Baby at 1st month

Developmental Milestones: 1 Month - HealthyChildren.org

Ages & Stages

What are some of the developmental milestones my child should reach by one month of age?

In the very beginning, it may seem that your baby does nothing but eat, sleep, cry, and fill his diapers. By the end of the first month, he’ll be much more alert and responsive. Gradually he’ll begin moving his body more smoothly and with much greater coordination—especially in getting his hand to his mouth. You’ll realize that he listens when you speak, watches you as you hold him, and occasionally moves his own body to respond to you or attract your attention.

Here are some other milestones to look for.

Movement Milestones

Makes jerky, quivering arm thrusts
Brings hands within range of eyes and mouth
Moves head from side to side while lying on stomach
Head flops backward if unsupported
Keeps hands in tight fists
Strong reflex movements

Visual and Hearing Milestones

Focuses 8 to 12 inches (20. 3 to 30.4 cm) away
Eyes wander and occasionally cross
Prefers black-and-white or high-contrast patterns
Prefers the human face to all other patterns
Hearing is fully mature
Recognizes some sounds
May turn toward familiar sounds and voices

Smell and Touch Milestones

Prefers sweet smells
Avoids bitter or acidic smells
Recognizes the scent of his own mother’s breastmilk
Prefers soft to coarse sensations
Dislikes rough or abrupt handling

Developmental Health Watch

If, during the second, third, or fourth weeks of your baby’s life, she shows any of the following signs of developmental delay, notify your pediatrician.

Sucks poorly and feeds slowly
Doesn’t blink when shown a bright light
Doesn’t focus and follow a nearby object moving side to side
Rarely moves arms and legs; seems stiff
Seems excessively loose in the limbs, or floppy
Lower jaw trembles constantly, even when not crying or excited
Doesn’t respond to loud sounds

Last Updated: 6/1/2009

Source: Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5 (Copyright © 2009 American Academy of Pediatrics)

The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.

Your baby's growth and development - 1 month old

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Infant development begins at birth. Initially your baby will grow fast and learn a lot. At 1 month, cuddling, sleeping and feeding are all that really matters to your baby. The time you spend with them will help their brain to grow and develop as they start to experience the world.

Your baby will probably be crying a lot at the moment. It’s often because they’re hungry or have a dirty nappy, but often babies just cry for no apparent reason. Give them lots of cuddles to comfort them and remember that the crying will eventually pass.

At 6 to 8 weeks, your baby needs a full health review by a health professional such as child and family health nurse, midwife, GP or paediatrician.

Your 1-month-old

All babies grow at different rates. But, on average, at 1 month they gain between 0.7 to 0.9 kg each month and grow 2.5 to 4 cm. Their head circumference will increase by about 1.25 cm each month.

All babies lose weight right after they are born. Healthy babies usually get back to their birth weight in about 2 to 3 weeks and will then continue to grow.

Your baby was weighed at birth and your doctor or maternal child health nurse will plot their growth regularly on a growth chart. Babies come in all different shapes and sizes, and your baby might be large or small. What matters is that they grow consistently over time. Try not to compare your baby’s weight gain with that of other babies.

Understanding baby growth charts

A growth chart helps you and your doctor keep track of how your baby is growing.

What can your baby do?

At 1 month, most of what babies do is still caused by reflexes. They aren’t thinking about their actions. They will be sucking, swallowing, searching for milk and grasping an object if you put it in the palm of their hand (although most of the time they’ll keep their hands clenched in tight little fists). They will also step one foot in front of the other if you put their feet on a flat surface.

They will start to focus with both eyes at 1 month and should be able to follow a moving object from side to side. They will probably prefer looking at a human face to looking at an object and will gaze deeply into your eyes if you hold them about 45 cm away. Most babies can recognise their parents by this age.

1-month-old babies love the sound of your voice, but they will get startled if they hear a loud noise. They might fall backward and throw their arms and legs out, blink their eyes and breathe faster.

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. As their neck muscles get stronger, they will be able to turn their head and lift it up when they’re in a car seat or carrier.

Your baby will cry loudly when they are hungry or uncomfortable. When they are happy and content, they usually make little gurgling noises. Respond to your baby’s sounds by gurgling and cooing back.

