Your 13 week old baby is becoming very social, and probably greets new faces with a broad grin.
She is discovering her own voice and making the first vowel sounds and loves when you chat back to her. She has better hand eye coordination and loves to see the world she lives in. You’ll enjoy introducing it to her.
This is a relatively peaceful period. If your baby is sleeping for longer stretches overnight, you might be feeling more confident and less tired now.
If, like many other babies, she still has night feeds every few hours, remember to make time in your day to rest and nap when you can. Looking after yourself is an important part of looking after your baby.
Feeding your 13 week old baby
Just when you think you’ve heard every possible opinion about how you should feed your baby, along comes a new angle for those around you to give advice: when you should start your baby on solids.
You might find family members are eager to start giving your 13 week old baby rice cereal, pureed fruit or ‘little tastes’ of family meals when you gather. Babies grow best when they are slowly introduced to vegetables in the first year.
You might like to read our article about Baby Rice Cereal – 4 Reasons Why It’s Best To Skip It.
The pressure to go against the current recommendations with the all too familiar, ‘Well, I did that and my babies were fine!’ can be strong. What are the current recommendations? Read on to find out.
When will your baby be ready for solids?
Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), America’s Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization (WHO) all recommend exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months (or ‘around’ 6 months).
It’s advised for solids to be introduced then, while breastfeeding continues for at least one year.
If your baby is formula-fed, then it’s exclusive until 6 months. After 12 months, your baby doesn’t need formula any longer.
Make sure you are well prepared before you introduce solids, in around three months.
Read our articles to find out more: 7 Most Important Things To Know About Introducing Solids and 6 Steps To Introducing Solids… The Simple Way.
Refusing the breast at 13 weeks
Meanwhile, milk continues to be everything your baby needs to grow and develop. Sometimes, though, babies go through a period of breast refusal.
You might worry that something is wrong with your breast milk or wonder whether your baby is weaning, but usually this is a temporary response. With a little encouragement, most babies will return to the breast.
In many babies, the reasons for breast refusal can be anything from the return of your menstrual cycle to your breast smelling different after you change your brand of deodorant.
You can find out more in our article Breast Refusal – 13 Tips For A Baby That Refuses The Breast.
Weight gain 13 week old baby
Your 13 week old baby’s weight gain might slow down over the next couple of months. This is normal in breastfed babies.
It has been suggested that between four and six months, formula-fed babies tend to gain weight faster than their breastfed peers.
Keep this in mind when talking about baby weight gains with your friends or family who have similar-age babies. It doesn’t mean your breastmilk is not ‘strong enough’ or you aren’t making enough.
You can read more in our article Baby Weight Gain – What Is Normal? 5 Questions Answered.
Baby sleep and settling
If you swaddle your baby for sleep as a bedtime routine, you might be concerned when she learns to roll. Many parents transition from a swaddle to a sleeping bag around this age, to minimize the danger of babies rolling onto their stomach while swaddled.
Sleeping bags also allow your baby to wake and freely move her legs, which is important for your 13 week old baby, who will increasingly add kicking to her life list of things to do.
Baby’s poop at 13 weeks
It’s normal for a breastfed baby’s bowel motions to reduce in frequency. You might notice your 13 week old baby only does a poo every few days; even once every week or two can still be normal. Because there’s so little waste in breast milk, there are times when there just isn’t enough to pass.
That doesn’t mean your baby won’t feel a little uncomfortable at times, but as long as the poo is soft when it arrives, you don’t need to be concerned about constipation. More frequent breastfeeds can help move things along.
For a baby who is fully or partly formula-fed, the formula itself can often be the culprit, if you’re looking for the cause of constipation. If your baby suddenly begins to poo less frequently and the motions are hard and pellet-like, it might be related to the introduction, or change, of formula in her diet.
You might be interested in reading Baby Poop: What’s Normal And What’s Not?
Constipation – 13 week old baby
Constipation is very unlikely in a healthy, breastfed baby, although changes in their bowel patterns often cause parents concern.
Formula-fed babies sometimes experience constipation, and it can make them very unsettled at times. It might even cause pain.
It can take a while for the bowel to adjust to changes in the diet.
You can find out more about what to look for and how to treat it in our article, Baby Constipation – Remedies and Causes.
Crying after breastfeeding
As your baby comes to the end of the period of crying (which usually lasts around 12-16 weeks), you might be more confident – most of the time – about identifying the reason for her crying
Hunger, tiredness and discomfort are the usual causes of crying, but what do you do if you have fed your baby and she’s still crying?
If you’re breastfeeding, this can lead you to worry about your milk supply. You might start to top-up with formula after breastfeeding, or look at ways to increase your milk supply.
There are many reasons why babies cry after a breastfeed – and low supply is not always the cause. Before you start to supplement, rule out all the other possibilities; you’ll be surprised how many there are.
See our article, 15 Reasons Why A Baby Might Cry After A Breastfeed, for more information.
Play and development
Your 13 week old baby might already have surprised you with a chuckle or giggle. If not, you can encourage her with lots of face-to-face play, funny faces and silly voices. She loves to play with older children and will respond readily to her siblings.
That first laugh – like the first smile – is the start of a whole new world for your baby, and her simple sense of humor finds all sorts of things amusing.
Kicking creates great delight in babies and they put a lot of effort into it. As well as just being fun and part of her general nature, kicking is part of your 13 week old baby’s development. It is wiring up her brain for more complex movements, like walking, in the future.
Add some extra fun by adding bells to her socks or booties, which will jingle when she kicks. Once baby starts to make the connection, and realizes she is creating this new sound, she will kick with intent to hear it more. This creates a lot of fun at tummy time.
Anxiety for little ones at 13 weeks
It’s normal for new mothers to worry about their babies. But for some women, normal concerns can develop into anxiety and begin to affect their ability to enjoy their babies.
It’s reassuring to know other mothers experience these anxieties, but knowing how to cope with them is important.
Learn more in our article:Â Scary Thoughts? Why New Mothers Have Anxious Thoughts.
Rolling – baby’s development 13 weeks
To encourage your 13 week old toward her goal of rolling, playtime can include activities to stimulate baby’s senses and interest in turning to the side. As well as hanging toys above her, set up her play-space with interesting things she will turn her head to see; this will help baby develop the skills to roll.
Brightly colored toys, board books you can stand up, musical toys and toys that move will all tempt her to turn and watch.
Before she can roll onto her tummy, she needs to practice rolling onto her sides; these activities will spark her interest in doing so.
