy period about the same time every day, which usually begins in early evening. All babies cry and can be fussy, but some cry more than others. Most babies start to cry less when they're about 3–4 months old. Call your health care provider if your baby is crying for more than 3 hours at a time and this happens more than 3 times a day or if you are feeling overwhelmed by your baby's crying.