How do you stimulate your 3 month old?

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DS likes his peekaboo piano and thomas the tank engine and his playmat but im worried he needs more stimulation and i really want to tire him out so he has a good feed then sleep.

Do you have any tips or what do you do?

best of all to sit on your lap and listen to you sing and chat to him

yes, concentrating on your expressions and the sound of your voice is great as is changes in environment, i.e. indoors, outdoors, new sounds, new textures (water?)

Also, I don't try and tire my DD out (she's 8 months now) she tires herself just whenever and sleeps fabulously. It has taken me 4 DC to come to the conclusion that totally going with the flow is the way to go

Don't try and tire him out - you run the risk of overstimulating him and making it harder for him to fall asleep, not easier! Singing, chatting and playing with him is the best by far, and you don't need toys for that.

kicking without his nappy on changing mat you can do too, but they really just like watching. Even pushing him around in the buggy is stimulating!

In my experience the only thing you'll achieve by tying to tire him out is an over-stimulated baby who is harder to settle and a very tired Mummy. Just watching you is enough really. I'd go with the other suggestions of singing, listening to you and add watching you clean the kitchen, put on the washing, clean the bathroom, hoover the house is more than enough stimulation. x

Thanks everyone. I just worry that he's not doing enough but i absolutely take your point about over stimulating him.

i dont think he needs to do a lot @ that age
i have a 3.5 months ds and i dont really play with toys with him @ all
he does have a play mat and a bouncing chair both of which he likes a lot so he will go in those, also likes 2 sit up and watch his brother for a bit, and just watch general goings on in the house..
i just talk to him, smile @ him etc as the main stimulation. i think i did do bit more with ds1 in terms of waving toys around infront of them etc but not really necessary
maybe some cot toys that play music if you wanted something else for him to do, or sit him with you and read some baby books he will like to listen to the sound of your voice, maybe do rhyming ones or something like that. i wouldnt worry though it sounds plenty what your doing at the moment

Don't worry - give it eight months or so and you'll be called on to entertain a pre-toddler for hours at a time...

Um...well apart from my PFB, all my babies were 'stimulated', or whatever, by being in a sling while I got on with whatever I had to do all day long! They all seem to have survived

My second baby also doesn't get much in the way of stimulation she loves to watch anything going on, when ds is asleep i do an exercise video and she loves that, thinks I am doing a special dance just for her! Don't stress seriously when babies/toddlers need attention they ask for it.... the best advice I ever got was "never try to make a happy baby happier" I think I really overdid stimulation with ds and he just ended up really overtired and fussy dd just lies there and smiles then yawns and goes up to bed and repeats the cycle pretty much all day so i guess she is ok!

Don't think you need to - your DC is only three months! Just be responsive and kind and spend lots of time with him/her. Just listening to your voice and being out and about is mega-interesting for such a small baby to whom everything is new.

I got my DD an activity gym when she was about 3 months and laugh now to think that I used to lie her on it and try and show her things (she just lay there like a pudding, totally oblivious and screamed after 5 mins).

Save your energy for 6 months time when they want to know about everything and everyone ... They show you in no uncertain terms when they need more stimulation.