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2 of 14

Baby's First Year


Your 1-Month-Old

Physical Development
  • Your baby's neck and shoulder muscles are much stronger than they were a month ago, which has resulted in significantly improved head control. While his head still lags when you pull him from a lying to a sitting position and you still need to support his head while you're walking around with him, he may be able to support his head for short periods of time when you're sitting or standing still. He can also lift his chin off the ground when he's lying on his stomach—a maneuver he couldn't have mastered a few short weeks ago.
  • Your baby still spends a lot of time looking blankly around the room, but he's spending a greater proportion of his time taking in his surroundings. While he isn't able to take in much when you're walking around (just think of how hard it is for you to enjoy the scenery when you're taking a bus ride down a bumpy road!), he's able to process visual information quite readily when you're sitting or standing still.
  • Your baby is increasingly fascinated by human faces and high-contrast patterns like black-and-white checkerboards, bull's-eyes and polka dots, while he'll barely give his growing collection of pastel-colored stuffed animals the time of day. The reason is simple: the higher the contrast, the easier it is for him to see the object in question.
  • Your baby is very interested in listening to human voices—your voice in particular. He's also starting to develop an ear for music: He will often stop mid-squall to listen intensely if you start playing music or singing to him.
  • Now that his larynx is more flexible and mobile, your baby is starting to experiment with making some language-like sounds. Originally, these sounds will resemble throat-clearing sounds. Then, at around age six weeks, he'll start making sounds like ah, eh and uh. He'll initially make these sounds by accident, but once he figures out how to make them, he'll amuse himself and others around him by cooing and gurgling over and over.
  • Your baby's hand is generally held in a closed position. If you open his fingers, he is able to grasp an object for a couple of seconds before dropping it.

Cognitive Development
  • Your baby's brain is working overtime these days—something that can easily result in overstimulation. Even though your baby may be tired of looking at a particular object, he does not know how to look away. It's hard to imagine your baby getting burned out from spending too much time staring at his baby mobile, but, believe it or not, it can happen! In fact, if you find that your baby tends to get crabby by late afternoon (a classic pattern for young babies), it could be overstimulation that's to blame. He may not know how to tell you what he needs, but odds are what he's craving is a brief time out rather than more stimulation.
  • Your baby has already learned how to tell the difference between nipples that deliver food and nipples that don't—a skill he'll be only too happy to demonstrate if you make the mistake of offering him a pacifier when he's looking for a breast or bottle!

Social Development
  • Your baby is more socially responsive than he was as a newborn. He may become excited and breathe more rapidly when you pick him up.
 




As a reminder, always consult your doctor for medical advice and treatment before starting any program.

SOURCE: WebMD Medical Reference from The Mother of All Baby Books

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