At 1 month, some babies will be learning how to soothe themselves, with a dummy or even by sucking their fingers or thumbs. Helping your baby to suck is a good way to calm them down.

How can I help my baby develop?

Spend as much time with your baby as possible. Looking deep into their eyes and smiling at them will help them to bond and to feel safe and secure.

Read and sing to your baby. Even though they can’t understand, they will enjoy hearing your voice. Music helps to stimulate their senses and will keep them amused. Playing with them will also strengthen your bond.

Help your baby to develop neck strength by putting them on their tummy for 1 to 5 minutes at a time. This is called tummy time. Always keep an eye on your baby during tummy time and always put them to sleep on their back.

Development problem signs

Babies develop at different rates. At 1 month, you will still be learning about your baby and their needs. But talk to your doctor or maternal child health nurse if:

they aren’t feeding well
they are regularly sleeping a lot more than 16 hours a day
they aren’t moving their arms or legs
they aren’t following your face with their eyes or responding when they see you
they aren’t making gurgling sounds
they don’t startle or seem not be hearing things
you are worried about your baby’s crying or sleeping

Where can I go for help?

If you are worried or would like to discuss any issues with your baby’s development, speak to your doctor or child health nurse.

Speak to a maternal child health nurse

Call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby to speak to a maternal child health nurse on 1800 882 436 or video call. Available 7am to midnight (AET), 7 days a week.

Sources:

Raising Children Network (0-1 month: newborn development), Kids Health (Your baby’s growth – 1 month), Victoria Government (Baby development stages), Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (Developmental milestones and the Early Years Learning Framework and the National Quality Standards)

Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.

Last reviewed: October 2020

Your baby’s growth and development – first 12 months
How your baby learns - birth to 3 years
Bonding with your baby
Understanding baby growth charts

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Development of a baby at 1 month

Article structure

What can a child at this age do?

The current AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommendation is that the most appropriate and safest position for your baby is the supine position during sleep, which reduces the risk of SIDS (Sudden Neonatal Death Syndrome).

The mother's diet during breastfeeding should be varied and tasty, contain dairy products, meat, fruits and vegetables, and more fluids.

Physiological neonatal jaundice

Appears from the 2-3rd day of life (face, trunk) and should decrease and gradually disappear until the 10-14th day if the baby was born at term. The general condition of the baby is not disturbed, he actively sucks his breast and gains weight well. However, you should contact the pediatrician if the baby is lethargic, poorly gaining weight, jaundice spreads to the arms and legs, the color intensity increases, the urine acquires a rich color, and the feces brighten.

Baby's crying

Is the only way to communicate with you, so the mother very quickly begins to understand what different intonations, intensity and duration mean. Thus, if there are no apparent reasons (hunger, heat or cold, wet or uncomfortable clothes, a full diaper), monotonous, loud, prolonged crying, possibly accompanied by vomiting, should alert and become a reason for immediate medical attention.

Colic

Such crying can be with colic. What is it? So, colic is also a transient (transient) functional reaction of the baby's digestive system, the immaturity of which leads to increased gas formation and intestinal spasm. This is accompanied by strong crying of the baby, tension in the abdomen, as a rule, at about the same hours in the evening, starting from the age of three weeks.

You should know that colic does not threaten the baby's health (except perhaps the peace of mind of the parents), disappear as the digestive system matures (on average, up to three months of age or earlier). Your love and patience will help the baby survive this period: carry the baby in your arms - the warmth of your body will help calm down and relieve intestinal spasm, put the baby in a warm diaper. Medicines should only be used as directed by a doctor.

Redness

In the first two or three weeks, the baby's skin may be reddened (so-called transient erythema), peeling, rashes mainly on the skin of the face - acne or milia (blockage of the sebaceous glands) of newborns. If changes in the skin do not cause concern for the baby, he is gaining weight well, has a normal body temperature, sleep is preserved - there is no reason to worry.

Difficulty breathing

There may be a deep breath with a slow exhalation, "heavy" breathing - in the first 5 days. But wheezing, whistling, very frequent or vice versa rare breathing (the norm is 30–60 breaths per minute), prolonged respiratory arrest (10–20 s) require a visit to a doctor.

