Baby’s Development at the age of One month

Barely four weeks old, your baby is no more a newborn.  She has gained significant grasp of her new world, including getting over the quiver or jumpiness typical to infants. The traumatic experience of taking birth is gradually fading away in her memory, helping her to get over the resultant quiver.

Learning New Skills

Day by day and week by week, your baby is getting stronger and more aware of her body. Curious about her surroundings, she lifts up her fragile neck a bit more successfully for short periods. She learns to soothe herself by suckling a dummy that you may provide. She also learns to focus at objects with her eyes. Though gradually, her waking up and sleeping periods are becoming longer. She is becoming more responsive and uses sounds like gurgle, coo, grunt, and hum to respond back. Fewer babies even may squeal and laugh.

These developments take place in a very gradual but consistent manner, that is, as convincing as they are magical. While these changes may or may not be as apparent to parents on child-to-child basis, these developments indicate the potential of a one month old and the seminal patterns along which the baby is going to grow in the forthcoming months.

To elaborate the outline of capabilities gained by a one month old, the most prominent and noticeable development is of being able to handle her weak neck for short periods and lift it up. She may also hold her neck up as you leave her lying on her stomach. You may also catch her moving her neck from side to side by this time. Your baby’s ability to lift up her neck indicates strengthening of her neck muscles and overall health gained in general. Handling ones neck is also a baby’s first major physical milestone accomplished since birth.

Help Your Baby Explore Herself

A long-term stay in the stomach of the mother leaves the baby with a habit of staying curled up even outside. It takes time to uncurl and stretch out her arms and legs apart. By one month, she gains an idea of her arms and legs, as she starts exploring her body. This also helps her to explore extremities and find out her farthest reach with her limbs. In the process, your baby also recovers from the quiver and jumpiness as a newborn. You can also help her explore her body parts, focusing on arms and legs in the first few months, by playing ‘How big is the baby?’ or counting her toes while singing ‘The Little Piggy’ to her.

Your baby loves to suck. In fact, her mouth is her prominent means to explore her world throughout her infancy.  By the time she turns one month old, she can be soothed with the help of a pacifier or dummy. Your baby may also find her own thumb or finger to suckle while trying to explore her options.

More Changes

Your one-month-old bundle of joy may also marvel you as she intermittently responds with her sugar sweet gurgle, coo, grunt and hum, while making a steady eye-to-eye contact. In fewer cases, babies even start squealing and laughing. She will hold her gaze for a longer period and show distinct familiarity for her parents.

With time, the baby’s sleeping hours will squeeze and she will overcome the dominance of hunger in her. Simply put, now you can find your baby awake for longer period, while not crying for feed. You can utilize this time for stimulating her sensory development. You can play music to her or sing her a rhyme or amuse her with the sound of wind chimes, rattles or even ticking of the clock. In the process, you may also discover the personal likings of your little one, as she will seem more mused by a particular collection, over and above the others.

As your baby turns one month old, she learns to focus with both eyes and track a moving object for a longer period. You can play eye-to-eyes with her by moving your face very close to hers and slowly nodding your head from side to side. In all likelihood, you will find her eyes transfixed onto your face.