3 to 6 months Play

By 3 months old, baby has discovered his hands - and his mouth. With his fists opening a little more, he'll begin to be able to hold objects and bring them up to his mouth for a test suck - almost everything he grabs is likely to end up in his mouth.

During this stage, your baby will learn to roll, and move forward using his legs to push. He'll be able to hold onto objects with his hands and he'll get better control of his head through the strengthening of his neck muscles. By six months, some babies will be able to bear weight on their legs when they're held in a standing position, as well as sit with some support.

Your baby will also begin initiating communication with you by smiling, laughing, and cooing. He will become more aware of his environment and look around to see what's going on.

At this stage introduce:

Find more:

• Understand your baby's physical development at this age
• Discover how your baby communicates at this age

Books

With his range of eyesight steadily increasing, he's now able to focus on objects further away, so this is a great time to introduce books into his day. Spend a little quiet time each day reading with him - he'll enjoy looking at the pictures and reaching out for the book. He'll also start to listen to you read.

Find more:

• Read our reviews of the latest books for babies
• Why should I read to my baby?
• How to read with my baby
• Discover Mem Fox's reading tips

Toys

Your baby can now hold onto an object with some control and he'll enjoy moving them around in the air in front of him. Because his hand-eye co-ordination is steadily improving, it's a great time to offer him toys with a variety of textures, noises, colours and sizes. Baby can now hold onto objects and wave them around.

Find more:

• Choose safe age-appropriate toys
• Find the best baby toys as voted by Kidspot mums
• Buy toys online

Music

As your baby grows, you'll notice that he's developing his own musical taste - which may not match your own! Just like adults, he'll prefer to listen to music that matches his mood so introduce him to different styles, tempos and volume and watch for his reaction.

Find more:

• Learn nursery rhyme lyrics
• Find popular kids songs

Find more relevant information about playing with your baby

• Sign up for your expert FREE weekly email guide to baby's first year
• Understand the benefits of tummy time and floor play for your baby
• Read all baby play articles
• Get play ideas from other mums in your local area at the Kidspot Message Board

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This article was written by Ella Walsh for Kidspot. Sources include Karitane and Raising Children Network.