Sexual crisis

Parents may be frightened by their manifestations of such a transient functional state as a sexual crisis. It is caused by the action of estrogens - hormones that the child receives from the mother before childbirth. The manifestations of this crisis develop to the maximum on the 7-8th day and finally disappear within 2-3 weeks. Swelling of the mammary glands, which is possible in both sexes on the 7-8th day, disappears by the end of the 1st month of life. There may be an increase in pigmentation of the external genitalia, vaginal discharge in girls.

Body temperature

The body temperature of a newborn is between 36. 5 and 37.5 °C. The baby has imperfect thermoregulation, so it is easy to overcool or overheat. That is why you should monitor the temperature in the room - 22 ° C (full-term), 24 ° C (premature, small children) - and be sure to humidify the air.

Weight loss

Physiological weight loss in the first 10 days - 10% of birth weight (fluid loss with evaporation from the body surface, meconium discharge). What to do? Continue adequate breastfeeding, i.e. on demand.

Baby's reflexes

Baby's reflexes must be symmetrical, i.e. the same on the right and left. They gradually disappear by 3-4 months. The presence of these reflexes, their symmetry and timely gradual disappearance are important signs of the appropriate development of the child's nervous system.

The development of the baby is ongoing: physical - walks, gymnastics, massage; emotional - carrying on hands, breastfeeding, reaction to crying; sensory - communication, bathing, massage. Surely you noticed how everything is interconnected.

Sources

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Development of a child at 1 month: Norms and recommendations

06.03.2021

0-3 months

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team Babysleep

BabySleep team

Sleep consultants, doctors, psychologists, breastfeeding consultants

BabySleep experience shows that a calm parent is first and foremost a knowledgeable parent. Enough to be in keep abreast of the main events that should happen to the baby in the first month life to celebrate his little achievements and not worry about anything.

0–4 months. Improve sleep in 3 weeks

In this article:

Height and weight of a child at 1 month
Skillful hands: the formation of hand skills at 1 month
Physical development of a child at 1 month
Mental development of a child at 1 month
Baby massage at 1 month old
Speech development
How to play with a baby at 1 month old
How sleep and child development mutually influence each other

All children are different. Even twins often have different rates of development. Any tables and norms can only serve as a guide. Hardly anyone can feel a child better than a mother and know what and when he needs.

Height and weight of a baby at 1 month

Height and weight are two indicators that parents of newborns monitor especially closely. Every gram and every centimeter added by the baby in the first month of life falls into the treasury of calmness of moms and dads.

Baby growth at 1 month

In 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued the Child Growth Standards. They are based on a large-scale study of the height and weight of almost 9,000 breastfed healthy boys and girls from around the world. Unlike the old standards, the new norms allow parents to track the development of the child, taking into account his individual characteristics.

Senior Sleep Consultant, Pediatrician

Children's height and weight norms are very wide, depending on the date of delivery and birth weight, type of feeding. It is optimal when the height and weight indicators are in the same column-corridor (“medium”, “low”, “above average”, etc.) or in neighboring ones. The attention of the pediatrician is required when both indicators are in the extreme columns, or the difference between the corridors of values is 3 or more (for example, weight and height in the first percentile corridor is “very low” or weight in the first is “very low”, and height in the fifth is “higher than average").

No matter how tall your baby is born, in the first month he will grow an average of 4 cm. During the first month, children gain an average of 800–1200 grams in weight. But the increase can be either more or less than the average value. It is worth showing the baby to the doctor if he adds less than 125 grams per week.

Do not be afraid if the baby loses weight after birth - this is normal. The baby loses mainly liquid due to the start of the excretory system. And at first it is not possible to replenish the lost grams with colostrum. Doctors call this phenomenon the physiological weight loss of the newborn. The maximum allowable percentage of weight loss is 10%.

Shulamith Volfson

Pediatrician with more than 18 years of experience

It is worth remembering the difference in gains between breastfed and artificially fed children. Babies who eat formula milk add gradually, in the first six months, 600-700 grams. But breastfed babies up to 4–6 months old can sometimes even gain up to 1.5–2.5 kg per month, and this is absolutely normal, in the second half of the year such “dumplings” will definitely “slim”.

