Welcome to the sisterhood of moms! You've got a year of incredible firsts ahead for both you and your brand-new baby. Expect a little bit of a roller coaster — you may feel elated and anxious, overwhelmed and overjoyed. Get a head start this first month by exploring:
Your Newborn Baby's Appearance
Every baby looks different, and all of them are beautiful. But most babies have some physical idiosyncrasies right after birth. Take lots of pictures! Your baby's look will change quickly in the first week. Here's what to expect:
- Your baby's head may have a bump or two from labor or from help he received during birth.
- His eyes may be bloodshot and eyelids swollen. He may also occasionally cross his eyes in the first weeks.
- His skin may be dry and flaky with a rash or two.
- Baby boy and baby girl breast tissue may be swollen due to your hormones, which are still in his or her body.
Back to Top > Your Baby's Sensorimotor Development
How Your Baby Sees
- He stares at objects, but doesn't reach for them, and he sees best within 12 inches of his face.
- He likes bold shapes and high-contrast objects, such as a black and white bull's eye.
- He loves looking at faces, and your expressions, and may imitate them right away.
- Aside from the faces of loved ones, he may get bored looking at the same thing for too long.
How Your Baby Hears
Your baby's hearing is well-developed, but he won't look for the source of the sound. Here's how he'll respond to it:
- He may react negatively to loud voices or music.
- When startled by a noise, he may cry, stiffen his body and legs, or thrust his arms outward and pull them back to his chest.
- He generally likes sounds that change, such as your voice or music.
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What Your Baby Loves to Touch, Taste, and Smell
Everyday events, such as a bath, being dried with a blanket, and being cuddled are regular sensory feasts for babies.
- Babies love the feel of different textures, and being held close to you and your partner.
- Most babies' lips seem to be particularly sensitive to touch. They react to a touch on the lips by smacking their lips and sucking.
- Babies can also taste and smell from the time of their birth. In tests, babies have turned their heads away from strong odors.
Your Baby's Grip — Early Reflexes
Your baby already has a good grip, and many automatic reactions or reflexes. His startle reaction to sudden noises is just one of these. Other reflexes include:
- The grasp reflex that lets your baby grip his rattle, only to immediately drop it because he can't hold on
- The rooting reflex that helps your baby open his mouth and find the nipple for feeding
- Yawning to increase the air in his lungs
- Pulling back if he's hurt and sneezing to clear his nose
- Turning his head to one side if his breathing is blocked
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Feeding Your 1-Month-Old Baby
If you're breastfeeding, you can check out tips for helping him latch on, find out about common feeding positions, and more in Breastfeeding: The Basics. And if your baby is fussy at feeding time (whether you're breastfeeding or formula feeding), explore ways to ease his discomfort with our Similac® Solutions tool.
Here are a few tips for getting into this new ritual:
- Talk softly to your baby while you feed him.
- Feed him frequently, in small amounts. A newborn is not very hungry the first two or three days.
- Recognize signals from your baby that he's ready to feed, including lip smacking, tongue movement, and eye fluttering. Crying is a late signal of hunger.
Newborn Umbilical Cord Care
If this is your first baby, you may be concerned about how to properly care for the remains of the umbilical cord. To hasten healing, keep the area dry and exposed to the air by turning the diaper down and shirt up. The cord should fall off between the first and fourth weeks of your baby's life.
First Baby Baths
Baby baths can be lots of fun, and after the first few, you'll get ahead of the learning curve. Here are a few tips:
- Talk softly. The more you talk to your baby now, the more likely he'll enjoy being talked to or read to later.
- Avoid daily bathing — it can dry out his skin. Newborn babies don't get very dirty. Only a sponge bath is needed, until the umbilical cord has fallen off and the circumcision site (if one was done) has healed. After that, two or three baths a week are plenty.
- Once you've graduated to bathing your baby in an infant tub (and later, the big one), remember never to leave him unattended, even for a second.
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1-Month-Old Sleep Patterns (and How You Can Cope)
Newborn babies often seem to have no real sleeping pattern — and no regard for whether it's day or night. Often sleeping 16 to 18 hours a day, your baby will probably sleep for two to three hours, wake up, eat, and go to sleep again. Adjusting to his new world can be tiring!
At about 6 weeks old, his sleep and wake pattern will begin to become established, and by 16 weeks, he may have settled into a regular schedule. So there is a routine in the not-too-distant future.
When putting your baby to bed, remember that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that healthy infants sleep on their backs to reduce the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). SIDS is a term used to describe the unexpected death of babies in their sleep for no known reason.
The Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
For many new parents, the lack of definitive information about SIDS makes it especially concerning. To learn more about this topic and how you can reduce the risk of SIDS, visit the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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