Are you a new mom looking for information about baby milestones? Keep reading because these are the classic newborn baby milestones you can expect in the first four weeks of your baby’s life.
Newborn life can be a rollercoaster so no matter how you are feeling right now, know that it will get easier and your baby will sleep. I think it is important to acknowledge that first because it is easy to feel like you are drowning in diapers and feedings those first few weeks. It is exhausting!
But in between the snuggles and tired eyes, you might be wondering what kind of newborn baby milestones you can expect in the next few weeks.
In this post you are going to learn all about baby milestones week by week and what to expect. Even though your son or daughter is a tiny little baby, there are so many newborn baby milestones you can celebrate and also a few small things you can do to help encourage them.
This post is all about the newborn baby milestones you can expect during the first four weeks.
Newborn Baby Milestones: Week 1
You have been waiting anxiously to meet your baby and now is the time to savor all of the firsts: first cuddles, first feedings, first skin to skin and all of the bonding that you are about to do.
Sometimes the bonding feeling does not always happen immediately and that is 100% ok. if you find yourself in this situation, try not to feel guilty or beat yourself up about it. Your love will grow over the next weeks to months and whether you delivered vaginally or via c section, your body has gone through A LOT.
Your baby will be very sleepy at first. You can expect him to need need about 14 to 17 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period, waking to eat every 2 to 4 hours. Depending on your baby’s weight, your pediatrician may recommend you wake your baby after a certain amount of sleep to eat.
As she gets older, she will have longer periods of wakefulness but until then, take advantage of her sleepiness and try to sneak in a few naps too. Don’t forget that you are still recovering from giving birth too!
It is normal for babies to lose weight after birth and leave the hospital weighing less than they were at birth. Formula fed babies are known to gain weight a little quicker in the first week while breastfed babies can take longer to recoup their weight. This is because they are taking in only teaspoons of colostrum in the first few days.
Believe it or not, your baby can recognize your voice as early as the first week after birth. He cannot understand what you are saying, but the familiarity helps him adjust to the new, scary world outside the womb.
Your baby cannot communicate with you like a toddler would, so instead he will cry when he is hungry, tired or just wants to be held and snuggled by mom.
You can expect to see your baby’s pediatrician one or two days after you are released from the hospital.
Related: Bottle Feeding Tips for New Moms
Newborn Baby Milestones: Week 2
By week two, you may feel more comfortable with parenthood, but you may also feel like you are drowning in bottles and diaper changes some days and wondering what you got yourself into… Know that that is totally normal!
And you can feel differently from day to day. It all comes with the territory.
Your two week old is still sleeping the majority of the time, waking up every few hours to eat, but this includes waking up at all hours of the night.
Babies are not born knowing the difference between night and day so this is something you will have to teach your newborn. You can start to do this by keeping it very light during the day (lights on and blinds open) and dark at night (shades drawn, dark to sleep and minimal light for overnight feedings).
Although it does not seem like your baby is doing much during week two, he is making some big newborn baby milestones. These include being able to focus on objects and faces eight to fourteen inches away, or about the distance between you and him during a feeding. His little brain is also being used to take in the new surroundings around him when he is awake or drowsy.
By the end of week two, your baby will most likely have regained the weight that was lost after birth or you will be working with his pediatrician. Typically, you will see your child’s pediatrician at the two week mark.
Related: How to Give A Newborn a Bath (As a First Time Mom)
Newborn Baby Milestones: Week 3
Parenthood comes with many trials and errors but you may find yourself getting in a groove by week three. At the very least, you are so much more confident than you were three weeks ago when your baby was born.
Your little one is slowly making the change from a tiny newborn to an infant and is getting stronger by the day. You can encourage your baby to continue to gain strength and lift her head with supervised tummy time.
The post linked below includes the best tips for helping your baby get comfortable with tummy time and examples of activities you can do with your baby while he or she is on their belly.
Related: The Most Effective Tummy Time Tips to Try Right Now
With more practice, your baby may be able to turn his head 45 degrees while on his belly. Tummy time is important for many reasons but one of the most important reasons is that it helps prevent a flat spot on your baby’s head. Babies who spend most of the day sitting in bouncers or laying down are most apt to develop head flattening.
Another thing you can do to prevent flat spots from developing is feed your baby on both sides (especially important if you are bottle feeding) and alternate the side you lay him down for sleep. Remember that babies must always be laid down on their backs for sleep.
By week three, you can also start to decode what your baby’s crying means too. If your baby is inconsolable for three hours at a time, several days a week, it can be helpful to talk to your baby’s pediatrician. This is usually a sign of colic and your doctor may have you try switching formulas or suggest other reasonable effort to see if something else is behind the crying.
Reflux is another common occurrence in babies (my son developed it by six weeks old). You can read all about The Complete Guide to Dealing with Reflux in Babies here.
Newborn Baby Milestones: Week 4
Feeling like an old pro now? You are probably understanding your baby a lot better at this point and have a flexible routine going.
A consistent theme of the first month is that your baby will sleep A LOT. But by week four, he will also start responding to loud noises that startle him and even start to coo or smile by the end of week four. If he is not doing this, do not panic, but it is possible that you could start seeing a few smiles here and there.
Tummy time becomes even more important as your baby gets older to prevent flat spots and begin to strengthen his little muscle. It will be a few more months before he starts crawling but the muscles he needs to build for that type of activity starts as early as the first month of life.
By now, you might have noticed that babies grow in spurts so you might find that your child is ravenous for a few days and then settles back into a more normal feeding routine shortly after. This is normal! You can expect a more regular and consistent pattern of eating in the near future.
Recap
By the end of the first month, most babies can:
- Bring hands near face and make tight fists
- Make jerky arm movements
- Can hear well
- Recognize certain sounds like parents’ voices
- Prefer black and white or high contrast patterns
- Can spend short periods of time doing tummy time
- Sleeps a lot!
- Communicates his/her needs through different types of crying
- May begin to coo and smile
This post is all about the newborn baby milestones you can expect during the first four weeks.