By the time your baby is a month old, he’ll be much more alert and responsive than he was as a newborn. Here are some milestones to indicate whether growth is on schedule.
Movement
- Makes jerky, quivering arm thrusts
- Brings hands within range of eyes and mouth
- Moves head from side to side while lying on stomach
- Head flops backward if unsupported
- Keeps hands in tight fists
- Shows strong reflex movements
Vision & Hearing
- Focuses 8 to 12 inches away
- Eyes wander and occasionally cross
Smell & Touch
- Prefers sweet smells
- Avoids bitter or acidic smells
- Recognizes the scent of his mother’s breast milk
- Prefers soft to coarse touch sensations
- Dislikes rough or abrupt handling
- Prefers black-and-white or high-contrast patterns
- Prefers the human face to all other patterns
- Hearing is fully mature
- Recognizes some sounds
- May turn toward familiar soundsand voices
Be on the Alert
Notify your pediatrician if your baby shows any of these signs of developmental delay during the first month (particularly the second, third, or fourth weeks of life):
- Sucks poorly and feeds slowly
- Doesn’t blink at a bright light
- Doesn’t focus eyes and follow a nearby object moving side to side
- Rarely moves arms and legs; seems stiff
- Seems excessively loose or floppy in the limbs
- Lower jaw trembles constantly, even when not crying or excited
- Doesn’t respond to loud sounds
Source: healthychildren.org