• Contact us
• About us
• A-Z topics
• Symptom Checker
• Service Finder
• Linking to us
• Information partners
• Terms of use
• Privacy

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby is funded by the Australian Government and operated by Healthdirect Australia.

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby is provided on behalf of the Department of Health

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby’s information and advice are developed and managed within a rigorous clinical governance framework. This website is certified by the Health On The Net (HON) foundation, the standard for trustworthy health information.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

This information is for your general information and use only and is not intended to be used as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes.

The information is not a substitute for independent professional advice and should not be used as an alternative to professional health care. If you have a particular medical problem, please consult a healthcare professional.

Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, this publication or any part of it may not be reproduced, altered, adapted, stored and/or distributed in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Healthdirect Australia.

Support for this browser is being discontinued for this site

• Internet Explorer 11 and lower

We currently support Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Firefox and Safari. For more information, please visit the links below:

• Chrome by Google
• Firefox by Mozilla
• Microsoft Edge
• Safari by Apple

You are welcome to continue browsing this site with this browser. Some features, tools or interaction may not work correctly.

Your baby's growth and development - 1 month old

5-minute read

Listen

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:

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

Last reviewed: October 2020

Back To Top

Related pages

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

This information is for your general information and use only and is not intended to be used as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes.

The information is not a substitute for independent professional advice and should not be used as an alternative to professional health care. If you have a particular medical problem, please consult a healthcare professional.

Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, this publication or any part of it may not be reproduced, altered, adapted, stored and/or distributed in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Healthdirect Australia.

Support this browser is being discontinued for Pregnancy, Birth and Baby

Support for this browser is being discontinued for this site

• Internet Explorer 11 and lower

We currently support Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Firefox and Safari. For more information, please visit the links below:

• Chrome by Google
• Firefox by Mozilla
• Microsoft Edge
• Safari by Apple

You are welcome to continue browsing this site with this browser. Some features, tools or interaction may not work correctly.

Weight and height of the infant

Immediately after birth, the infant is weighed and measured for height. Over the next months of life, the little man will undergo this procedure more than once,

because weight and height are one of the main indicators by which pediatricians evaluate his physical development. Norm or not?
It is important to know that not always high weight is an indicator of good health, and low weight is a cause for alarm. The body weight and height of a child at birth depend on many factors. First of all, from heredity. If the parents of the baby are tall and have a large body weight, it is likely that their child will be large from the moment of birth, and vice versa. nine0005 The average weight of a newborn baby ranges from 3,000 to 4,000 g at a normal gestational age of 38-40 weeks. The growth of the crumbs in this case varies from 46 to 56 cm. A child with a body weight of less than 3,000 g (but 2,500 is still the lower limit of the norm!) Is considered underweight, and with a weight of over 4,000 g - large. According to statistics, boys are usually 100–300 g heavier than girls. It is also noted that firstborns usually weigh less than their brothers and sisters.
In addition, large children are born with various diseases of the mother, such as diabetes or thyroid disease. The birth of a small child can be the result of malnutrition, acute and chronic diseases, bad habits of the mother. Any violation in the system "mother - placenta - fetus" leads to malnutrition of the fetus and its abnormal development. No panic! nine0005 It should be noted that in the first few days after birth, the so-called physiological weight loss occurs. In a healthy full-term baby, it can be up to 10% of body weight at birth. As a rule, the maximum body weight of the newborn decreases on the 3-4th day after birth. This happens mainly due to a deficiency in the mother's milk, and also due to the loss of water by the baby (during breathing, with sweat), the discharge of the original feces (meconium) and urine.
With proper care and feeding, the baby's weight stabilizes and begins to grow by an average of 20-40 g per day, and by the time of discharge from the maternity hospital (by the 5th-10th day) it is completely restored. Recruiting! nine0005 In the future, the increase in body weight during the year on average occurs according to the following scheme:
• 1 month - 600 g;
• 2-3 months - 800 g.
Each subsequent month - 50 g less than the previous one (750 - 700 - 650, etc.).
With regard to growth, the child grows most intensively in the first three months of life - an average of 3 cm per month. In the future, the increase in growth is: from 3 to 6 months - 2.5 cm each, then 1.5–2.1 cm, etc. Excess or deficiency?
Equally bad as an excess of body weight, and its lack. Excess, as a rule, is a consequence of overfeeding the child. This is especially common with artificial feeding. It has been noted that most breastfed babies are lighter than formula fed babies. This is not a pathology. No need to overfeed a small child. He eats a little less than a large child, but that's enough for him. Gradually, eating his norm, he will catch up with peers who were born with a larger body weight, and maybe even surpass them. nine0005 Lack of body weight can be caused by nutritional deficiencies, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, intestinal dysbiosis. A decrease or small weight gain can be observed after an illness, especially an infectious one.
You should also be aware that in the second half of life, the dynamics of weight may decrease, because the motor activity of the child increases.
Therefore, both with excess and underweight, first of all, it is necessary to analyze the causes that led to this condition. Is everything in harmony? nine0005 When assessing physical development, the body weight and height of the child are compared with the average indicators for children of this age group. If body weight and height correspond to these indicators, physical development is considered average, if they exceed these figures, it is above average, and, accordingly, below average if the weight and height of the child are lower than those of their peers.
In addition to assessing body weight and height, it is necessary to evaluate the ratio of these two indicators. If the baby's body weight corresponds to his height or differs by plus or minus 10%, physical development is called harmonious. If the difference is from 10% to 25% - disharmonious, and if it exceeds 25% - sharply disharmonious. nine0005 Not so important - the average, above or below average physical data of your child, it is more important for health that the ratio is harmonious. Remember that tenderness from the baby's round cheeks in the first months can eventually turn into a fight against obesity and chronic diseases in the future. Therefore, do not forget about the regular assessment of the physical condition of the infant by a pediatrician. This is the key to his health in the future. Alexander DECHKO, pediatrician, doctor of the 1st category, director of the Dobry Doktor Company0005 Anastasia SHUNTO

PrevBackFirst Aid for Vomiting and Diarrhea