More than a dream

At the age of 0 to 1 month, the first motor function of the hand is formed - grasping. Put your finger in the baby's palm and feel how the baby grabs it with his tiny hand. It's unforgettable!

By the end of the second month, the increased tone of the hands and fingers disappears, they become more relaxed and open.

Baby's physical development at 1 month

During the 28-day neonatal period, your baby does a great job of adapting to the world around him. He breathes on his own, regulates heat transfer, sucks milk and starts the excretory system. All these manipulations require a huge expenditure of energy from a small person, which he replenishes in a dream.

It would seem, what can a baby who sleeps 15–18 hours a day learn? Correct answer: a lot!

What a child can do by the end of the first month of life:

Lying on his stomach, he is already able to not only raise his head, but hold it for some time and even turn to the side. Try to lay your baby on his stomach more often before feeding: this will help the baby strengthen the muscles and cope with the discomfort caused by colic. To add a hardening effect, remove clothes from the child for this time. Start with one minute, gradually increasing the duration of the exercise.

Mom often worries this month:

The ability to hold your head on your own can develop until the end of 3 months of life, so a month-old baby still needs to support the head. In no case should a small child be left alone (especially for sleeping) in chairs, deck chairs, swings and other devices where the baby is in a reclining position - this is dangerous, his head may fall forward, which can lead to difficulty breathing.

Lying on his back, the baby makes chaotic movements with arms and legs.
The time for the extinction of innate reflexes has not yet come. Therefore, you can still observe how the child turns his head towards the stimulus, if you run your hand along the corner of the mouth, or how he begins to touch with his legs, if you take him under the armpits (holding the head) and place him on a hard surface.

It is useful to support the grasping reflex and reflex crawling in the crumbs. From time to time, put your fingers into the baby's palms so that he squeezes them tightly. And laying it on the tummy, sometimes put your hand under his heels and watch with pleasure how the baby pushes off and moves forward a little.

"Those eternal tummies"

Many babies as young as 1 month old experience abdominal discomfort. The child screams piercingly, jerks its legs, spins. Parents blame colic for this, although in fact they are not so common. These unpleasant symptoms may be accompanied by the normal process of formation of the intestinal microflora, but there may be other reasons - read about them in the article "Why the child cries: 12 reasons". If in doubt, you can always consult a pediatrician. In addition, in Russia it is recommended to show the baby to a neurologist, orthopedic surgeon and ophthalmologist at the beginning of the second month of life.

Mental development of a child at 1 month

Between the end of the first and the middle of the second month of life, the first of many leaps in the development of the child occurs. The baby begins to actively develop not only physically, but also mentally, as well as the development of the senses.

Vision development

By the end of the first month, the baby can fix his gaze on the subject. He especially likes to look at his mother's face. Do not deny yourself and your child the pleasure of grimacing and having fun. For you, this will be an emotional release, and for him, it will be a developmental activity.

The baby is able to see farther than before - sees well up to 30 cm and in general terms more than 50 cm away. Don't worry - it will pass soon. In addition, the baby does not yet recognize colors other than black and white, so he pays attention to black and white and contrasting objects.

Hearing development

The child is developing hearing. He listens to sounds and reacts to them differently: he gets scared and cries from sharp and loud noises, rejoices and smiles at familiar melodies and the sound of his mother's voice.

An abrupt change in the perception of the world, new sensations associated with a jump in development, cause anxiety in the baby. Read on for more information about the 4-6 week jump to help your baby and yourself get through it.

Baby massage at 1 month old

From 6-7 weeks of age, the baby can have a general massage once or twice a day. We are not talking about professional massage - it is prescribed according to the testimony of a doctor. We are talking about stroking - tactile communication that is pleasant for mother and baby.

Babies often fall asleep at the end of a feed or shortly after, so the massage can be done after sleep. Massage when the child is calm and in a good mood. Gently talk to him during the procedure - this will bring more positive emotions to the baby.

The main massage technique is stroking. For example, you can smooth your baby's palm with your thumbs. And to make the massage of the palms more interesting, you can accompany it with nursery rhymes (“Your palm is a pond, boats sail on it”, etc. ).

