At 1 month, most of what babies do is still caused by reflexes. By the end of the first month, most babies can raise their head when you lay them on their stomach, and they will turn their head to one side. They will also start to focus with both eyes and should be able to follow a moving object.
Gross motor skills
— skills that use large muscles (legs, arms, trunk, and neck): 1 month: head bobs when held upright, kicks feet when on back. 2 months: lifts head briefly when placed on tummy. 3 months: lifts head 2 to 3 inches off surface and pushes up with forearms when placed on tummy.
The first thing your baby will learn is to associate you with getting their needs met. So, the feel of your touch, the sound of your voice, and the sight of your face will begin to mean nourishment, warmth, and comfort. Even at this young age, babies are ready to learn about the world around them.
Your 4-week old will likely be able to respond to a loud noise — by startling, crying or quieting. Cooing and smiling will not be far behind, and you may catch a glimpse of both toward the end of the first month. In the meantime, your baby will continue to communicate through crying.
1-3 Months
The first three months with your baby often seem the hardest. Sleep-deprived parents can feel overwhelmed, but that is normal and you will quickly learn how to read your baby's cues and personality. Don't worry about “spoiling” your baby at this stage.
General satisfaction with life increased in the first months after birth and peaked when the child reached 6 months old.
Most newborns reach a crying peak at about 6 weeks. Then their crying starts to decrease. By 3 months, they usually only cry for about an hour a day.
From your smell and voice, your baby will quickly learn to recognise you're the person who comforts and feeds them most, but not that you're their parent. However, even from birth, your baby will start to communicate with signals when they're tired and hungry, or awake and alert.
Breastfed babies feed often, about every 2–3 hours. Bottle-fed babies tend to feed less often, about every 3–4 hours. Newborns who sleep for longer stretches should be awakened to feed. Wake your baby every 3–4 hours to eat until he or she shows good weight gain, which usually happens within the first couple of weeks.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children under 18 months have no exposure to screens (unless they're video chatting with a family member or friend). And even kids older than 1½ should watch or play with screen-based media in small, supervised doses.
Gently clap your baby's hands together or stretch arms (crossed, out wide, or overhead). Gently move your baby's legs as if pedaling a bicycle. Use a favorite toy for your baby to focus on and follow, or shake a rattle for your infant to find. Make different facial expressions for your baby to imitate.
By 1 month old they'll be able to briefly focus on objects as far as three feet away. By 2 or 3 months of age your baby's ability to focus may be developing steadily. Your baby may be able to turn both eyes inward, known as convergence, to focus on something nearby such as their hands.
At 1 month of age, infants express their feelings with alert, widened eyes and a rounded mouth. The bond grows between parents and their baby during this stage. Around 2 months of age, your baby will have a "social" smile. It's a smile made with purpose as a way to engage others.
When babies should be weaned from night feeds depends on whether they're bottle-fed or breastfed. Babies that are bottle-fed can be weaned from night feedings at around 6 months of age, whereas breastfed babies may take up to a year to be weaned from night feedings.
Newborn babies should breastfeed 8–12 times per day for about the first month. Breast milk is easily digested, so newborns are hungry often. Frequent feedings helps stimulate your milk production during the first few weeks. By the time your baby is 1–2 months old, he or she probably will nurse 7–9 times a day.
When I'm pulling my lips into a little 'O' shape and widening my eyes, it's playtime. This look, wide open eyes and round little mouth, is a common one for excited babies who want to play with their parents. They might also clap, wave their hands, or even make a sound or two.
Babytalk | A baby's bond with its mother may start with the sense of smell. One of my favorite things to do is show mothers how their baby can smell them from as far away as 1 to 2 feet.
Do Babies Feel Love? In short, yes: Babies do feel love. Even though it will be quite a while before they're able to verbalize their feelings, they can and do understand emotional attachment. Affection, for example can be felt.
What Is PURPLE Crying? PURPLE crying is a stage that some babies go through when they seem to cry for long periods of time and resist soothing. Your baby may find it hard to settle or calm down no matter what you do for them. The phrase PURPLE crying was coined by the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome.
For infants, crying is the sole form of communication and there are three distinct types: A “basic cry” is a rhythmic pattern consisting of a cry followed by silence; an “anger cry” is similar to a basic cry but with more volume due to the release of excessive air through the infant's vocal chords; and a “pain cry” is ...