Baby development: month one
By the time your baby reaches week four, you’ll consider that a milestone in itself. Can you believe you’ve had your tiny baby for one whole month? Do you remember feeling like you’d never get the hang of changing a diaper?
Your baby’s first month is one of the hardest because everything you’re experiencing is new – and added into the mix are your up-and-down hormones and emotions that probably range from love and excitement to fear and panic in the space of an hour! Although tiny, your baby will make some remarkable developments this month that start her on her path to becoming bigger, stronger and more alert.
Vision
As you become used to your baby, your baby becomes used to you. She can recognize your voice and towards the end of the month her eyesight is improving to the extent she can almost recognize your face. At two weeks old your baby may bring up a hand if something is moving fast towards her to protect herself, and she may also be able to track an object if it is moved slowly in front of her. At around three weeks she may get excited when she sees your face coming into her field of vision. She is starting to recognize you as mom or dad and for many months (until she enters the independent toddler phase) you’ll be her favorite people.
Grasping
Newborn babies are born with a grasp reflex, which means that if you place a finger in her hand she’ll grasp it tightly. As sweet as this is, it is just a reflex and she won’t be able to grasp an object until she’s nearer the two-month mark. It’s important to take things at your baby’s own pace, rather than forcing her to grab something. Grasping is the first step towards hand-eye coordination, holding things steadily, throwing, catching, drawing and eventually writing, and your baby will learn to do it in time.
Head control
It can be alarming when you first hold your newborn to see just how floppy and delicate her head is. Newborn babies’ heads are significantly heavier than their bodies, and for this reason your baby won’t be able to lift her head unaided for some time. Make sure that her head and neck are supported, especially when lifting her in and out of her crib or stroller, as her head can loll back and forwards without support. The best way to hold your newborn is cradled in your arms with your elbow supporting her neck and head, or up on your shoulder with one hand supporting her head and neck.
By the end of the first month, your baby should be able to lift her head to about 45 degrees while lying on her tummy. Give her plenty of supervised time on her tummy so she gets used to using her tummy and neck muscles. This will help her hold her head up and crawl in the future.
All smiles
Although most babies don’t smile until they’re around six weeks old, some babies will start to smile by the end of the first month if they're smiled at. Smiling usually happens when you’ve been up all night and are wondering why you bothered… and suddenly your baby will smile for the first time and your heart will melt all over again. We bet you’d have a month of sleepless nights for that smile again!
Cooing
Although your baby’s main way of communicating is crying (and will be for some time), by the end of the first month you may start to notice other little sounds creeping in. Cooing will be especially popular, as well as frog-like throaty sounds that will amuse her as well as you. Talk as much as possible to your baby, as hearing you speak will help her on her journey to being able to communicate back to you.
Music
Your baby will love the sound of music in her first month. If you relaxed to music when you were pregnant you may find she remembers it from her time in the womb and is soothed by it. Music can help to quiet your baby and unwind her in the evening when most babies get cranky as they try to process all they’ve taken in that day.
Sucking reflex
All babies are born with a strong urge to suck, which is why when you put her to your breast she will attempt to suck. Some babies take to breastfeeding straightaway but others take longer to get the hang of it. Ask your pediatrician for advice or consult a local lactation consultant if you’re finding it difficult to latch your baby onto the breast or have painful, engorged breasts. Engorgement (when your breasts are too full of milk) is common in the first few months of breastfeeding but eases off when your baby learns to suckle more effectively and your milk supply starts to adjust to her needs.
Try feeding your baby regularly or expressing if your breasts are painful. A hot shower may also ease the pain.
Newborns and sleep
Over the first month you’ll notice your newborn doing little more than sleeping, feeding and filling her diaper. Eating regularly helps her to grow bigger, stronger and able to practice using those muscles she needs to advance her physical development. Sleep allows her to process all the new information she is exposed to every day and lets her body rest from the tiring job of growing bigger. In no time she will be strong enough and alert enough to interact more and play with you, but for now, concentrate on feeding her and making sure she sleeps well in a secure, comfortable environment. Read our article on creating a safe sleeping environment.
Babies this age need around 16 hours of sleep daily, which roughly equates to eight hours in the day and eight at night. Unfortunately for you, they won’t be continuous hours and your baby may take lots of short naps or have two to three-hour batches of sleep throughout the day and night. This is completely normal for a newborn – as time passes she’ll be able to stay up and play in the day and will learn to sleep for longer at night. No baby, toddler or child is the same when it comes to sleep, so resist the urge to compare your baby’s sleep patterns with anyone else’s. Some babies need very little sleep; some need much more. If you’re worried about your baby’s sleep patterns, speak to your pediatrician. Read gurgle's article understanding sleep and your baby for further advice on this subject.
Why not chat to other parents by leaving a message on our chat forum. Alternately, if you want to meet other parents in your area with similar age babies, visit our people section of the site to find out what is happening in your area, or join or start one of our groups.
The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.
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Last Modified: 06/06/2008