If you notice that massage causes anxiety in a child, after it he cannot fall asleep for a long time or sleeps worse, it is better to refuse massage. In general, for healthy, normally developing children, massage is not a mandatory part of care. Just show care and tenderness for your child in some other way: scold him in your arms, tell him how much you love him, pat him on the head or sing a lullaby.

Speech development

If you talk to a one-month-old baby affectionately, he will respond with a joyful smile, sounds, increased movements of the arms and legs - this is called the "revitalization complex". The child begins to “communicate” at moments of calm wakefulness, most often using fairly short and abrupt sounds: aa, ha, gi, khy. They will be replaced by more drawn-out sounds when the baby enters the cooing stage.

Talk to your baby, communicate with him when you carry him in your arms, massage, feed, dress or put him to bed. Your speech is the key to the future speech of the child.

The golden rule of the BabySleep Center for Children's Sleep and Development: the best developmental activity for a child is communication with a loving mother.

How to play with a 1 month old baby?

Crib play. For the development of the child's vision, you can hang over the crib, at a distance of at least 40 cm from the eyes, large toys - black and white or bright contrasting colors. Swing them around to get your baby's attention. It is recommended to change toys every 3-4 days.
Games that develop vision and hearing. Rattles are very important for the development of a child's hearing. During games with them, the baby trains to listen to sounds and determine their direction. To develop the baby's auditory and visual perception, you can use bright toys that make various sounds. Get your child's attention with a toy by waving and tinkling it about 30 cm from their face. When the baby's attention is clearly focused on the toy, begin to slowly move it from one side to the other, continuing to ring. Such a game will help the child learn to follow the movement of the sound source with his eyes and turn his head in his direction.
Tactile games are also beneficial for the development of the child. These are touches and stroking of the feet, palms and the whole body of the baby. You can read a detailed article with illustrations about educational games with a one-month-old baby using the PEKIP method.

Toys for a 1 month old baby

At 1 month old toys are useful for attracting visual and auditory attention. These are various mobiles with and without musical modules, and all kinds of noisy, ringing, rustling rattles, maracas, bells and bells.

How sleep and child development mutually influence each other

A 1-month-old baby sleeps an average of 15.5–18 hours a day. In the daily routine of the baby, periods of active wakefulness appear: between feedings and dreams, he behaves quite actively. The first developmental spurt can temporarily impair sleep. Read more about the sleep and wakefulness of a one-month-old baby on the page of our service "A baby's sleep month by month".

Good news: around 6 weeks, nighttime sleep begins to lengthen (both in total and the duration of uninterrupted sleep segments).

Restful sleep contributes to the physical growth of the baby, and the dreaming phase stimulates the growth and development of the brain. Therefore, good sleep is so important from the first days of life.

Frequent question for BabySleep this month

Mom:

“For a week now, we have had an incomprehensible routine. We wake up at 9-10. We stay awake for an hour, at this time all the procedures, as soon as he yawns or acts up, I start to pack ... and then it started. Screaming in his arms, do not lay down. You shake it - it falls asleep, you put it in the crib - it opens its eyes and that's it, the dream is gone. You take it, pump it further - sleep! On the hands - and then about 30 minutes. Then he opens his eyes and does not sleep until one in the afternoon, then he can fall asleep on his chest for an hour and a half. Then he eats, I collect on the street, he sleeps there for a maximum of 40 minutes, a wild op.

And that's it, after 17 there is no mode... I can't get sick, op. If I rock, then 40 minutes with my chest. He wakes up, I give him a walk for about 20 minutes. But you can’t rock him ... Or rock him for 30 minutes. We leave for a night’s sleep with a wild yell! I do massage for colic. But the op stops by 23-23.30, and then we sleep. Baby is 6 weeks old.

Consultant's answer

Anna Rostova

Top sleep consultant, breastfeeding consultant

Around 6 weeks, many children experience the so-called "crying peak". Try to start laying down before the child begins to act up from fatigue. It is important to notice the first signs of fatigue so that before starting to lay down, slowly carry out all the necessary procedures (change the diaper, change clothes, prepare the room, feed, etc.

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