Your baby's growth and development - 1 month old

Your baby’s development begins at birth. In the first weeks, your baby grows quickly and starts getting used to the world around them. 

At 1 month, feeding, sleeping and close contact, such as cuddling, matter most to your baby. The time you spend with your baby helps build a strong bond and supports early development.

Your baby may cry often. Crying is how babies tell you they are hungry, tired or need a nappy change or a cuddle. Holding and cuddling your baby may help comfort them. As your baby grows, the crying will usually settle.

Read more about a day in the life of a newborn.

At 1 month old, babies are growing and changing quickly. Babies grow at their own pace and it is not helpful to compare your baby’s growth to others.

Babies lose weight in the first days after birth. Most healthy babies get back to their birth weight in the first 2 weeks and then continue to grow. 

Some babies grow a little faster, while others grow more slowly. Babies also differ in how their bodies develop, such as how much fat and muscle they have. What matters most is that your baby continues to grow steadily over time.

Your baby’s growth is checked by measuring their weight and length. These measurements are compared with standard growth charts to make sure your baby is growing steadily.

Your baby will have been weighed at birth and their growth will continue to be checked at regular health checks. 

While every baby develops at their own pace, there are things that babies and children are generally expected to be doing at each age. These are called ‘milestones’.

Physical Development

At 1 month old, most of your baby’s movements happen automatically through reflexes. They are not yet in control of their body. 

Your baby can:

• suck and swallow to feed
• turn their head when their cheek is touched
• grasp a finger or object placed in the palm of their hand 

Most babies keep their hands in fists. They will make walking-like movements if you hold them up with their feet on a flat surface. 

Sudden noises or movements may cause your baby to stretch out their arms and legs.

By the end of the first month, your baby may be able to briefly lift their head and turn to the side when you lay them on their tummy. 

Cognitive development

Your baby can’t see clearly yet but they can tell apart light and dark. They will start to look at people’s faces. They may look cross-eyed (with their eyes turning inward).

Social development

Your baby may prefer looking at faces rather than objects. 

They may look at the faces of familiar people when held close. Your baby may turn their head toward the sound of your voice.

Emotional Development

Crying is your baby’s main way of showing hunger, discomfort or tiredness. 

Some babies begin to soothe themselves by sucking on a dummy, finger or thumb. 

Comforting your baby helps them feel safe and supported.

Spend time with your baby whenever you can. Respond to your baby by talking, smiling and using gentle touch. This will help them to bond and feel safe and secure. It also supports early learning and brain development.

Talk, read and sing to your baby. They enjoy hearing your voice. Music and gentle play help stimulate their senses and can keep them amused.

Help your baby build neck strength by placing them on their tummy for short periods during the day. Start with a couple of minutes each time. This is called tummy time. Always stay with your baby during tummy time and always place your baby on their back for sleep.

At 1 month, you may still be learning about your baby and their needs. Talk to your doctor or maternal child health nurse if your baby:

• isn’t feeding well
• doesn’t react to loud sounds
• has crying or sleeping patterns that worry you 

At any age, it’s important to speak to your doctor if your baby has stopped doing something they had already learned to do. This is sometimes called ‘regression’.

See this booklet about caring for your new baby (Opens in new tab), from the government of Western Australia.

Australian Breastfeeding Association (Opens in new tab) has information about weight gain and growth patterns for breastfed babies.

The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne (Opens in new tab) has information about tummy time for your baby.

Subscribe (Opens in new tab) to Pregnancy, Birth and Baby’s monthly newsletter for more information about your baby.

Languages other than English

Find information in a range of community languages (Opens in new tab) about your 1-month-old baby’s development.

The Government of Western Australia Child and Adolescent Health Service has translated child health fact sheets (Opens in new tab) in languages other than English.

Information for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

Get Up and Grow (Opens in new tab) is a resource for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples about the first foods you will feed your baby.

Australian Breastfeeding Association has breastfeeding resources for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples (Opens in new tab).

SMS4 Deadly Dads (Opens in new tab) helps First Nations dads connect with their bub, support mum and look after themselves.