Wondering how your 1 month old newborn sees, feels, hears, and understands the world? We’ve got the scoop on all of the milestones for your 1 month old – physical changes to sensory, cognitive, social and emotional developments.

Babies are expected to lose weight after birth. They will be at their lowest weight at day 2 or 3 and then should return to their birth weight by 2 weeks. On average babies lose 7-10% of their birth weight. Weight loss is mainly due to fluid retention. Your baby was in a fluid-filled sac and has now entered the dry-world, so they will quickly lose some of the fluid that was retained in their skin. Cesarean birth and late-cord clamping also are associated with greater weight change. Late-cord clamping because, your baby will have a higher birth weight, and therefore a greater weight change. 

Weight loss can be stressful as it is often used as an indication of breastfeeding success or milk supply and therefore a reason to supplement with formula. Weight loss of more than 10% may indicate the need for formula supplementation, however this is controversial.

Try to focus on regular, on-demand feedings this first month. It is important not to compare numbers with other babies. This is why infant’s and children’s growth is monitored with a growth chart or curve. Your baby may be large or small, heavy or light, and a growth chart will show their growth trajectory according to their size. Consistent growth over time is what matters, not absolute numbers. So if your baby started near the 10th percentile, they are likely to stay in the lower range of normal growth and not suddenly jump up to the 80th percentile as a newborn or as a child. 

You have probably noticed the swollen labia on your little girl or swollen scrotum on your little boy. This is normal and temporary. Your hormones are still coursing through their body and causing some effects. One of the positive ones is that your melatonin in their body will help your baby (and hopefully you) secure some extra sleep their first week of life. 

Does your little one have a flattened nose or a cone-shaped head? This may be due to their position in the womb or their exit, whether you were pushing for a long time, or had an instrument-assisted birth. You may know about the “soft-spot” on your baby’s head and that their skull shape changes until 2 years of life. About 1 in 4 healthy singleton babies have unusually shaped heads the first month of life.

If your baby still has an odd-shaped or flat spot around 6 weeks this is something you can speak to your pediatrician about. Your baby may have muscle tension, that is causing them to hyperextend (arch) their back and add extra pressure to their fragile skull when they are laying on their back. This can result in flat spots, but is often corrected with tummy time, exercises, and perhaps a visit to an osteopath, ideally around 3 to 4 months of age. 

At birth babies can only see clearly about one foot (30cm) and their central vision is still developing which is why they may be cross-eyes when trying to focus on an object. They are very sensitive to bright light and often have very small pupils to limit the amount of light entering their eyes. Your baby loves looking at faces and can mimic your facial expressions. 

Hearing is fully mature at birth. You may know that your baby could already hear in the womb, both the sounds inside your body, like your heartbeat, and sounds outside of your body, like your voice. This is great news! You can use the sounds they are familiar with to comfort them. Think about the sounds that filled your pregnancy. For example, if your pregnant environment was rather noisy, your baby might be upset if it is too quiet. Either way, all babies love human voices, just keep in mind that they will have trouble concentrating on simultaneous sounds.

If you want to have a chat with your baby, get close to their ears and turn off any background music. Research has shown that babies are calmed by their mother’s voice both talking and singing. And yes, babies can change their behaviour to hear their mother’s voice instead of another woman’s voice. Babies prefer speech sounds to non-speech sounds and their native language to foreign language, but they like music too and you can’t talk all day! So when you’re not chatting with your baby, turn on the music. Music calms babies, as evidenced by lower pulse rates and decreased movements.

Your baby can sense changes in temperature, but they cannot shiver or control their own body temperature. This is especially true for low-birth weight and preterm babies. Babies also have a high ratio of body surface area to weight and therefore lose a lot of heat by evaporation. This is why it is important to keep your baby dressed warmly. A good place to check their temperature is the back of their neck. This is easily accessible and similar to their chest temperature. Their hands and feet are often cold when their core temperature is just fine.

A lot of your baby’s movements are reflexes. Reflexes are unintentional actions that happen instantaneously in response to a stimulus, often to keep you safe. Think of yourself pulling your hand off of a hot pan. Many of babies’ reflexes are related to food: searching, suckling and swallowing.

Your baby also has a strong gripping reflex – to make sure you don’t put them down when they want to be held! While most babies keep their hands in tight fists, if you stroke their palm or the bottom of their foot, you will see their fingers or toes curl in. 

Newborns also turn towards sound. While this response is delayed by about 5 to 7 seconds, it is an innate reflex that disappears around 5 to 8 weeks.

Your baby’s senses are all functioning, but their brain does not yet process the incoming information in the same way as yours does. You can tell if you smelt the coffee, or heard the doorbell ring or touched the dog, but your baby experiences everything together. Their sensations are combined and overlapping.

On top of that, your baby does not yet know that they are an independent person. They perceive all sensations and don’t know if they come from their body or from the outside world. The sensory input can be overwhelming and lead to crying. The best way to calm your baby is by holding them tightly. This imitates the womb – their home and whole world for the past 40 weeks. Try using a scarf or baby carrier or swaddling your baby to make them feel snug and secure. 

Your baby is in love with you. Their favorite activities are gazing into your eyes and hearing your voice. Most babies can recognize their parents at 1 month. Your baby will cry loudly when they are uncomfortable or hungry. When they are content they may gurgle or coo. Talk to your baby in their language – cooing or gurgling – or in yours. Take pauses so they have time to respond to you.

Self-soothing can begin at this age. You may notice that your baby sucks their fingers or thumbs or you may give them a pacifier. Sucking is a great way for your baby to calm down. 

Please note that developmental milestones are based on your baby’s due date and not actual birth date.