It’d be really exciting to see your little one finally out in the world after the wait of 9 long months. The transformation of your baby from a precious-but-super-sleepy newborn to an almost full-fledged infant will be full of growth and development involving some big changes and milestones coming down the pike.

Quick Updates-

Sleeping basics

Newborns up to 1 month old need 14 to 17 hours of sleep summing up 4-5 times of day time naps. 

Feeding basics

Breastfed babies should eat as much as they want at this age, but roughly they require 10-12 feeds and don’t forget to burp your baby..

Physical development

• Till this time babies will be able to bring his hands close to the eyes and mouth
• Turn his head from side to side while lying down on his tummy
• Tilt his head backwards even without support
• Clenches his hand to form a tight fist

Hearing and Visual milestones

• Till time time they’ll begin to turn their heads in the direction of sounds
• Start to recognize parents’ voices and tones
• Respond when you clap your hands
• Gets excited to songs and nursery rhymes
• Can focus their vision upto 12 meters

Sense of smell development

• Your baby will begin to understand different smells during this period, especially will react positively to the smell of their mother’s breast milk. 
• In order to check the development of your 1 month old, observe their  reaction to different sweet, acidic or bitter smells.

Baby mixing up day and night?

If your little one keeps mixing up day and night, try these tips:

1. Limit daytime snoozes: Newborns don't have a naptime routine yet, you probably will have to wake them up to eat every three to four hours or so at this age. Here are a few tactics to help you wake up your drowsy darling: Hold your baby upright, unswaddle your baby, tickle those tiny feet or hands, or move their arms and legs. 
2. Make your newborn's naptime routine slightly different from the nighttime one to help your baby distinguish between the two. Adjust your baby’s routine a bit during the day to give a clue to your baby that it's not time to turn in for the night. Try keeping a shade or curtain open a little, then pitch-dark.
3. Don’t ditch naps. The average baby sleeps at least 14 to 17 hours in a 24-hour period. It is important to teach your sleeping baby that nighttime is the best time for snoozing in long stretches. 

Activities For A 1 Month Old Baby

It is a misconception that a newborn baby is not able to understand, react to or follow much human interaction. A 1 month old baby can do a surprising number of things such as focus on faces, giggle, react to sounds, and lights including moving their heads and suckle! 

Talk to them: They may not be able to understand a word of what they are hearing, but be as silly and lovable to your baby as possible, and talk to them in a soft, comforting voice. This will allow them to focus on your face, and maintain eye contact with them. 

Make faces: This is something we have all done at least once in our lives, from our little siblings, to little nieces and nephews.This helps in building a parent bond with your baby, making their favorite silly expressions will make them smile and you will learn a lot about your newborn. 

Belly time: Provide your baby with ample supervised tummy time during the day so that they can practice lifting their cute head as it prevents flattening of head which is common in babies as they spend all day and night lying on their backs. 

These activities will help your baby immensely as they slowly get accustomed to the world, getting bigger and stronger with each passing day.

1 month old baby’s health

Increase breast milk supply: New mothers often worry about not producing enough breast milk. Diet of the mother is an important aspect, as it not only impacts the amount and quality of breast milk produced, but also impacts the post-delivery recovery of the mother. Eating nutritious food throughout the day is the best way to ensure a healthy milk supply for your baby.

Spitting-up baby: Spitting up refers to the fact that the contents of the baby's stomach can easily flow out of the mouth, possibly with a burp. Don’t be alarmed if the baby is spitting up a lot. What looks like her entire lunch is probably no more than a tablespoon of milk. Things should calm down in a month or two. There is no definite way to spit milk, but you can surely work on reducing the frequency. 

Soothe a crying baby: Having an easy baby who coos and smiles on cue and cries is a myth. Reality usually is far away from this particular fantasy. After feeding and diapering duties throughout the day, soothing your fussy baby can seem like it takes up the bulk of your day and sometimes even nights because kicking up a fuss is the only communication skill a newborn knows.

Lastly, every baby has a unique body type and it would be safe to say that they all progress at a different pace. Give your little one a break and help him achieve his milestones without any judgment or expectations, we’re sure things will work out in the end.