Parenting

Adjusting to caring for a new baby can be difficult. Babies take up the time you previously spent on other activities, including spending time with the special person in your life. Make a date to spend several hours with each other without your baby. This is a special way to show you still care about each other.

Having a new baby in the family can be quite an adjustment for siblings as well. Please see Siblings and a New Baby to find information on how to ease the transition.

Development

Every baby develops at his or her own rate. It is tempting to compare your baby with others, but remember each baby is different.

The first muscles babies can control are those in the neck and shoulders. Parents can help their babies develop these muscles by allowing them to spend some time on their tummies while awake. Your baby will begin to raise his or her head and look around. Put your face in front of your baby so your baby will have something interesting to see. Babies at this age can see well for about two feet. They enjoy looking at bright, contrasting colors such as black and white. They love to see faces. Babies' eyes normally cross for short amounts of time, but let your doctor know if one eye always seems to be crossed.

At 1 month of age, babies are beginning to smile and make sounds. Talk to your baby a lot. After speaking, wait for a little while to give your baby time to try to copy you. If you make a funny face, your baby may copy that too.

Babies love to be held and you cannot spoil babies at this age by holding them too much.

Remember, babies cry the most between 6 and 8 weeks of life. See Soothing Your Crying Infant for more information.

Feeding

Feeding should be an enjoyable time for you and your baby. It is a time for your baby to enjoy looking at your face, feel secure in your arms and listen to your voice. Your baby will sense your emotions, so take a big breath, relax and enjoy this time together.

During feedings:

• Don't prop the bottle if you are using bottles
• Don't force your baby to eat more than he or she wants
• Don't jiggle the bottle to try to get your baby to eat more
• Talk quietly to your baby or just smile, letting him or her see your face

Note: Do not give honey to babies who are younger than 1 year of age, for it can cause a serious infection called botulism.

Most babies do not require extra feedings of water or juice since both formulas and breast milk are 80 percent water. However, if the weather is extremely warm, you may want to offer your baby additional water.

At 6 weeks of age, many babies will have fewer bowel movements. Your baby may go three or four days without having a stool. As long as your baby is feeding regularly, not throwing up and is behaving normally, you do not need to worry.

If you are breastfeeding your baby and plan to return to work in the next couple of months, this might be a good time for you to start preparing for the transition. Please see Breastfeeding and Preparing to Return to Work for tips to get you started.

Safety

Here are a few extremely important safety tips:

• Remember to always place your baby on his or her back to sleep.
• Always put your baby securely into a car seat when traveling by car or taxi. Parents, remember that you also need to buckle up and make sure that you never drink alcohol and drive.
• Do not leave your baby alone on a high place.
• Do not drink hot liquids while holding your baby. He or she may reach out and knock the liquid out of your hand, burning both of you.
• Never shake your baby as it can cause serious injuries.

Healthy Habits

Here are a few tips for keeping you and your little one healthy:

• Wash your hands before and after changing diapers.
• Do not allow anyone to smoke while inside any part of your home. Secondhand smoke can increase your baby's chance of getting ear infections and asthma as well as dying of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also called crib death.
• Walking is excellent exercise for new mothers, so take your baby for walks in a snuggly or stroller.
• Protect your baby from sun exposure. Since you should not apply sunscreen to babies at this age, you can protect your baby's skin from the sun with a hat or blanket .

Your baby's next checkup will be in one month, when he or she is 2 months old. At this visit your baby will receive several immunizations.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated January 20, 2010

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or health care provider. We encourage you to discuss with your doctor any questions or concerns you may have.