Your baby at 11 weeks old

11-week-old baby routine

You may well be on a (fairly rough) schedule by 11 weeks, with set times for naps and going to bed and a good idea when your baby will need feeding – and possibly even changing if you have a very 'regular' baby (there are some children you can practically set your watch by in this respect).

Sleep patterns at 11 weeks old

While an 11-week-old still sleeps around 14-16 hours a day, the bulk of that will now be at night and less of it taken up by naps. She'll still be having around three naps a day but naps will total only four or five hours of her daily sleep, where they were totalling up to seven hours of it just a few weeks ago. She should be doing a much longer stretch at night now – up to 11 hours, with a break for a feed at least once.

Feeding at 11 weeks old

You may find your 11-week-old drops down to just five feeds a day now and once she's had a dream feed at your bedtime, she may sleep right through until a reasonable hour of the morning – and so can you!

Physical development at 11 weeks old

Your baby is expanding in almost every direction as she approaches three months, getting longer as well as heavier.

She's learning how her limbs work in preparation for getting on the move and when she's sitting in her bouncer you might see her twirling her arms and legs in a helicopter style as she watches you moving around.

Does my 11-week-old cry too much?

At around this time, babies' cries do get louder and a bit more 'insistent'. This is probably just because they have learned that it's an effective way to let you know they need something. If her crying seems really unusual and she has a temperature or seems otherwise unwell it's always worth a phonecall to the doctor's and if the crying generally seems a lot more frequent, have a word with your GP who will be able to check there's no underlying cause.

Brain development at 11 weeks old

She's really beginning to explore the world now, using her hands to reach out and grab things and putting things in her mouth at every opportunity to learn about them. If you have an older child now is the time to start putting the tiny toys and Lego bricks somewhere they can't be reached.

She's learning lots about the world and the familiar faces within it, but remember just a little stimulation still goes a long way at this age and long days out with lots of visitors will tire her out and often cause tears in the late afternoon.

Play at 11 weeks old

To help her learn about and enjoy playing with her hands, try games like pat-a-cake and peekaboo that encourage her to clap and put her hands to her face.

She'll love practising big arm and leg movements now, sprawled out on a play mat. It's also a good time to take her swimming, where she can use her arms and legs to splash and enjoy the feeling of mobility the water gives her.

Milestones at 11 weeks old

Now's the time your baby starts the looooooonnnnnggg phase of 'putting things in her mouth' so have another safety check of your home and make sure there's nothing dangerous or tiny within grabbing distance. She may not be on the move just yet but once she is she'll be into every kitchen cupboard and coin purse she can lay her hands on.

Your life with an 11-week-old baby

Resuming marital relations may still feel like a long way off, or you may already be happily back in the, erm… 'saddle'. Either way, if you're thinking about contraception again, have a chat with your GP, even if you think you want to simply return to your previous form of contraception, as things may have changed. If you're breastfeeding, the pill you were on may not be suitable, for example. While if you were using a cap, it may need refitting (try not to think about why too hard).

Mumsnetters say…

"Go to a baby or toddler group nearby – that way, other people will give the baby a cuddle and you can have a break."

"My 11-week-old is not in any sort of bedtime routine yet at all. He tends to cluster feed through the evening, so I don't even try to put him to bed until this finishes."

"I thought my baby would never sleep through the night. But by about this time, she was sleeping through. It does get better, trust me."